To Everything There is a Season....

A Time for Every Purpose Under  heaven:

...a time to break down,

a time to build up;

A time to weep and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn

and a time to dance;

A time to caste away stones,

and a time to gather stones together.....

After Cece finished her last ride this morning before the big race , and began her period of rest, she had this poem running through her mind.  She had a great ride this morning beating her personal best by four+ minutes.  She had not ridden fast in a while .....instead focusing on cadence work,  hills and leg work at the gym...so this was a great surprise!

Even so, she still realized that she would not be able to win the race she had been training for.  It is like she has Usain Bolt in her age category.  Who could win against him?   Instead of the Lightening Bolt, her name is Olga.

Cece has been working on herself to embrace the other reasons she is racing...to challenge herself...to see what she is made of...to push herself over that wall of pain and come out the other side....to give her all and test her own preconceived notions about what she can and cannot do!  

Many of her friends have had disappointments and were unable to win too....and she met one friend in Trader Joe's the other day and he said that he wanted to research what happens to athletes when they train so hard and do not win.  What is the psychology of defeat and then picking yourself back up again and trying again? 

It sounds much like weight gain...and then bucking up to loose the weight  you gained...or falling off that horse...and getting back on again. None of it is easy.  It takes a ferocious will to succeed despite all odds.

And Cece has learned that there are many odds besides being an Athena woman...some odds are being a parent and not having enough time to train, getting older,  getting injured, or having crisis on your job that has to be attended to...or having papers due so that you have less time to train....or not having enough money to get the equipment or nutrition and training you need ( like the woman weight lifter in the Olympics....Sara Robles...the strongest woman).   She writes a blog at Pretty Strong.

So, as she rests and drives south to her competition, Cece is going to continue working on her mind...affirming her successes and focusing on her personal achievements ...which are many.... rather that her failure to beat Olga.

The 5 Karmic Rules of Cycling and its Reward

In Copenhagen, they have opened a cycling superhighway for bike commuters.  They have 26 other routes planned.  An article in the NYTimes details their planning and reasoning for doing so. 

But what tickled Cece was that they also have a  “karma campaign,”  in which city employees take to the streets with boxes of chocolate to reward cyclists who adhere to the five rules of cycling: be nice, signal, stay to the right, overtake carefully and, rather than let bicycle bells irritate you, do your best to appreciate them.

An interesting idea that would probably encourage more people to cycle to work! 

The Secret Language of the Shark!

As Cece and Ellie the Shark had a dessert and meal at the Flying Star yesterday,Ellie told Cece about a ride she thought she might like.When Cece asked how the ride was, Ellie replied,. "It's not too bad."  She would send her a google map and directions from the north and the south!  Very specific! 



Well, Cece should have recalled that the last rides she got from Ellie, which Cece called "The Leg Burner" and another "The ride from Hell" were also termed "Not too bad." 


It  took Cece until today to begin to understand the secret language of the Shark.  "Not too bad" means "there's lots of climbing but you will make it or almost make it."

So this am, Cece set out to find the route that Ellie had suggested.  Troy Jacobson had told her to take a rest day today because she did a grueling mashing workout called "Iron Girl" yesterday  that was a killer!

So, as Cece approached the trail head parking lot....she looked at the trail head   and thought, "Not too bad!"  It looked pretty flat.  She had looked on the google map and plotted it out on Map MY Ride, and it showed it was only 1/4 mile long!  No wonder Sharkie had told her she met a cyclist on this trail who did up to 14 hill repeats on this route!

Cece started off.  It only took seconds to understand that this was a false flat.  Up, up up she went... finally realizing that she would be climbing into the Petroglyphs .  She climbed for 4+ miles traversing lots of rollers and little steep spitter hills....and more and more  ups.

Finally, she saw one last hill....that would have to be saved for another day, she told herself...enough was enough!  She will ride this hill again over the weekend and perhaps she will repeat  it twice...no way 14 times! 

Last 2 Weeks Before the Race!

I am in my last 2 weeks of training before the State Championships in Las Cruces.  Training is going well and I think I have a better perspective on my competition and my competitive personality.  I have set a personal goal for myself that is based on my time...not other people's..... and that feels more realistic for me at this moment.

I continue my mantra "Rome was not built in one day!" and I keep working hard.

My friend Stephanie loaned me her camera,  since mine mysteriously broke,  and I am getting all excited to take a mini vacation to the Senior Olympics the week of the 23rd of July!  I will take lots of pictures!

If you read our other blog, The Two Whos, that blog will be on vacation until the beginning of August.

Choose Your Hard!

Being a Jockey vs Being a Cyclist: Let's Change the Rules!

Cece's trainer wants her to carry weight...to add in weight while she is riding now....so that she works harder...especially when climbing hills.  At first she got angry....add in weight while I am working so hard to loose weight?  But after she finally figured out how to carry added weight, she understood how much harder it was during climbing...how her speed was effected and was slower.    The ideas then,  is that on race day when she is not carrying this weight, she will have trained stronger and she will ride faster without the additional weight being present.

Given that Cece has maintained and lost almost 140 pounds at this moment,  she understands this.  The lighter you are the faster you can go.

But in her tweaky mind...as she was riding hill repeats with the weights, she came upon the most brilliant idea for this Athena rider.  This idea will level the playing field and she loves this wonderful plan!

Did you know, for instance that in the Kentucky Derby each jockey needs to weigh 126 pounds including their equipment?  This does not include the horse.  So, all jockeys need to weigh the same weight.

Cece's ides is that each cyclist should weigh the same weight as she does....which would mean that everyone will need to carry additional weight.  For instance, Olga will need to carry 115 pounds.  Jan 40 pounds.  etc. etc.  That way the playing field would be equalized!  

Everyone would weigh the same amount.  Then, Cece will be on an equal playing field with all the other women....and yes, it would be absolutely fine with Cece if the other women train with their additional weight loads!

Problem solved! 

The Shark is Showing Her Teeth! Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Time Trial

The last time you saw Ellie the Shark and Stephanie they each were wounded.  Ellie with a boot and fracture and Steph with an ankle sprain.    They were taking it very easy for a while.  But not for long!

  If you look closely, the Shark is bearing her teeth and is ready to compete in the first New Mexico all women's Time Trial....Girls just Gotta Have fun!  This is Gina next to Ellie...herself an amped up competitor!

For Today, Cece was the photo journalist.  She toolk it all in, spoke with friends, cheered people on and had a wonderful time watching....glad for today she was not on her bike.  She is still recovering from her heat exhaution episode.  When will this recovery end?  Soon she hopes.

There were issues with the timers today and people got their times messed up ....so we are all still waiting for the final times.  But all three friends did extremely well.

Women Riding Well hosted the event and about 90 women came out for the first all women's time trial.  It was a huge success and everyone was very happy and exited.

Mindy Caruso,  the Women's National Time Trial Champion , came to support all the women and she gave us some great advice about the bare bones necessities in time trialing.  We all took notes!

We paid special attention when Mindy mentioned this product that most of us were not familiar with...Yes, it is called 

Anti Monkey Butt Powder......

I will leave the rest for you to find out.  Check  in with Amazon!


The friends all say that they are not competitive...but Cece knows from her mom saying that for years...that people who say that are THE most competitive types!  Sharkie is already planning to get new go fast wheels...perhaps wheels covers to be more aero...perhaps an aero helmet?  Shoe covers.....  I give her a  year...before she is time trial outfitted!  

What fun we all had!  It is nice to be a spectator on occasion!


Hope you are watching the Tour and watching the Olympic Trials on TV!  Happy riding and happy dreaming!