Thanks!

I can't believe how many people responded to my last entry, either through comments or directly emailing me. I got so many long and thoughtful responses, encouragement, advice, and even just sympathetic "I know how you feel" emails. I love the bike community! Thanks for keeping me rolling.

I've been having lots of fun again on the bike. Doing training races is like tricking myself into training because it's social, I enjoy it so much, and I push myself much harder than I would alone. I've done the Wompatuck training race the past two Tuesday nights, and Wells Ave training race on Sunday. I really enjoy racing with men, especially those at these races, who tend to be experienced masters racers. Ward and I met with some guys at Landry's on Comm Ave in Boston and rode down to Wompi. It took about 2 hours to get there! After the race, we bummed a ride home, but still got a solid 76 miles in. Sunday we rode to Wells Ave, raced, then did a short errand in Lexington on the way home, so that was another 75-mile day with a 30+ mile training race. Yesterday, after our hour easy spin, Ward revved up the motorcycle and we headed down to Mystic so I could practice motorpacing. Fun! We thought it might be illegal, so we were a little worried since a lot of cops patrol the area, but we got passed by 3 black-and-whites, and none of them seemed to care that I was glued to a roller on the back of an old Honda pedaling 32 mph with relative ease. Judging from all the crazy looks people shot our way, I guess we were quite a spectacle. I'll bet everyone was simply admiring my long hair, which must have been unfurled behind me at that speed. Today I need to go get my motorcycle permit so I can return the favor and pace Ward. We also need to find a good, long stretch of road to do it on. Roads like that are scarce around here.

This morning, after dropping Ward off at Logan airport at dawn (he's off for Charlotte for the Presbyterian Healthcare Crit - a.k.a. Bank of America - show me the money, Babe!) I met Caroline (NEBCer and trombone player extraordinaire) and a friend of hers for an easy mountain bike at the Fells. Wow, I miss mountain biking!! I will definitely be doing more in the next month or two.
How much fun can a girl have in a week?

Well, I'm going to tell you. I also stripped and refinished this table, which was nasty old cracked white over spraypainted army green color. Now it looks super-cute as an end table in our living room and matches my favorite candles. I am so Martha Stewart. Ward and I are also working on refinishing a dining table we got at the Crate and Barrel outlet for ridiculously cheap. Really ridiculously cheap. A $550 table for $19. No kidding. So, it was a little scratched, but a very solid table, so we sanded down the top, and we're in the process of staining/polying it now. Fun! I've been back into my jewelry-making again, too. I'm particularly proud of a necklace and matching drop earring set I made to wear to an anniversary dinner for Ward's parents, a dinner cruise on Lake Winnipesaukee, NH. (see pic)
I might quietly mention that my cross bike has seen the light of day again, too, as have my running sneaks... (shh!!)
I'm also working on my next blog post, which will be a spotlight on our basement, or more interestingly, the 12 bicycles that inhabit it. :)