Sabrina and I had a real adventure this weekend. Our plan was to drive out to Sealy, TX and ride up TX-36 to Brenham for some hill training. These aren't BIG hills, but hills nonetheless. My assignment was to plan the route and stops. This was pretty easy - a straight shot up TX-36 with stops at 15 miles in Bellville (for more kolaches at Newman's Bakery!) and then on to Brenham for lunch and come home by the same route. The total route was about 60 miles.
This plan was working really well. I went to #2 child's basketball game at 8am, then met Sabrina to pick up my bike and drove out to Sealy (about 30 min. from home.) We parked at the Whataburger on the south side of I-10 at TX-36 and we were on our way, after a brief pause to put the chain back on my bike as it had slipped off in transit. Sabrina was then coated in chain grease, but she's a trooper (and a good friend!!) The ride was great through Sealy, and then reality struck. The next 13 miles to Bellville was a CONSTRUCTION ZONE! I guess my route planning omitted the step where I checked TxDOT Expressway for roadway construction projects on my route. OOPS! A few seconds on this pavement and we could tell WHY it was under construction. I'm not sure how old that asphalt was, but there was NO tar left in the gravel and that was the ROUGHEST road we'd ever been on. After the first 5 minutes, we were wishing for mountain bikes!
We agreed to press on to Bellville, ask about conditions on the road to Brenham and then pick an alternate route back to Sealy to avoid the construction. Other than the rough conditions, the rest of the ride to Bellville was relatively uneventful. We can always count on getting a few honks and cat-calls. On this trip, we were honked at by cars, trucks, and a BNSF locomotive! And we did get cat-called by the same truck in Bellville TWICE (creep!) A man at the bakery said the road to Brenham was much better and the construction "was already done." So we decided to continue our plan. The man was wrong. Once out of Bellville, it was the same rough asphalt. We were happy to see the county line (in Texas, that is often where the pavement changes) and we could see a different color of asphalt ahead. Oh happy day! Sadly, it was a different color of the same surface. We jittered on to Brenham. After a few miles, it doesn't matter because you can no longer feel your feet, rear, or hands. But it IS enough to give your back a spasm! Fortunately, the road widened to 4 lanes, giving us better clearance from passing vehicles. Unfortunately, passing motorists didn't always see fit to use the left lane while passing us.
Joyously, we pulled into Brenham and stopped at the Whataburger on TX-36 just south of US-290 for lunch. There was a table in a back corner, so we pulled our bikes in and stepped to the counter to order. We were met there by a round manager who informed us that our bikes were "a health hazard" and needed to be removed immediately. No, we could NOT order first. We took our bikes and went a little further up the hill to Sonic, where we found a nice outside table and ordered some burgers. Sabrina ordered hers with bacon! I did not know before this that Sonic has public restrooms - I guess I always thought it was just a drive-in. This was a welcome discovery!
After lunch, we turned our bikes south on TX-36 and began our jarring ride back to Bellville. It was then that the headwind kicked up! Our motto is to ride into the wind on the FIRST half of the ride, because a headwind is a bad thing when you're already tired. But we're tough girls, so we fought our way back to Bellville. We stopped at Dairy Queen to discuss our route changes back to Sealy. We turned south off TX-36 onto Coshatte Rd. AH - we found smooth asphalt!! And HILLS! And DOGS! Those little Jack Russel Terriers are mighty fast when you're sprinting up a steep grade. I think Sabrina rubbed my back tire with the bacon from her burger at lunch! We escaped dog #1 unscathed. A little further up the hill, we met dog #2. He was about 3 times the size of dog #1, but responded better to my stern "NO, BAD DOG, GO HOME." I used my "coach voice." He only chased us a little while after that.
The plan was to take Coshatte to FM-331 to Peters San Felipe, back to TX-36. Coshatte was pretty good road. FM-331 was a little more rough, and we also found a group of guys out enjoying target practice on their land. Fortunately, we didn't hear any bullets zing by our heads! Everything went fairly well until we got on Peters San Felipe. We intended to take that to Maler Rd, but it went to dirt after Junica. And so we took Junica. Oh look! More bad asphalt! By this time, we were just numb to our environment and looking to get home by any means necessary. Alien abduction wouldn't have been out of the question! We made it down Junica without further incident, then sprinted across TX-36 and on into Sealy. We were never so glad to be back in a town with smooth streets!
As we pulled into the Whataburger and reloaded the bikes, we congratulated ourselves on surviving this latest adventure. I think we're fully prepared for whatever the MS 150 has to offer!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
MS 150 Training Update
The Short Version:I've ridden over 400 miles. I fell once and it hurt. I learned to change my own tires. I've reached 25% of my fundraising goal.
The INTERESTING Version:Training is going very well. When I bought my bike, it had less than 500 miles on it. This weekend, the odo clicked past 900 miles. In that time, I've ridden short routes and long routes, depending on how much time I had. Sabrina, my friend and riding buddy, rode with me from Katy to Bellville to have kolaches and coffee at Newman's Bakery. Between the 15 mph headwind all the way there, and the hills (on which I was alternately praying and chanting, "Kolaches and Coffee!"), it was a challenging ride in. I do believe those were the best kolaches I've ever tasted, too! Naturally, the coffee kicked in about 10 miles away from the nearest public restroom. We thank Waller County for having well-designed bridges to hide under. Riding home in a tail-wind is a beautiful thing!!
