Taper Field Trip!

LF of the blog knows the appropriate pose

Taper time! Three weeks of backing down on the training and getting all those things in the house organized, errands run, and general all around fun!

Today Mark called and said that he needed to rent a wetsuit because he is going to be a "swimming angel" for the Big Shoulders Open Water 5K.  This means that he'll be swimming alongside a novice, so in all likelihood, his pace will be slower than usual, and, well, with very little body fat he will be very cold.  He asked me if I had ever been to Urban Tri Gear and I had never even heard of it (shame on me). So I suggested a field trip and we were off!




And don't you think, for one moment that I wouldn't find something for myself.  The camera doesn't lie, and I always knew that I had pink compression socks in my future, it was simply a matter of time. In case you're not aware of what tri-geeks have been wearing for the past five years or so, this is one of the biggies.  Not cheap,  but they create the same aesthetic as the tube socks that we all wore when we were rockin' The Doobie Brothers. And so it goes.

They're practically jumping off my legs!

Energized, rested!  Compressed!

Next stop? Whole Foods Hinsdale, for the second day in a row. Go figure?  It's taper, what can I say.  This time to retrieve the planner that I had left in the store Monday. When I went to the customer service desk I read aloud what I had written on the front insert:

In case of loss, please return to: Karen. As a reward: $ my everlasting gratitude.

Wouldn't that be great? Welcome to Illinois. Now get on your bike. 

We then admired the granny-triangle-clad bike out front.  Needless to say, this is an employee's bike (nobody in hinsdale has a ride like this).  But we were so excited by the serendipity of it all. And look at the bumper sticker on the dark side of the vehicle!

The Summer of the Doobie Brothers...

Here I am, shopping on a Monday morning during taper, and it's staring at me out the record store window.

Need I say more? This has been the highest of all summers.  Summer as one could only hope and imagine it is.  Started with a home break in, finished with a really long, hard race. In between, killer weather, great family, great friends, crafts, creativity, sunshine, sports, bikinis, lakes, oceans, sand and fresh vegetables galore.  It just doesn't get any better, and those of us who get to enjoy the delights of summer are gifted, period.  Why the Doobie Brothers? Well, the older we get, we just go back in time, again and again.  I can't think of a more fitting summer memory than that of being in a hippie college town in the 1970's, coming of age and listening to long haired white boys playing soulful rockin' music.  It's where I was, and every time I hear Michael McDonald's crossover voice I wilt and sing along and love the radio, once again.  Goofy, sure, but what wouldn't we do to be transported back to a time that moved more slowly, no immediate notifications of anything, just looking for a place to hang out on a summer afternoon and expecting the world to become a little bit better every year as we were all poised to become more enlightened, wiser, and groovy.

The Last Long Ride!

With two weeks to go, a fifty mile ride and I am D O N E.  It took a while,  but I didn't want to exhaust myself, and the goal these days is to stay vertical, on the bike and the run. I guess while swimming the idea is to stay horizontal, but that's another post. Today was spectacular with a hint of fall in the air.  Michael kindly rode with me, which is a rarity these days, he's so incredibly strong, but what's a taper if you can't go out and ride easy with friends?   It was certainly an educational experience for me.  Most people might assume that a ride with Michael would be filled with lots of technical advice, but what I learned about isn't fit to print, frankly, so if you, LF, want to know what I learned, you'll have to take me out for a beer or coffee.  My education didn't end with our topic of conversation, however.  I learned a new route in to town from Waterfall Glen.  John told me the other day to NOT ride any new routes, but this isn't a new route for Michael, just myself.  It's a perfectly suitable return home, with a bit less traffic and of course alternate routes are always a good thing.  But the best part of our ride change was the ride on a section of road formerly a piece of Route 66.  Things got better when we turned a corner, and there it was, what I've been waiting to visit for eight years and haven't gotten around to it!!!!! 

My day is over! It doesn't get any better than this!!!!!

