Does Strawberry Shortcake Soothe the Soul?

Cece hosted the after ride party on the 3rd to celebrate Yun's birthday. We put some time between ride and party so that people could go home and change. But when Yun arrived at Cece's they settled in to talk and lost track of time. So, finally Cece said, "Yun ! You are in charge! Hold the fort while I hop in the shower!"A few minutes later, when Cece emerged, there was a house full of guests and most of them were in her kitchen cooking up a storm. She was sure she had the United Nations in her kitchen cooking up various specialty foods! What fun! Happy Chaos! Many had arrived already.

Cece got a phone call from Amanda needing directions. When she arrived, she was badly bruised with swelling and abrasions all over her body....but she had on a huge smile. This woman was happy! How did she get those bruises? She recounted how she took 2 bad falls during the ride. Cece made her a strawberry shortcake first, to soothe her soul....and then started to nurse her wounds with her special ice pack made out of rubbing alcohol and water....slush that is very cold and will bend around the body parts. She nursed her hip and elbow , back and other body parts and sat and talked and continued her happy project for several contented hours. She took the ice pack home to continue the project. Stephanie was able to join us in between patients and she looked radiant in her bright orange top ! Everyone was happy. cooking and eating and planning the next party!

Cece and Christine spent the morning riding together. Christine was worried about her knee as she has an injury that is painful. They have been friends for about 2 1/2 years now and have ridden literally hundreds of miles together. Cece knows what it is to ride with an injury that you are nervous about. It was a pleaseure to ride together again this day. Christine left the after ride to nurse a friend who had hip surgery. Cece asked her "Are you going to ice your knee ?" Christine replied, First I am going to ice Jan's hip and then I will ice my knee. " The wounded healers!

Here is the birthday girl on the right with our friend Gwen. Below is Emmy posing after a long night nursing her research in.....cement adhesiveness......does this girl know about cement...or is it concrete?

Warren made some delicious Moroccan chicken salad (this is what Cece calls it)
and she wondered how a 24 year old man learned to cook like this? Diane, Ron and Catherine livened up the party! And then there was Tom who informed us all that his birthday is on July 31st. Think he wants a party?

And finally, Eleanor the Shark. Guess what she asked Cece as she was leaving the party? She asked, "Cece when you plan our hill climbing route for Tuesday...do you plan on killing me?" Cece threw her heard back laughing!

Recovering the Body, Mind and Spirit

When you are recovering the body mind and spirit from a devastating car accident, you need to take your rehab slow and steady. Take the baby steps. Do the leg work. Work through the pain. Continue to work through the pain. You remember how you used to feel and used to look and you remember your former strength and confidence...but you also know that you have to work to get back to that place.

So, Cece continues to do all the above. And, she also knows that she has been amping things up a bit more lately. She feels great in every way! She has been pushing herself moderately ...and now it is time to amp up again just a little bit. Below is Cece's new friend Eleanor. They are on the cycle team together. She looks innocent enough right? Doesn't she look like Mary Poppins? So sweet. She really is sweet!

Eleanor agreed to plan our hill climbing on Tuesday and sent Cece the route and cue sheet. Luckily, Cece went to drive the route since it had many twists and turns and she was not familiar with the area. When Cece drove the route, she was sure Eleanor was trying to kill her! Did she think Cece was training for The Tour de France? She is sure she saw climbs like this in that race! Or maybe it was in the Sound of Music when the Von Trapp family was climbing over the Alps? Who knew that Albuquerque has it own Alps?

Cece ranted all the way home and emailed Eleanor telling her that she could not do those climbs. There were 19 miles of climbs between 7 and 10 percent grade....steep and long. The funny thing is, that these climbs made the climb Cece had put off seem like a piece of cake.

Cece directly asked Eleanor if she was trying to kill her and guess what she replied? She said she thought she would wait a while and get to know her better before she killed her. HUGH! Why does Cece end up with all these ruthless people in her life? They just come to her!

Anyway Eleanor confessed ( at the top of Elena Gallegos) that she is able to climb heartbreak hill...which not many can do... and Cece and Eleanor wrestled and sparred a bit on this topic because Eleanor is complaining that she is just learning to shift. It is very clear to Cece that Eleanor is underestimating her cycling skills and now her slip is showing. This is not Mary Poppins! This is Lance's sister!

