Dear Crickets and Tumbleweeds

I dear, do I sound really needy?? Just so you know... I get really excited each time I get a comment or +1 on my blog.And not to be a whiny baby, but it has been a while now people!! Even an email would help!!

I also get really excited each time I get a donation. I have 11  - thank you so much my wonderful amazing friends!

Now last time, I promised a training update... so with 119 days to go... this is the story so far:
September:    80km - which is a 100% improvement on the previous 100 years (since I last rode a bike!)
October:        112km - which as a 40% improvement over September!!

So I think that is pretty amazing!

Things which need to be ignored for this to still be amazing:

1. My maximum distance in a day is 20km which is only 50% of the shortest day
2. I have not managed to cover the total distance we will be riding in 12 days in 2 months
3. 81 of the 112km in October were done in the first 15 days

Lucky this is a journey... and I still have time... there are 119 days to go!

Now November has started with a bang! Today I completed Stage 3 of the TdF "Fregneac". 

Distance:           18.6km 

Time:                 52 mins and 46 seconds 

Time Allowed:   53 mins and 21 seconds (romped it in!)

Average Watts: 114 (nearly 2x60 watt lightbulbs. Hah!)

Calories:           496 (5 glasses of wine!)

The steepest hill on this stage was a 7.5 degree incline. Definitely a hill! Quite a big one if you ask me... and it happened more than once. I didn't much care for them if truth be told... Lucky our ride is flat!!

OK... back to work.

W x

Sharing the Message

Today was such a fabulous day! Provided I ignore all of the work and the fact that tax is due and number 2 son trying to not go to school because he is so unwell (you gotta be kidding me, again??).

Josie and I shared our message with the Year 3-6 kids at our wonderful school. It was so much fun! We were sharing that some kids have no opportunities just because of where they were born and contrast that with all of the opportunities our kids have.

The kids were amazing. They totally got the message and got totally involved in the activities we had 'prepared'.. or would have had prepared and maybe even had a run through if Josie and I hadn't both been travelling last week and both crazy busy with work! But we had at least discussed them... briefly. Clearly planning is over-rated!

At pick up I became... Hey you are that "Because I am a Girl" girl!

Even my boys said I did an OK job... which I am taking to mean it was awesome!

Very cool.

We included a fabulous quote in our presentation which I thought you might all appreciate:

"The future must not belong to those who bully women. It must be shaped by girls who go to school and those who stand for a world where our daughters can live their dreams just like our sons."

President Barack Obama.



Hopefully in my next post, I will have some training updates. I haven't been on the bike in a week... now there is a phrase I never thought I would hear come out of my mouth!! Turns out that crazy busy and jet-lag are impeding my training schedule... or is that just a convenient excuse??

Until next time.

W x

Stage 2 Tour de France - Nailed it!

Never one to be defeated, I took on Stage 2 of the TdF again today and I nailed it!! Hooray for me!

I may have had to have a couple of wee rest breaks in the middle... and near the beginning... and maybe near the end... but let's not dwell on that. I did it in 39 minutes and 40 seconds.That is a huge 4 minutes and 22 seconds better than yesterday! Again hooray for me!! Shall I work it out as a percentage improvement? No, maybe that would seem a little bit obsessive...

So I proudly wrote my stats in my training log... 111.6km this month to date and a total of 191km since I started training.

I also proudly told Paul that my average today was 106 watts. Which I thought was totally awesome... can you guess what happened next? He said that is equivalent to a single light bulb. You know one of those old lights. How depressing. Then he said it was equivalent to two of our kitchen lights. For 39 minutes and 40 seconds. I know right!! Good on you Paul.. Have a nice day!

He then compared me to a horse! What was he thinking?? Well maybe he didn't really compare me to a horse, but pointed out that 1 horsepower equals roughly 750 watts, so I am equivalent to roughly 1/7 of a horse... I wonder which bit??