Del Rhea's Chicken Basket!!!! I was in heaven! Too bad I didn't have the fancy camera for this important moment, but the smartphone suited me just fine.  I can't wait to go for a ride someday and stop for lunch. Today we were a bit early.  I see a new training regime in the works for 2012.  Bike ride/fried chicken/bike ride!!!!  Change is good! We need to give a new light to our well-worn routine around here.

The last long run

The first mile is always the hardest, more climbing than descent

Two and a half weeks out from race day, and I head out to our local nuclear reactor disguised as a forest preserve for a lovely run on a crushed limestone path in the wilderness that is Suburban Illinois.  Eighty degrees felt hot to me at midday, but I'll take it over the 90 that we suffered yesterday. I was all alone (sniff sniff) because both of my children came up with excuses for not accompanying me on their bikes, which would often be an enticing offer (particularly laced with the promise of lunch out).  So off I went, and decided to take a snapshot at every mile marker. I doubled back between mile eight and nine, in order to give myself just under twelve miles.  Given the fact that at Ironman, a lot of us (me included) walk through the aid stations that are positioned at every mile marker, I took the opportunity to walk a bit, pull the camera out, hydrate and fuel, then start my amble again.  I love this course, and am always sad that I can't run it more often. The drive Southwest of home is just too long, and usually clogged with traffic.  We end up at Waterfall Glen on most of our bike rides, and I've always said that I would bike out, then run, then bike home, but that, to this day, hasn't happened

Slow going mile two, also bodes poorly for speed and cadence.

Mile 4: we missed mile three, but this is the gist of the thing....not bad, eh?

The terrain after milepost 3 is decidedly easier, and more shade today was great help.

Mile 5. This is halfway, right?





Milepost 6 is right before a power station that reminds us that Argonne Lab is at the heart of Waterfall Glen.

You mean the Manhattan Project worked here? Huh.

Look behind me...there's Cass/Bluff Road that we cross on bikes.

Ho Hum.

Mile 9, and 11 today. Right beyond 91st, where we also ride.

Finished. Can't see the stomach upset, can ye?

Yet another self-indulged triathlete. Try it. It's fun!

. Now that I look at the pictures, I remember how awfully hard this run felt, and how I was sort of getting nervous about race day.  I was also disappointed that my favorite photographers weren't with me, so I sort of had to improvise on my own.  I guess it's a foreshadowing of what's to come as we enter the teen years, sigh, alas.  

Top it off, with my now beloved big gulp WWE cup.  Only sixty nine cents at the shell station on Cass Avenue for a ginormous diet soda.  Addie was sure wishing she had come along for THAT part of the ride! Chuckle, chuckle...And yes, loyal follower, you might wonder how I can stomach gas station soda and all that jazz, but really, if you walked in these shoes...in this land...you might discover that this is the least of potential offenses.  Or, to put it another way...if you ONLY knew! 
And now, to mix things up and see if you've really been reading/following, name this photo:

IM Wisconsin Bike Route

Jim and I snuck up to Madison for a little ride, run and some r&r. The rain and storms were fierce in the morning, so we didn't hit the road until 11:30 AM. Until then, we drove around Madison, grabbed some coffee, and visited the site of an open water swim which was much delayed due to weather.  By the time we hit the bikes in Madison, we decided to do the first and final 15 of the IM course, plus one of the 38 mile loops rather than two.  I indulged the pacing goddesses and took it as easy as possible.  The day was simply spectacular and provided a rare opportunity for photographs.  This course is absolutely breathtaking, but since we often feel like we're on death's door while we're riding, it's tough to appreciate.  Yesterday wasn't one of those days.  I slowed down, stopped for photo ops, and took in as much fuel as I could handle.  Here's a sampling of what I saw:

Mile 30 & 68, approximately. Outside of Mt. Horeb

Three weeks out from race day, you'll see a lot of this.

