3/16/10

Went for a training ride with the Tahoe team on Saturday morning. The forecast was for rain and 50s. Well it rained... I was considering what I should wear to prepare for the ride and thought that since the forecast was in the 50s that I'd wear my bike shorts. When I got out of the shower I was a little cold and so I wore my long pants and a long sleeve shirt. I also brought my raincoat. When we got there and got our stuff together I noticed that it was really cold. I only brought my fingerless riding gloves but was lucky enough to find some winter gloves in my truck to wear. I only had a pair of short breathable socks and my bike shoes. Which are both designed to keep your feet cool in hot weather. Not much help on Saturday.

I rode 20 miles. I think a couple people rode farther than that but I had to turn around. I have a very dear friend that was watching my son for me and was pressed for time to get back so she could take her son to a birthday party. When I turned around I noticed the reason that the ride thus far had been free and easy. WIND!!! So it was pouring rain, 17-22 mph wind in my face and the temperature was 41. I should've brought my shoe covers because my feet froze. I managed to make it back just in time. When I got off my bike I could hardly walk because my feet were so cold. I turned the heater on in my truck and had the hot air blowing on my feet. It took an hour before my feet felt normal again. With all that said, I had a blast. I realized how much I missed riding with a group. Indoor training is fun but there nothing like riding outside with the wind at your back (or in your face for that matter!).

I'll get to do plenty of riding in the next couple of weeks. Now I need to find time to get some running and swimming in. I'm going to start to do bricks. Where I ride and run or ride and swim in succession. The weather is finally getting warmer can't wait for summer, I always seem to be re-charged by the sun.

I volunteered to help out at Dino Palmieri on Sunday. They do a fundraiser every year to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. It seemed like a huge success to me. All of the hair stylists donated their time and tips to LLS. They had a DJ playing music and they offered a hair cut/ style for $15. Seemed like a pretty good deal to me. If I weren't shaving my head to raise funds I would've had them do my hair. Spending the day talking with people and sharing in their stories was a wonderful experience. I met a man who has been in remission for almost 5 years from lymphoma. He was extremely proud and happy to be alive. He showed me pictures and newspaper articles from when he was undergoing treatment. He said his weight dropped to 145 lbs. I would say that he was about 5'10 and weighed close to 200 lbs. What a wonderful success story. Watching the people getting their hair done was amazing. I never understood why a woman would pay $60+ to get their hair done. Now I understand. These women were transformed. I couldn't believe the difference in their looks as they left. They all looked like a million bucks. What a talented group of stylists. If you need your hair done I would highly recommend Dino Palmieri. They do great work and talk about giving back to your community. Job well done Karen and John!