This apparently means that my pedaling would run the pool pump at approximately 1/7 of its required output. Again for 39 minutes and 40 seconds... and render the pool unclean. I may as well suck the water through a straw he says. Good grief... where did I find him? Now he is explaining that the chlorinator would not be working... La, la, la, la...

He has asked me to tell you all that I have his full support in my adventure!! And he did get my Big Jam Box and come down and train with me. So all is good!!

Oh dear... I need a bex and a little lie down again!

AND to top it all off... Josie is in Bali sipping cocktails! It is soooo lucky I am not bitter.

Anyhoo, better go and pack. Another plane to be caught.

W xx

Stage 2 Tour De France

Firstly, Happy Birthday to Hamish!!

So today I rode Stage 2 of the TdF. Hooray for me!! I have decided that the TdF riders are quite slack. Stage 1 is 18km and Stage 2 is 15.3km. I mean I have to ride a minimum of 40km per day. So that is much harder!! I will give the TdF guys that they have to face hills, and lot's of them, while I will be riding on the flat... except for dreaded day 6!

Of course, if they ride more than 1 stage per day, then perhaps I will need to eat my hat.

But then, oh dear... turns out I failed! I know right!? Who could believe that. Even with my new, fabulous, go-fast work out gear from Lululemon.

I completed the stage in 44.02 mins. The time allowed was 43.46 mins. So I was 16 seconds too slow! Maybe I should not have been enjoying the scenery whilst riding. Perhaps I should have just concentrated on the job at hand. Maybe if there was just one less up hill and one more down hill then I would not be in this predicament!

The worst part is that now I will need to do it again! Good grief!! It was really hard!

On to happier news... I have ridden almost 100 km this month to date, which during my two months of training is a record... a PB in fact!!

AND the quiz night is selling really well, so please get your tables booked. It is going to be so much fun, and it would be a shame if you were not there with us!! Please remember to book your platters in advance so that I do not have to spend the entire evening in the kitchen!

AND in one week Josie and I are speaking with the year 3-6 kids at GGS about this fabulous cause and our adventure.

So life is good!

W x

I hate wind!

So this weekend I have been on two training rides on my bike!

1. 16km yesterday with Hugh Magoo around the river.
2. 14km this morning with Josie around the Vines.

In case you have not noticed... that is 30km... in one weekend. Actually if I may include Friday I have a grand total of 48km in 3 days. How awesome is that!!

During my extensive cycling experience this weekend, I have confirmed that I hate wind! Yesterday Hugh and I were heading along the river with the Fremantle Doctor in our face. This morning at the Vines there was a horrid Easterly in our face. It just plum wears me out!! This is as bad as people putting freaking hills at the end of a ride. Just mean an totally uncalled for. I don't like mean people!!

So it is really lucky that there will not be any wind on our ride. Our maybe just a few gentle puffs to cool me down...

But then along comes helpful Paul! Apparently we are travelling into the prevailing winds on our ride. Now I have two questions... Does everyone have a super helpful partner who bursts their bubble or is it just me?? And secondly, I wonder if the organizers of the ride would mind just reversing the journey for me??


And, back to the important question of whether I should name my bike... LuLu says absolutely yes. I have two ideas in mind:

1. Stella - but you can't just say Stella... you have to do it like in Street Car Named Desire! SSSTEEEEELLLLLLAAAAAA!! If you are not familiar with Tennessee Williams you can say it like on Seinfeld when Elaine is on pain killers while visiting Jerry's parents in Florida. Either one always makes me laugh!
2. Penny - but you can just say Penny... you have to do it like on Big Bang Theory when Sheldon is knocking on her door. Penny.. Penny.. Penny.. Penny.. Penny. This show totally cracks me up. And sooo many of the people I know (and work with) are just like characters in this show!

Seems like maybe I watch too much TV! But, the good news is that is getting to be less of a problem know that I am spending every spare minute training or organizing the Quizzie! 

