i finished stp! i’m awfully proud of myself. here are the basic details:

day one stats:
miles ridden: 111.0
time on the course: 10:30 (5:18 am-3:48 pm)
time in the saddle: 7:59 (food, water, loo stops)
average speed: 13.8 mph
maximum speed: 28.2 mph

day two stats:
miles ridden: 90.0
time on the course: 9:35 (5:55 am-3:25 pm)
time in the saddle: 6:46
average speed: 13.2 mph
maximum speed: 31.2 mph

my bike computer is still miscalibrated slightly, but it is comforting to have a clock to look at and to calibrate it properly i have to measure the circumference of my tires in millimeters.

thoughts and observations to follow. thanks for your support and good thoughts!

i can hardly believe it, but i finished the flying wheels summer century today. apparently if you can do that, you can do STP in one day. i laugh at that idea, but am glad to know that it's supposed to be an easier course.

details:
(from my bike computer, which appears to be miscalibrated according to the ride notes.)
miles ridden: 95.5 (98.1 on the ride notes)
time on the course: 9:40 (8:06 am-5:46 pm)
time riding: 7:33 (food, water, loo stops)
average speed: 12.6 mph
maximum speed: 35.2 mph (yes, that's an ungodly speed)

i forgot to reset the calorimeter, but i usually burn about 300 in a half hour, so that comes out to 4500ish. a pound of fat is 3500, for all you counters and converters out there.

whew!

other thoughts and details about the ride:
i got no flats! my chain came off when i shifted down at the first steep hill, mere minutes into the ride. i got it under control and the only other mechanical difficulty was losing a bolt steadying my rear fender. it rattled less after it was gone, so that turned into an improvement.

i filled my extra water bottle at home and left it on the kitchen counter. fortunately FRS was at the start line giving them away. it's a good idea to have two, even though my bike frame is too small for two bottle cages.

after going up and across the sammamish plateau, there was a hill that dropped away out of sight. seriously. i could not see the road. i was so scared going down that one i was crying. which is not me at all.

there's lots of roadkill out in the hinterlands, i lost count early on but saw birds, snakes, bunnies, possums, a raccoon, squirrels, worms, and a couple of things i couldn't identify.

there's not enough room in a portapotty to wrestle bike shorts back into position.

peanut butter, bananas, and whole grain bread are the best offerings at food stops. don't mess with the cookies. there's other stuff too, but the peanut butter and bananas and bread fill you up and keep your energy up and don't mess with your stomach. i'd left both my ham sandwiches safely in the car so i was relieved there were viable options at the food stops.

the sun came out for about ten minutes in the morning and then again after 3, so it was cool and pleasant riding the whole day. i kept my long sleeved jersey on the whole time.

the song of the day was always by erasure. it was stuck in my head and wouldn't be shaken loose, even when i tried with i am not dead yet from spamalot (i was surprised to not be dead for the last 30 miles or so). i will try harder next time to have a proper riot grrl theme song.

i only saw two cats, a longhaired orange helping a woman in her garden and a groovy siamese type with striped legs and tail trying to creep across the road as i approached.

as vile as it is, gatorade is actually a good idea. in moderation.

i didn't get snide comments from fellow riders like i did on the chilly hilly, although one guy acknowledged my flat handlebars (he had them too) and another complimented my shoes.

i was the very last (or very nearly the very last) person to complete the course. by the time i returned to marymoor park, the finish line festival was shut down, the booths were deserted, and my car was practically alone in the vast parking lot. on the bright side of that, i didn't have to weave through mobs to get my weary self to the car and there wasn't a line for the proper loo to remove my cushiony undershorts and wash my hands. i took a look at the velodrome because i'd never seen one, and my day was complete.

upon returning to the car, i ate one of the ham sandwiches and turned on the seat warmer for the drive home, where i showered and continued hydrating and got online.

you should be impressed. i certainly am.

my butt's dry! it was pouring rain this morning on the ride in to work and i arrived with a DRY BUTT! fenders rock. i'd provide you with a fancy link but apparently upgrading the REI website caused operations to cease entirely. viva technology!