Soon after we turn onto one of our first major descents

same view

This ambitious hill is always an adventure, a mile or so beyond last shot.

Stopping to get a view, for once.

Fish eye view

This is farmland, after all

Peak of Mt. Horeb, views in every direction.

Mile 35, 73

Pit stop. I'm not alone.

Anyone need coaching?  We'll make you faster, smarter, stronger, and more gorgeous!

Mile 45, 83.  Crest of hill.

Mile 48 & 86 or so. Final big climb before tumbling into Verona, the start (again) of the loop, or return to Madison

This is looking back down the ascent

Either the first descent (mile 10) or the final hill (mile 98) either way, it's a hammerfest.

Heading back towards Madison.

Day trip to the nearest progressive college town can't miss a visit to the local bumpersticker shop.  Is this seriously 139 miles from my home? What happened to Karen? How could this be?

Baskin Robbins Ride!

More! More! More!

Our last day in town and it's time for a visit from Laura, who currently lives in Maryland.  Fun for the girls.



Carolyn, Jack, Laura, Ashby, Scott, Ann, Karen, Peter, Addie


Later on we picked Dad up after dinner and told him we were going out to BJ's for ice cream. He looked at me and said, "What was it that we used to call this?"  "A Baskin Robbins ride, Dad."  He grinned from ear to ear, "Oh, yes, I've been trying to remember that all day."

When I was younger, I guess young enough to not know what B-R was, my parents and brother, on a Sunday afternoon, suggested that we go for a Baskin Robbins ride.  I pouted, sulked and complained all the way up to the storefront, dreading a boring Sunday afternoon drive.  Years later, we still joke about the event, and Dad takes special delight in having tricked me, so many years ago.  So, although Baskin Robbins itself has lost some of it's allure for me as my tastes have matured and it became more of a chain donut/sugar/coffee stop, I still have a very tender place in my heart for Baskin Robbins, as I've mentioned on this very blog.

The World's Largest Granny Square Part 2

Looks like I have competition right here in Spruce Point! As you may recall, I'm working on the world's largest granny square, but on my most recent visit to Dad at his care facility, I grabbed afghans to warm our laps while we crocheted and watched movie on TV.  Lo and behold, a quite large granny square, but if I put my mind to it, I shouldn't have a problem surpassing this size, about the size for a small lap blanket.

My blanket, on the right, is a large granny square. Dad's is an afghan of joined squares.

Soon it was lunchtime and Peter joined us.  I'm so happy that Peter came to Oregon for the entire trip and he proved his weight in gold. He spent more time with Dad than any of us! Great bonding time. Dad has always loved "Pete" and this week proved it.

Peter and Jack, lunchtime

And just in case, loyal reader, you thought I'd visit Florence without including a photo of my beloved Siuslaw, forget it! Weather was extremely placid and I told Ashby that it was so beautiful that I could cry. 

low tide



"Why don't you cry, then?" She said.

"Oh, I don't know," I said.

Unencumbered at the beach

This summer Addie has discovered Agatha Christie

South Jetty Access. Can I say anything that the photos don't deliver? I was so spellbound, sitting there for hours looking at the ocean and my kids playing and chatting and laughing with Peter. The water was incredibly cold and beautiful. Addie stayed in for a very long time (of course). Ashby and I got wet. Peter got wet. It Doesn't get any better. I usually try to find a few key photos, but the scale is so overwhelming.  In fact, it's one of those things that's too beautiful to photograph. Ouch.

My Ocean, my beach. Sheltered from the freezing wind.
Up the hill.

Unencumbered.

There go my kids!

Mama's in it now.

Peter, ever loyal photographer in support of the blog.

Are you going in?

It's simply perfect!

Woo hoo!

Peter, unencumbered.

Family fun.

Insatiable Addie.



Two peas in a pod.



If only I had a record of everything she says.

Quite a hike to the beach, trail covers two dunes of grass.

Looking North, Coast Range in background.