So, Cece and Eleanor negotiated an alternative route. Cece determined that she would do something she considered hard and almost impossible since Eleanor wanted to do the impossible. Remember, Cece is just amping up a bit! Raising her sights. Not shooting for the stars quite yet....just climbing for the past 3 weeks or so.....

So, the agreement was made that Tuesday they will climb Tram and Eleana Gallegos...one is 4.3 miles at 5-6% grade and the other is 1.3 miles with up to 8% grade. It will still be very difficult for Cece but it will be something she can manage. She has not ridden this ride in 2 years. They will still ride about the same distance, but she will get to work that day without having CPR administered...and it will not be 12 noon when the ride is finished!

As they began. the sun was just rising. It was beautifully cool and Eleanor and Cece were met by a few of Eleanor's friends Trish and Chris who were triathletes. Off we went ...north on Tram and then up Eleana Gallegos. What a climb that is. It is interesting to watch the mind when you are suffering on the bike. It will either make or break you. It made Cece this time. She is corralling her breathing and relaxing through it and this helps her stay relaxed and focused as she suffers up. She is now comparing everything to the yoga foot in her stomach and nothing is that bad...so up she goes....breathing through the pain.

We miss so much when we are sleeping! We flew to the bottoms of each climb and
at one point Cece had to check her speed because she saw a sign for 30 mph. She was going 28...the others were going much faster!

We arrived at the bottom of Tramway all in one piece and began stripping off our clothing....into sleeveless..we all knew that the climb back up was long and hard and relentless. Again the mind is the worst enemy. But today the mind was relaxed and optimistic. Cece focused on moderating her breathing and was able to keep her heart rate much lower than it had been 2 years ago. All of us had a good day and good climbs and Trish was thrilled that she climbed so well and strong!

BDOB and Learning Valuable Lessons

BDOB means Bad Day on The Bike! Well I look happy don't I? It was not a fully bad day on the bike, it was really just a bad moment...and I did learn some valuable lessons about bike mechanicals and bike checks pre-ride.

This is my friend Christine. She and I were both happy at this moment.

I was riding along just fine until about 3/4 through the ride when my back wheel started to fish tail and rub my back brakes. I was unable to turn the pedals over. My bike was shifting itself without any help from me and we were in huge traffic and having to cross about 4 lanes of traffic. Once stopped at the traffic light, I tried to ride though the intersection when the light turned green, but I could not turn the pedals over and I could not get any momentum. I did not know what was wrong and thought it was just operator error. As we left the meet up spot, and started to climb back up, it became more and more obvious that I had a serious problem and the whole team left me in the dust and I could not get my bike to pedal and it was shifting itself like crazy.

Luckily Coach Ed was behind me and was telling me how I should proceed. He was watching what was going on with my bike. We pulled over and he made one fix. We started off again and the same problem...dovetailing, wobbling and shifting itself. We pulled over again and I got off the bike and he took an even closer look. Well glory be! My rear wheel was not tightened down by the quick release. The wheel was flipping and flopping in the hub and it had caused my brakes to engage! It was an easy fix and then we smoothly sailed up hill the rest of the way back to the finish!

The moral of the story? Give your bike a serious check up before you ride it each time. Check all the parts that could potentially cause you trouble! I take the front wheel off and never take the rear off...so I always check the front quick release and never the rear. Big mistake!

Another life lesson learned!

I am off to have my car serviced now!
Cece

The New Yorker and the Black Leopard Cubs

When a NYer goes to Santa Fe, it is like going to Big Game Country. So when Cece was cycling and doing her triathlon practice on Sunday morning, it did not surprise her to see big game! She saw 4 black leopard cubs! She was cycling along and she sucked in air...."OMG black leopard cubs!" Even though she was racing for time, she slowed down considerably and was a bit scared that the black leopards had come down to where she was cycling. She approached slowly as she watched them cantor across the road and into the bush. She was nervous that they would jump out at her....and maybe their mom would have her for lunch...where was the mom? But as she slowed and approached, she realized that they were 4 pure black kittens about 4 months old! Big game! For sure! She stopped and greeted them and then continued on her way laughing at herself. Black leopards...right!