I had my first clip-out fail, thankfully while stationary. It was a total rookie mistake, and all the other cyclists laugh because apparently everyone has done it. For those not in the know, road bikes do not have traditional pedals, but clips attached to the pegs on the crank. Cycling shoes are very stiff, to protect the foot from the pegs, and have a receptacle on the ball of the foot that attaches to the clips on the bike. This is efficient because the cyclist can benefit from pulling up on the pedals as well as pushing down. It's all good until you fail to get unclipped properly! A couple of weeks ago Sabrina was riding about 100 yards back and when I looked back to check on her, I saw she was stopped and off her bike. I unclipped my right shoe (which is my habit) and stopped. I planned to double back and see if she needed help. That U-turn to the LEFT was my fatal error, as my LEFT shoe was still clipped to the bike. Over I went, skinning my knee and elbow and bruising my hip, hand and ankle. I was wearing a long-sleeve jersey, a jacket and knee covers, which protected me a little. Thankfully, my clothes and bike were fine, I wasn't injured, and the bruises are healing.
It has occurred to me that my road bike is not like the 10-speed I had as a youth and tore down and rebuilt one summer for fun. It's a bit more complex and the tires are completely different. For starters, road bike tires are very narrow and are inflated to a much higher pressure than a kid's bike or a mountain bike. A special pump is required to inflate them, which I didn't even have yet. So I went down to Bike Barn, where my friend Ty gave me a crash course in changing a tire. We changed the front tube, and I got the hang of it very quickly. I also took home a CO2 cartridge and valve connection for emergency re-inflation, a tube for the rear tire and a new pump. Being the engineer I am, I figured the rear would only take slightly longer due to the gears and chain. It took me about 30 minutes, which is FAR longer than I anticipated. Mostly due to uncertainty, pensiveness, slowness and compulsive hand-washing! But I got the job done and now my bike is sporting LONG valve stems because I learned quickly that a 133 lb girl has a VERY hard time inflating a tube to 120 psi with one hand while holding the connection on the SHORT valve stem with the other.
Thanks for continuing to follow my blog. I'm enjoying the riding and the fundraising is going very well. I'm nearly to the 25% point, which is great for the first month. The ride is now 2 months away, so I need to ramp things up. Sabrina and I are planning a garage sale and a few other ideas to help raise money and support. I hope you will forward my link to your friends because the more people who support the ride, the more money we raise for MS research. Even a new therapy or drug is a huge improvement! Every little bit helps!!
Link to my page: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Bike/TXHBikeEvents?px=6533020&pg=personal&fr_id=15941
"Keep Moving Forward!"
The INTERESTING Version:Training is going very well. When I bought my bike, it had less than 500 miles on it. This weekend, the odo clicked past 900 miles. In that time, I've ridden short routes and long routes, depending on how much time I had. Sabrina, my friend and riding buddy, rode with me from Katy to Bellville to have kolaches and coffee at Newman's Bakery. Between the 15 mph headwind all the way there, and the hills (on which I was alternately praying and chanting, "Kolaches and Coffee!"), it was a challenging ride in. I do believe those were the best kolaches I've ever tasted, too! Naturally, the coffee kicked in about 10 miles away from the nearest public restroom. We thank Waller County for having well-designed bridges to hide under. Riding home in a tail-wind is a beautiful thing!!
I had my first clip-out fail, thankfully while stationary. It was a total rookie mistake, and all the other cyclists laugh because apparently everyone has done it. For those not in the know, road bikes do not have traditional pedals, but clips attached to the pegs on the crank. Cycling shoes are very stiff, to protect the foot from the pegs, and have a receptacle on the ball of the foot that attaches to the clips on the bike. This is efficient because the cyclist can benefit from pulling up on the pedals as well as pushing down. It's all good until you fail to get unclipped properly! A couple of weeks ago Sabrina was riding about 100 yards back and when I looked back to check on her, I saw she was stopped and off her bike. I unclipped my right shoe (which is my habit) and stopped. I planned to double back and see if she needed help. That U-turn to the LEFT was my fatal error, as my LEFT shoe was still clipped to the bike. Over I went, skinning my knee and elbow and bruising my hip, hand and ankle. I was wearing a long-sleeve jersey, a jacket and knee covers, which protected me a little. Thankfully, my clothes and bike were fine, I wasn't injured, and the bruises are healing.