we rode the burke gilman trail from fremont to marymoor park and back today. it's 60 miles round trip, but mark added a side jaunt to the redmond library to send a work related email. my enthusiasm for side jaunts is nonexistent, as it impedes training by breaking stride, but i managed not to become excessively hostile. the weather was cloudy and cool, ideal, really, for a long ride, but it took me 20 minutes to warm up and i got cold every time we stopped. 34 days to STP!

we went to a seattle international film festival screening tonight. we saw otto; or, up with dead people. described in the siff catalog like this:

Gay zombie movie! In cinematic provocateur Bruce LaBruce’s latest film, the eponymous zombie wanders the streets of Berlin until he falls under the tutelage of underground filmmaker Medea Yarn. He soon becomes the lead subject for her documentary film while also being cast in her “politico-porno-zombie” film, Up With Dead People. Director Bruce LaBruce scheduled to attend both screenings.

we enjoyed ourselves. mark chose it, of more than 400 films being presented, as the one he wished to attend. i'm usually game for a cinematic outing, so there you go. i remembered as we were standing in line why it had been fifteen years since i'd attended a film festival screening. everyone is talking about all the Important Films they've seen and all the Important Films they have yet to see. this isn't annoying if you can drown them out conversing with your own companion, but i was with mark, so conversation wasn't an option. i'll keep this in mind for the future.

last night we went to the tamarind tree restaurant to celebrate deirdre's birthday with many fabulous and charming friends. we ate unbelievably delicious food for several hours and generally had a wonderful time. i'm so glad we were included. we even had a creepy psychic incident in which the birthday girl was raving about fran's salted caramels for several minutes, long before she opened our gift, which included them. yikes!

it's chilly and miserable today. i can't get it together to even get on my bike for a much needed training ride. i've had it with winter. and i'm not usually like this. sigh.

i got up early for my special yoga class and came home and got mark and the car to pick up my bike which was in the shop for its warranty tune up (recommended at 150-200 miles, i'd put 500 on it by the time i could take it in) and installation of fenders and adjustment of brakes. i dropped him downtown and stopped at trader joe's to stock up on frozen food for lunch at work and came back home to sulk. so here i am.

wow. they're done. and it was virtually painless, thanks to the expertise of josh and james, the wonder carpenters.

front door before:


front door after:


kitchen door before:


kitchen door after:


exterior of front door after (the money shot):

today is just too exciting for words.

i started teaching the april early morning immersion.

i rode my new bike to work very fast through a bright cold morning.

i got a call that my new doors are ready.

i called to confirm delivery of the doors on friday.

i called my mom to have her come over to receive the doors.

i called the carpenter to confirm his plan to install the doors saturday.

and all that before 8:30 am.

whew.

i hope you're all ready to join my army. there are many options for my followers to wear. and for those who wish to distance themselves. i had no idea i was so popular. maybe i should run for office.

if you have an interest in girls who rock, allow me to suggest the pack a. d. they played at the funhouse tonight and are truly amazing.

sometimes it seems like everything i want to do is all at the same time.

this morning the lakeside school rummage sale started at 9, rei opened at 9, and i wanted to go to a yoga class at 915. obviously, the rummage sale and rei are going on all day, but i only like to do things right when they open on a weekend because later on they're too crowded to manage. so i had to choose.

i decided to skip yoga (again!) because i'm still congested and breathing is difficult.

i went to rei to pick up the new new bike and was delighted to be assisted by doug. he adjusted the seat up and back, checked the gears, put on a new stem, and generally made the new new bike the one true bike. and for the record, rei at 9 am on saturday morning is deserted, i highly recommend it.

then home to get mark and have a snack and make an attempt at lakeside. this is a legendary rummage sale that i've never managed in the past and simply has to be seen to be believed. it was a mob scene and parking was a nightmare but mark found a nice old oak office chair and i know for next time to go earlier and leave him home.