She was doing the tri route in reverse saving the long climb back up for the end. She parked at the Indian Arts School

and saw this beautiful mural. She realized a lot about her fitness now compared to what it was this time last year. Then, she was riding with a shoulder that would eventually need surgery and that took its toll. Today the ride was so manageable and fun. She was relaxed and optimistic.

Once back at the Community Center, she worked on her running and counted exactly 200 steps she would have to run in cleats with her bike, before she could mount her bike. She practiced this. Not too bad.

Driving back into the city , she was taken a back by the beauty of the earth once again. It never ceases to surprise her and she remembered her first ride to SF when she visited over 17 years ago and fell in love with the land and sky! At that time, she knew she would move here.

She got off the highway in Bernalillo and came in from the north . It was a perfect day for a nice ride and a wonderful drive.<>

She was surprised that Bernalillo is undergoing a face lift. This time she came in from the north. Usually the opposite, so she only sees the older part of town...now there is new growth and development. She remembers when practically the only place to eat was the pizza place....now they have everything!

Cece thinks that for the next few weeks that she will make the trek to SF to practice. When you have asthma, even a few thousand feet elevation change is noticeable...so practice will be beneficial to help with the breathing!

And....We are Off!

Today begins the first day of training for the new team! Each Saturday this blog will be updated with info about the rides with photos and funny stories.

I cannot believe I did not take one photograph this morning! It is very unlike me! So, I had to dig into the archives and get a pic that would do the person justice...even though it is several years old!

This is our coach Clyde! I was thinking that today we met lots of new friends who we will spend the next 4 months training with every week...some maybe a few times a week! Already , it is a happy group and we had many laughs and much hilarity.

Today we did a very short 17 mile ride to , as Clyde calls it , "The Bike Magnet" which is the gas station at the top of Corrales Road and 528. It just seems to draw cyclists in and not many are able to get past it without being magnetically drawn to it!

A good beginning with a few mishaps...but luckily nothing major!

Tomorrow I am off to Santa Fe to climb some hills and to practice running in cleats and to figure out JUST HOW FAR I have to run in them to mount my bike. I am going to count my steps and then train just that many steps. Yes, I am not a runner.

In Team in Training, we are all riding to fund cancer research so if you would care to donate, please click on the link on the right....and push the easy button! It is that easy to donate!
Thanks,
Cece

Update: From Ride of Silence/See Previos Post

Paseo del Norte Mulit-Use Path
Posted on May 12, 2010, 12:19 pm, by Jennifer Buntz, under Announcement.
Good news for the Paseo del Norte Multi-Use Path where it runs adjacent to Paseo del Norte Boulevard. NMDOT has completed their study and determined a concrete wall barrier will provide the best safety option to protect path users. They are planning construction of this barrier from east of the Rio Grande to just west of where the bike path crosses Rio Grande Boulevard. Debra Bauman from NMDOT made this announcement at the monthly Greater Albuquerque Bicycle Advisory Committee (GABAC) meeting on Monday, May 10. The estimated cost of this project is around $85 thousand dollars, with a portion of the funding coming from Bernalillo County ($20k) and the remainder from the State of New Mexico. Construction should be completed sometime this summer

The Ride of Silence

We met as a team to cycle in to the Ride of Silence in honor of Dave Anderson....we that are working to end cancer and find a cure ...came together to mourn another needless death.

Dave Anderson was out cycling with his wife and family on a designated bike path when a car careened off the highway and killed him. His wife was ahead of him at the time and looked back to see the crash.

As we arrived after riding to the site in silence, we immediately saw a crowd of cyclists and friends and mourners gathered at the crash site. Bike upon bike lined

the thin fence that could not have hoped to hold the car back from the cyclist. We watched the cars go by thinking what a very freak accident this was....and how easily it could happen again. Many cycling teams were present and dressed in their kits representing their

teams...a solemn show of support.....and it was good to see so many people all present to pay their regards. It was a quiet crowd...thoughtful, prayerful...mindful...cyclists who arrived on the scene during the accident were there, the police at the scene were there...church members were there ...

When we first arrived, we were each given a beautiful flower and we all put the flowers around the ghost bike...the symbol of the life lost so needlessly. Many prayers were said....many tears were spilled...

The Ghost Bike is now a permanent memorial to Dave Anderson. His wife and daughter placed the first flowers and they and their pastor greeted the mourners. It has only been a month since their lives changed forever. Let us hope and pray that not one more cyclist is killed by a car.