So I will let you know when I make my decision... happy to receive input from my wonderful friends!

W x

Stage 1 Tour De France

In a totally hooray for me moment... I just completed the first stage of the TdF on my training bike.

Statistics:
Distance:            17.8km
Time Allowed:    55.55
Time for Me:      50.55
Calories Burned: 396 (= 3 reward glasses of wine!)

And Mr Noble, it is not flat!! Near the end is what I now call Heartbreak Hill (not original I know but very apt)... and it was up to 4.5 degrees incline. I think even the lycra brigade would call that an actual hill!!

So in all of the time since I started training, I have now done a grand total of 131km which is almost exactly 1/3 of the distance we will by cycling on our adventure. Wow, it is often best not to compare!! I felt like I was doing great! In even more depressing news, a grand total of 7km has been on an actual bike on an actual road! But on the upside, I have done 51km this month to date. Yes, let's end on that happy statistic!

Back to the wine... it is research! I need to select the red wine for our Quizzie. Have already arranged the white, beer and bubbles. But as you know, I like to be very thorough when solving a problem and have very high quality standards... so it is important that I choose just the right one!!

Tickets for the quiz night officially go on sale today.
Saturday 9th November @ 7pm
Caversham Hall
Tables of 8
$20 pp

Please contact Josie or myself for tickets!!


W x

I have a bike!!!

In very exciting news, I am the proud owner of a shiny new bike! Hooray for me!

Isn't it beautiful!!

And I got gloves! I couldn't get a pink bike in a very small adult's size... I wonder why that is?? But they did have pink gloves for very small hands... BTW I prefer to use the term dainty myself, so at least I have some nice cheerful pink!

I even got a trip computer, because I think it is really important to know my speed and distance... I hope it shows calories burned because I am finding that to be a significant motivator!!

And I got a drink bottle holder. It was like Christmas! So exciting!!

And more importantly, the people at Bike Force were awesome! No stories about how even girls can ride bikes, and how you don't have to be tall to be a good rider like our local specialist bike shop. Good grief!!

I took Hugh's bike in to get fixed so he can start riding with me. It turns out that leaving the bike outside in the rain may not have been the best thing for it! Who knew right?? I just hope he can keep up!!

What I did not get, and hope I never, ever, ever reach a place where this product seems like a really good idea is...

I mean really!! And look, it comes in king size tubs as we as handy single sachets.. how convenient... I guess. Goodness me!


Now, given how little I know about cycling (you may not have noticed)... I have a very important question to ask my wonderful friends.. Do you name your bike, like a yacht, or is that totally uncool and daggy??

I have absolutely no idea.

Josie and I are having our second joint training ride on Sunday, so now I can ride my shiny new bike! How exciting. I hope this time she doesn't lie to me about the hills!! I am sure there were three where she told me it was the last one! Thanks Josie!! No really, it was really helpful in keeping me motivated! I am not bitter.

And to celebrate starting our joint training we plan to drink Champagne after our ride while the boys make dinner and the kids play. Mmmmm, so the big question is Bollinger or Verve. Must give that some serious thought...   Sunday is going to be a great day!

W x

OMG I rode a real bike

So in very exciting news... today I rode a real bike on a real road with my friend Josie! Hooray for me!

Oh, so you have finally bought a bike I hear you ask.... alas no... the bike in question may have belonged to Josie's daughter. I don't think it is important to point out that her daughter is 10 years old, and I certainly don't think that you could imply from that fact that I am not particularly tall!

Let's focus on the important part... I rode a real bike on a real road!! I think I need a list to highlight the key achievements here:

1. Did I mention I rode a real bike (only twice you say?? Three if you count the heading!)
2. I rode on a real road in the Vines
3. I did not fall off
4. I did not cry
5. The bike was pink which I think is a really cheerful color and I am thinking this is a great color for my bike
6. We rode for 7km and I could definitely have done more
7. Josie did not whip my patootie.. unless we count that one big hill (or small incline, depending on your view) where she may have overtaken me (notice I said overtaken which just proves that I was in the lead... not that it was a race... but I was definitely in the lead!!)
8. I managed to prove my theory that riding on the road is easier that riding my TdF trainer... at one point I was positively flying down a hill without pedaling 
9. I really enjoyed it!
10. I can totally do this!