It has occurred to me that my road bike is not like the 10-speed I had as a youth and tore down and rebuilt one summer for fun. It's a bit more complex and the tires are completely different. For starters, road bike tires are very narrow and are inflated to a much higher pressure than a kid's bike or a mountain bike. A special pump is required to inflate them, which I didn't even have yet. So I went down to Bike Barn, where my friend Ty gave me a crash course in changing a tire. We changed the front tube, and I got the hang of it very quickly. I also took home a CO2 cartridge and valve connection for emergency re-inflation, a tube for the rear tire and a new pump. Being the engineer I am, I figured the rear would only take slightly longer due to the gears and chain. It took me about 30 minutes, which is FAR longer than I anticipated. Mostly due to uncertainty, pensiveness, slowness and compulsive hand-washing! But I got the job done and now my bike is sporting LONG valve stems because I learned quickly that a 133 lb girl has a VERY hard time inflating a tube to 120 psi with one hand while holding the connection on the SHORT valve stem with the other.
Thanks for continuing to follow my blog. I'm enjoying the riding and the fundraising is going very well. I'm nearly to the 25% point, which is great for the first month. The ride is now 2 months away, so I need to ramp things up. Sabrina and I are planning a garage sale and a few other ideas to help raise money and support. I hope you will forward my link to your friends because the more people who support the ride, the more money we raise for MS research. Even a new therapy or drug is a huge improvement! Every little bit helps!!
Link to my page: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Bike/TXHBikeEvents?px=6533020&pg=personal&fr_id=15941
"Keep Moving Forward!"
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Becoming a Stay At Home Mom - #1
Whether to continue employment after having children is a decision that rests between a woman and her husband. A wise woman will give herself the choice.
You're an employed mom, and you've had enough of being stretched too thin. Meeting the demands of an employer AND a family is no longer your heart's desire. You've gotten used to the two-income lifestyle and you're worried that you HAVE to keep working. Deep down, what you REALLY want is to be at home with your children while they are still small. Is it even possible?
This has often been asked and I've wanted to write about it for years. I've made the transition now in both directions at least once. What worked for me might not work for everyone, but I've found that each of us can usually do whatever we WANT to do.
ASSUMPTIONS:
I have to make a few assumptions about your family make-up before delving into the details. First off, I'll assume you are in a committed marriage or rock-solid, stable relationship with your child's father. Second, I'll assume your spouse is earning as much or more than you are, or at least enough to support a family. I'll get to the details on that later.
STEP 1 - PLAN:
In a perfect world, you would know if you wanted to be an employed mom or a Stay At Home Mom (SAHM) before you got married, or at least before you decided to have children. You would live on one income from the beginning. Your housing choices, grocery budget and personal spending would be based on your husband's income. Your income could be saved to make the down payment on a house, replace a vehicle or take a vacation.
If you're not in that perfect world, it's not too late! You can begin with planning the moment you decide that you really want to stay home.
- Where Does The Money Go? Before you can manage your money, you have to know how much you earn and where you spend it. This can be done on a sheet of paper, a spreadsheet, or a money management software program like Quicken or MS Money. Decide together how you want to categorize your spending. Auto, Home, Utilities, Groceries, Medical, Property Taxes and Debts are all things that must be paid every month. Dining Out, Entertainment, Club Memberships and Subscription Services are examples of optional expenditures that are easily reduced to bring your spending in line with your income.
- Develop a Budget. Now that you know how much money is coming in and how much is going out, it's time to figure out how to balance the expenses with ONE income instead of TWO. This probably won't happen overnight and it may take several weeks to come up with a plan, but work on it a little each week and it will begin to take shape.
- Cut Spending. Don't be afraid to make changes if you see that your spending doesn't match your budget. There are ways to trim nearly every category of your budget! What are your largest expenditures each month? Can these be reduced? Don't be afraid to make radical changes if they allow you to meet your goal. If your mortgage payment is killing your budget, consider downsizing to something more affordable. If your car payment is too high, trade for a more economical used vehicle. The money you save can be used for an extended warranty if that's important to you. You can find ways to reduce everything from your grocery bill to your utility bills. If you're having a hard time with self-discipline, give yourself a cash allowance each pay day, knowing that when it's gone, you have to wait until the next pay day to get more. Pack a lunch, brew your own coffee, cut out services you don't really use or can live without. You'll be amazed at how the little things can quickly add up.
- Reduce Debt! Depending on your current debt load, this process may be quick and painless, or it may take considerable time. Regardless of your current situation, resolve to pay off all debts other than your mortgage if you have one. I can discuss this in greater detail in the future, but here are the basics: (1) STOP getting IN debt. Yes, that sounds simple, but sometimes it's easier to just swipe that credit card! You know if you have the discipline to pay your bill in full each month. If you don't, then put those cards away in your lock box and use them only in a dire emergency. (2) Take the debt with the smallest monthly payment and increase that payment by as much as you can afford. If you can double or triple the payment, do it. If all you can spare is an extra $5, do it. Decide on a reasonable reward for paying off that first debt and celebrate your success! (3) Once the first debt is paid off, take the entire amount you were using to pay that bill each month and ADD it to the next smallest debt. Repeat the process until you are left with only a mortgage. If you don't own a home yet, you'll be able to save the down payment quickly by being debt-free, and you'll be in a much better financial position when you decide to buy. If your budget allows for a car loan, you can still pay that vehicle off and then save the money for the next vehicle. You'll be paying YOURSELF instead of the bank!
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