Monday, December 17, 2007

Stop Being Such A Whiner

I'm realizing how self-centered I am. My once philanthropic riding endeavor has become this near obsession to progress, achieve, and conquer. I've lost sight of the fact that ...

~ every five minutes, someone new is diagnosed with blood cancer
~ every 10 minutes, someone dies
~ Leukemia causes more deaths than any other cancer among children and young adults under the age of 20

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research, education and patient services. The Society's mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

My cycling challenge isn't just for cycling' sake ... but to help raise funds to save lives. I need to be more mindful of that every time I'm tempted to beat myself up for falling short.

Saturday, December 15, 2007

My Nemesis?

"What the heck?" is all I can say.

We headed to Napa this morning. I was so excited I could hardly stand it! It was freezing, but I didn't care. About 3 miles up Dry Creek, I was getting nervous, really nervous, so my breathing was off. I got winded and had to stop ... a couple times to be exact. With my friend in front of me and my brother behind me, I also felt totally self conscious. I know they want to make sure I didn't crash again ... but hey, so do I, so of course I'm gonna be more careful. I finally told them, "Don't follow me; you're making me nervous!" We also decided to forget Veeder at the moment, I would calm down, and just see how I felt at the top of Dry Creek.

I slowed down and calmed down and finally got my rhythm down. I was feeling good, feeling strong. On the last incline, I'd decided I wanted to go ahead and give Veeder a try. I was gonna tell the guys when we got the stop sign at the top of the hill, but then the freakiest thing happened. Just as I was slowing down to stop, I noticed my right foot felt wobbly. I called out to the guys, "I think my pedal just came off!" Sure enough, the threads stripped a bit; my pedal, still attached to my shoe, separated from the crank. My ride would be over for the day.

Friday, December 14, 2007

I'm About To Burst!

I'm so excited I can't stand it. I had a hard time falling asleep last night 'cuz I kept thinking about it. What, you ask, is getting me all giddy? I'm riding tomorrow ... in Napa ... hopefully Mt. Veeder ... but we'll see how I feel at the top of Dry Creek first.

Lake Herman has gotten B-O-R-I-N-G!
I'm ready to be challenged again.

Team In Training's informational meetings for the spring season are in January, so training is just around the corner!

I CAN'T WAIT!

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Friday, December 7, 2007

Well Shut My Mouth

Well the weather's cleared up, and while I want to ride, I don't have the energy. Did I mention the bracket on my lower right molar came off just before Thanksgiving? I had been wearing these moose bands in an upside down V to help with the last bit of positioning for my jaw. The bands are so tight, I guess it just pulled the bracket off. It didn't hurt. It just wasn't adhered to my tooth, so it would slide on the wire.

Good news is, I didn't have to wear the uncomfortable bands during Thanksgiving! Bad news is, they just fixed the bracket on Wednesday. In fact, they repositioned 3 other brackets while they were in there. So for the past couple days, my teeth have been hurting somethin' awful. To add to that, I started wearing the moose bands again last night :-( They are so tight I can't open my mouth. And ... I have to wear them as often as I can, except for when I'm eating.

Hmmm ~ does that mean I should eat all the time?!

My orthodontist said with the continued use of the stronger rubber bands, my bite should come along really well. In January, I'll have some special x-rays taken where they'll be able to identify the bone density at the breaks and where I lost my teeth. The braces will come off shortly after that, and they'll fashion me a retainer with prosthetic teeth. My surgeon and my dentist will then coordinate bone grafting and the dental implant process ... a process that'll take at least a year. I can't wait to have my own teeth again!

Funny story - last month, a friend of mine came with me to my ortho appointment. I always ask to brush my teeth when they remove the wires, so I can get in a really good, unobstructed brushing. While walking to the restroom, I briefly stopped just in front of my friend and smiled really big :-) She was on her cell phone, but her eyes got really big! She thought I'd had my implants awhile ago!

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

There's Something About the Rain ...

"Lying here with you
Listening to the rain
Smiling just to see the smile upon your face
These are the moments I thank God that I'm alive
These are the moments I'll remember all my life
I found all I've waited for
And I could not ask for more "

(Edwin McCain's "I Could Not Ask For More")