Plus today, we went shopping for our Quizzie... tickets are now available - tables of 8 on Saturday 9th November, so if you would like tickets please just let me know!! Remember, all of the cool kids will be there and it will be the highlight of the social calendar this year!!

What a totally awesome day!

Now back to work.

W x

Editor's Note on Hills

So, it may have been brought to my attention by either a helpful friend or helpful web crawler that my TdF bike momentum analogy is not relevant since I have specifically stated that there will be no hills...

So rather than retracting this very apt analogy, I have decided to clarify the rules of engagement:

1. there will be no up hills, but obviously all down hills will be most welcome!
2. there will be no head winds or cross winds, but tail winds are most welcome... unless they muss up my hair! So maybe just moderate tail winds will be allowed.

So really, there is no inconsistency at all!!

Ha!

The Editor

(W x)

Big Jam Box

So with 146 days to go until the big adventure starts I finally got back on the bike today.

Turns out that 2 weeks of sniffles, a cough and no training has had a slight adverse impact on my training regime (such as it is!). Only managed 13 km today. Probably best not to mention that I had to break that into 2 sessions...

An update on my real bike... I still don't have one! Yes, I know... but I have decided that training on my TdF trainer is actually much harder than riding a real bike. Yes, you heard it here first and I am not just talking my book!! The TdF does not take into account momentum. If you stop pedaling, your stop moving. Even down a hill. Now while I openly admit I have not ridden a bike for around 100 years, my recollection is that bikes roll down hills... often really quite fast... often throwing the rider off said bike and resulting in scraped knees and in one particularly memorable incident, completely opaque glasses from the scrapes which was not hugely well received by the parents!

Paul got back from San Francisco with the most fabulous present. Gosh I am just too spoilt!! I am now the proud owner of a Big Jam Box which is the coolest blue tooth (according to Paul everything is better with blue tooth) speaker thingy. It now comes with me training and I am sure it will have a big impact on my training schedule, since the boys are still too busy landing on the moon to come and cheer me on (more about that later!). Only problem is that Big Jam Box won't connect to my phone without the cable thingy. I know right? So I guess I need a new phone!!

Paul spoils me just sooooo much.

Or does he?

Could it be that the coolest present in the world was actually to door prize from the coolest cocktail party at OOW?? Should I really be thanking my wonderful friend Mike W??


Back to the boys landing on the moon... we have finally weaned our beautiful boys off Minecraft (one not so much weaned as banned for life for making the mistake of sassing his mother! The other is on his last warning and quite frankly I am looking forward to the sass) and now we play Kerbal Space Program. It is a really cool simulation model where you can build planes and rockets. If fact I think Dad enjoys it as much as the boys. Many hours have been spent calculating fuel burn rates and the advantages of solid fuel over liquid and many, many other very interesting and important decisions faced by all space explorers.

This week, Hugh made it to the moon! Hooray for Hugh!

Or did he?

Now my quandry.. it was suggested by a client that if Hugh flew to the moon but missed by 15 feet then he had succeeded and that perhaps I was being a bit harsh saying he had failed. I think it was awesome that he got so close, but he missed so I think that is a fail. Would Neil Armstrong have been the first man on the moon if he missed by 15 feet? Do you win a gold medal at the Olympics if you miss coming first by 0.15 seconds?? I think not.

Comments on my conundrum are welcome my fabulous friends and web crawlers! Obviously comments supporting my position are preferred but we are all welcome to our opinions!!!

Until next time!

BTW tomorrow I plan to break 100 training km... come on people... obviously I mean cumulative training km's!!

W x