Little Red Bike

I love my little red fold up bike but little red bike must be a

she because she totally frustrating me.

Little red bike would unadjusted her brake pads, dropped her chain,

develop annoying clicks and be a stubborn little girl when I tried to change gears.

She really pissed me off when I pulled out of the car last Friday where she had been curled up resting for about a week.

I unfolded her, started to ride and found the chain caught between

the gears an the chain guard.

I not so carefully put her back in the car and walked to work.

She must have gotten jealous when she found out I was eyeing

a red fold-up Dahon to replace little red bike.

I ordered little red bike online and really wanted to buy one in person this time.

Unfortunately, I could not locate any little red Dahon
fold- up bikes in Sacramento.

 I found 2 fold-up bikes in Sacramento, a Tern D-8 and red Giant.

I chose the Tern.

The bike got great online reviews.
Tern bikes are being manufactured by the
son of the Dahon owner.
The bike is solid and responsive.
It is easy to fold and unfold.
City Bicycles reminded me it is important to fold it exactly as instructed to make
sure the derailleur is not damaged.

Little red bike is going to a new home.
She was great while she lasted but it is time to move on.

IT'S MY EVANS... MY INAUGURAL RIDE

MY EVANS... MY RIDE

My EVANS restoration started last August. We found a place in Sacramento that restored vintage bikes.

When I picked the bike up in October, I envisioned my shiny bike that looked just like it was on my 7th birthday.

It was not to be. The paint was not right, my basket was not there.

In January, we repainted the frame on the bike steel gray and added

baby blue and gray stripes. I bought a bell and a giant retro headlight.

I have been waiting for the perfect event for the inaugural ride.

Sunday, May 5, City of Folsom closed Scott Road for the public to ride walk, run, skate for the day with no traffic.

The perfect venue; friends, Todd, blue skies and 12 miles of open road.

This mid-century modern woman left for the ride

concerned about the tire that blew out the night before.

Problem was a slightly bent and rusty rim that didn't allow the tire to seat properly. She worried she may not make it out of the parking lot before the tire blew again. She forgot her helmet. She found out the brakes hadn't been worked on so they just sorta stopped.

The mid-century modern woman realized the 7 year old child inside didn't care if there were no brakes, if the tire might blow and didn't know there was such a thing as bike helmets.

The 7 year old was reminded of learning to ride her bike on the goose-berry bush-lined drive way in Cheney, WA.

She remembered riding her bike to the grocery store to buy a

loaf of soft, white bread.

She remembered riding to school under the drooping lilac branches.

She remembered pedaling on dirt roads in the middle of wheat fields in the Palouse country of Eastern Washington.

She didn't care about the bumps. She didn't know there were bikes with more than one speed.

She remembered the wind blowing in her hair, and the sweet smell of spring.

She just remembered the pure sense of freedom riding a bike brings.

I returned as the 7 year old child.

I remembered the pure joy of riding a bicycle,

not really caring how far or how fast I went.

This mid-century modern woman does want brakes that work and tire rims that don't puncture tires. She will be viewing U-Tube on how to repair the brakes. She will wear a bike helmet on future rides.

She will remember how much the 7 year old

Beverley Anne Kennedy loved her bike.

THE 12 DAYS OF TRAINING A Bedtime Tale

 Momma Santa is tucking baby bears into bed. Little red bear asks for a bedtime tale. Momma says Ok, I'll tell you the story of long ago about training for a marathon.

Once upon a time, Momma trained for a marathon on the American River Parkway in Sacramento. It is a magical place. The story you are about to hear is

The 12 Days of Training.

 

On the 12th day of training, the Parkway gave to me:

12 Turkeys a strutting

 

11 deer a grazing

 

10 runners a running

 

9 geese a gandering

 

 8 Sac Fitters a Aid-Stationing

7 Pay Candy Bars for Carbo Loading

 

6 Toadstools a Standing

 

 

5 Otters a Salmoning

4 Fisherman a fishing

 

 

 3 Walkers a winning

 

 

2 Coyotes a devouring

 And 1 Magnificent A merican River Sunrise

 

Good Night my Dear Bear Babies. Sweet Dreams...

CIM 2012 THE RESULTS ::::::::::: DRUM ROLL PLEASE :::::::

 

 

And the results ::::::::: That's a drum roll.

 

 

 

6 Hours 30 min mas or less unofficial time.

Official results still not available.

 

Close to 20 minutes better than last year.

