PEG LEG!

OK, I haven't slept in two nights and I am scared to think ahead to next week. My leg is still rather large and while I have been forcing myself to bite the bullet as far as walking on it, after awhile it gets to be too much, enough so that I can't concentrate on the last bit of writing I have to get done before we leave. I have never seen so many tints, tones, and shades of purple either! My foot looks like Monet's palette at sunset. (Haystack anyone?)

My adventure in swimming today was actually not as bad as I anticipated, though it was difficult to get my self into and out of the water as the sand at the lake is a bit uneven, but sitting in my chair afterwards and flexing my foot in the warmed top layer felt really good. Drawing the alphabet with my toes kills, as does flexing it on a stability ball. Have not tried the trainer, that is tomorrow's task after my PT appointment. My biggest fear is clipping out. I guess I shouldn't gripe though, as where I am at there is a good chance I can still ride at least part of the route. It could have been much worse.

On another note I would like to wish TEAM KERMIT my best as they head off from Boston to Sturbridge tomorrow (72 miles) to warm up for their Pan Mass Challenge (what dedication!) Wishing for tailwinds for you all the way! Check out their profile
My HEART IS TOTALLY WITH YOU

Mt Beacon Revisited (time on my BEHIND included)

It started out innocent enough, Anna and I decided that we were bored enough that a hike was in order. Seeing that I really wanted to explore the top of Mt Beacon once again, we headed West. The trail is very steep and covered with loose rock, not enough to call it scree, but ...(you get the picture I am sure). On the way up, despite my fitness level I was working hard. We passed a few of the foundations for the chair-lift towers.I still can't believe that all the history written about the place, there is no mention of the ski area. Anna was stung by a hornet at one point, and we narrowly avoided an angry swarm. The incline railway station, complete with gearing mechanisms is the first area of great interest, the next is the foundation of the old hotel. The views are incredible and make the hike up totally worth it. On the way down, Anna and I stopped to pick blackberries and spotted a black bear doing the same (which caused our efforts to cease as we quietly excused ourselves as she had the advantage of being uphill from us).On the way down, we were discussing the days happenings and trying to avoid the hornets nest, when all of the sudden I lost my footing and tumbled down the slope, ankle crumbled underneath me, a loud pop, instant pain, instant swelling and 1/2-3/4 miles of difficult terrain to go. I was sure it was busted. I decided however that if I could get out, I should try rather than call for help. SO I scooted down the steep part on my butt, used the stair railings for support when we got there and used Anna's shoulder for a crutch when we got to the graded woods road at the end of the trail. A stop at the deli for a bag of ice, and off to the ER we went. I sat there for 5 hours to have my riding hopes dashed. A visit to my ortho today left some glimmer of hope. In the end no fractures, an Achilles sprain, a high ankle sprain, a script for PT, intervals on a trainer, swimming, and a whole slew of work to get done so that I can ride in two weeks (hopefully). FINGERS CROSSED!
On another note, I think I am doing battle with this mountain, as my mother tells me that I tumbled out of the chair-lift as I tried to lift the safety bar to get off. Apparently, it was one of those things that scared a great deal of people at the mountain. Funny, I remember falling out, but all this time I thought it was at Mohawk Mountain, and to think I cringed as my kids learned how to ski there.

Watching Chris climb a 7 mile wall for the first time...

Chris and I took off quite early this morning aiming to have breakfast on the hudson in Cold Spring. This route was only partially new to Chris. The first half was previously covered the day we had headed to PA. This morning, however, once reaching the NB bridge we headed south on 9D instead of crossing the Hudson. We took our time in a sense, and enjoyed the day, which started out as a humid, cloudy mix but ended up being windy and bright. We stopped at Mt. Beacon for a few minutes to look over the trailhead sign. I was surprised to see that the ski area that was once present on that mountain was not mentioned (DUTCHESS)
I remember skiing there so vividly as a child that even to this day when I cross the Newburgh Beacon Bridge going eastbound I am drawn to looking at the ghost of the area.
We continue down route 9D and through the tunnel and on to Cold Spring where we picked up some bagels and the Cold Spring Bake Shoppe and headed down to the river to sit in the shadow of West Point and eat and listen to the war games going on across the river (artillery fire, heli pursuits, etc)
After about an hour we finally get up the nerve to head home, and some real discussion ensues as they way we planned to head home has a 1100 ft elevation gain over 7 miles, they other way would add 30 miles to the trip... I am not particular to either, so I let Chris make the decision. We opt for route 301 and head to Carmel knowing that we will be climbing for about an hour. As we arrive in Carmel, with 65 miles on the odometer, we stop for frosties before heading home. When all was said and done, we covered 72.89 miles with a pretty impressive profile.


GO TEAM COLUMBIA HIGH ROAD!!!

Road Rage...UGGH!!!