 

I am a Marathoner.



CALIFORNIA INTERNATIONAL MARATHON 2012 THE MEMORIES

 It's 3:34 on Sunday Dec 2. The alarm just went off. Geez,  time to get up. I can't believe I am getting up so early to get dressed in shorts to go out and spend next 7 hours in the rain and wind. The only thing worse, not getting up. At this point, I am on auto pilot, shoes, shirt coat, shorts, socks, uns all laid out. Just turn on the coffee, boil the eggs, tape the feet, wait for Mary and Erin to arrive at 4:30.
We follow the first round of yellow school buses down Hwy 50, park on K street and walk to the Sheraton to huddle in

alcove in front. We're on the first round of buses to leave to the start line. The wind is rock'n and roll'n the bus on the highway. We stop to get off the freeway and the folding door is actually blowing inward to a 90 degree angle. Not a good sign. At 6:25, we leave the sauna that is the inside of the bus to hit the porta- potties and check a bag. It is so wet and blowy.

 

"...give us your huddled masses..." under the eaves of a gas station, for us, a firetruck for a windbreak.

 

As miserable as we were, we had tears in our eyes, standing in the pouring rain with 10,000 fellow runners, listening to the National Anthem at sunrise. I closed my eyes and could have been the only person standing there.

 It is so windy, rain is blowing in the side of my raincoat. Out heads are down, just trying to break the wind. We try to duck behind other runners to let them do the hardwork. We go through ankle deep puddles. Erin's coat rips apart just due to the sheer force of the wind. She had water accumulating in her pockets. None of us are remotely dry. Water is dripping down my back.

The the wind stops around mile 10. Around Fair Oaks Ave and Grant Ave, the sun just kisses us through the clouds. We are just in front of the police lines but still walking in the street. Ok just let us get through FO blvd, ok, just let us get through FO and Arden, the FO and Watt and Munroe and Howe Ave. I've never seen the wall. OK let us get over the J Street bridge without the roads closing. Now, how about walking down J Street, over to K Street passed Sutter's Fort. We see mile markers 24, 25, 26. It's like the sign people are waiting for us to pass before taking them down. The police are asking runners to move over to the side walks. We ignore. Too much work 1/2 mile from the end. We turn the final corner and I am cooked. Mary takes my hand. She wills me to finish hand-in-hand, hand held high over our heads in triumph.

26.2 miles. The Marathon. The last .2 is so hard. 26 is not easy, but the body and mind so want to quit. You just don't let it. You can't. If you do, you might as well have stayed in bed. I am a Marathoner.



The Marathoners Finish CIM 2012

CIM 2012 THE FOOD: POST RACE ASSESMENT

 

 

 

It is so hard to know how much food to pack for 26.2 miles on Saturday

and to know what I am going to feel like eating at mile16 on Sunday.

 

About mile 3, I discovered my beloved sweet potatoes

were some where behind me on the wet asphalt.

Ok so that left me with grapes, trail mix, Coke, coconut M&M's

 and a banana to pick up at about mile 12.

 

I had eaten my  hardboiled eggs and banana for breakfast

so it was trail mix and grapes for a long time. Next real food was a bag of grapes and an avocado at mile 21. The avocado was cut in half so I just twisted it and squeezed half in my mouth. That peel is somewhere near Sac State. Other half peel is near 54th and J Street along with the pit carefully rolled in the gutter.

I was pretty well fooded out at that point but forced down a few more grapes and Nuun electrolytes for the next 6 miles.

 

I set a goal in January to completed races without the goos and gels, globs, and blocks. It worked. I felt fabulous during the race.

No ups and downs and proved to myself marathons can be run on real food.



California Internaltional Marathon 2012 The Feet

 

 

THE FEET

 

 

After 4 years of nasty blisters, it was time for a change in 2012. Merrill Barefit shoes became my shoe of choice. I was able to avoid blisters for any mileage under 16 miles, but after that, not so good. Duck tape is the next line of defense.

So this is my foot at 4am, getting the alcohol and duck tape treatment.

The tape held tight through 26.2 miles of wet feet.

 

 

I am also really tired of spending beaucoup bucks, up to $25.00 a pair of socks that  are supposed to guard against blisters. So This is a pair of Target $1.00 socks. Not only are they are cheap, they are quite good looking. I even had an argyle pair to match my 4th pair of Merrills.

Results, blister on 1 toe and above tape line below the toes on my right foot.