I spent the morning glued to the Tour De France. Sorry, its summer, and the fact that I have my first few days where I am not running all over the place, I got caught up in the days events. I am finding that after our outing with Team Columbia High Road we are following the racing a bit more closely, there is a connection. Finally, after the mornings stunning break away success, I decided to get my butt out the door to ride my final solo training ride for awhile, and headed out the door to accomplish the 30 miles in the already hot sun. Yuk, hill sprints in the muggy sun...
So I head to Pound Ridge via Martha's Stewart's place (Griddle Ridge Rd) and just as I get to the GR turn off on 22 I notice a flare burning in the road. I can hear a truck bearing down on me, and I am holding my line to make the left turn, and next thing I know I am run off the road into the flare (which btw was on the right shoulder). So in my surprise I utter a few choice words too loudly as I wait for the tires to pop from the heat of the flame and sharpness of the wire and the guy in the truck slams on his brakes and starts backing up. As I try to avoid him he sends me into the Men Working Sandwich Board and starts yelling a few choice words of his own that I really care not to repeat as they are too painful on many levels (discriminatory on three fronts). I notice that he is even with the island in the road, and I see that there are some men who were working standing at the corner watching, and I see that the woman in the car behind him has stopped and is watching and listening so I take advantage of the situation and bolt left onto Griddle Ridge. The guy in the truck slams on his breaks again, like he is going to turn around and pursue me, only to find the island there. So he guns it and takes off down 22. I see him slam on his brakes as if he was going to head up the side road that would cut me off, but so does the lady in the car, who decides to stay with me until I get to the end of Griddle Ridge and 121 (a good few miles), where she stopped, and turned around despite the guy changing his mind. I learned a good lesson today and remind myself how stupidly lucky I was to have those witnesses in place at the right time. Sometimes defensive driving means that you have to let the expletives live in your head and not sneak out. Keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the bars...(not sure what my hand that was making a turn signal did as I tried to avoid the flames, and tires, and truck...or if I did anything other than yell)
On another note, the rest of the ride, I managed to be true to my workout. Sprint up each hill by shifting up a gear and picking up my cadence, not my butt of the seat (30 seconds or the top...if the top was manageable than the top it was).
Tomorrow, hopefully a quiet ride in the other direction!

Sometimes wallowing is good for the workout...

I have been spending the last few weeks a bit depressed about the fact that I constantly bust my butt, eat well, and still can't loose a single pound. I think I must be doing something wrong? I've tried it all, eating a vegetarian diet with lots of vegetables, eating a lean protein diet with lots of vegetables, the lean protein, low carb, veggie combo, the avoid everything white, lean protein, moderate carb, lots of veggies diet...(which is the way I was brought up and my stand by)...I exercise constantly, most of the time 10-14 hours a week, I wake up some days thinking I am getting too old for this...I want to quit, but I am too afraid of what I'd look like then? So I trudge on.
This morning, I had a bit of a melt down (can you tell?) just as I was headed out the door to ride. Its July 4th, Its raining, its really muggy, Chris is off camping and MT Biking and I am left here to ride on my own. Wait, didn't he do that for two weeks while I fired a kiln and took a graduate class? So I suck it up enough to get my ass out the door and on that two wheel monster and just start pedaling, no real decisive plan, just pedaling and wallowing and I find myself on one of the longest, most avoided climbs in our area, still wallowing and not even noticing that I am not in pain. Wait a minute, I am not even feeling this stupid hill, I can't even get this part right...so, I increase the effort, and there is barely a physical response. Great, I am a fat chick on a bike pedaling 15.5 mph up a hill in my upper chain ring... what's wrong with this picture? I've just proven to myself my melting point exactly, I go to the doctor and get my pulse taken a number of times by 3 or sometimes 4 different people, why, because being fit and fat is an anomaly.
So by the time I hit the showers today, I had pedaled 18 miles in an hour, included a number of serious climbs, and managed a set of 8 x4 min steady states at 90 with 2 minutes rest (just long enough to get annoyed at myself). Despite my state of mind today, wallowing made the work go by unnoticed. If I didn't have a party to get to, I probably would have stayed out there playing chicken with my body all day long.

White Pond or bust?

It was a beautiful, sunny, hot day today and we headed out about 10 AM to go for a picnic and swim at White Pond in Stormville. I wrestled in my head with the best route for us, Chris had a headache that was bordering on nauseating and I hadn't really ridden in 2 weeks due to firing schedules and studio work. I was thrilled to be out there, but looking for ways to make a 50 mile hilly ride less hilly, after all we have to repeat that distance two more times this week, tomorrow and Thursday. So I decide we will head up towards Carmel, and instead of shooting up route 52 cut through Towners road to Fair Street and head out to Holmes and then up to White Pond the back way. Ok, me, the one with a GPS in my head, made a wrong turn and we ended up back tracking 5 miles (yes almost home) and decided to change our route. We road another 6 miles or so then hopped on the trail and headed south to Millwood for lunch. We then headed north to Granite Springs and headed home around the reservoir. When all was said and done, we road 48 miles. Out again tomorrow, this time, WHITE POND OR BUST!