Train-n-Tri: What a Week

What a week...

And it's not over yet.

My week started with my phone on rice.

I think it was all my fault.

I read the directions and thought I had followed them, but apparently not.

My phone was on rice for 3 days and actually it was a nice change of pace. I didn't have anyone calling me (oh, I LOVE your calls....keep calling), no one texted me (I love your texts...keep them coming) and I didn't have anyone nudging me to play words with friends.

I love all those things...but it was nice to have 3 days off where I didn't feel as if I HAD to respond.

I was unresponsive for 3 days.

Except unresponsive is not the right word.

I was responsive to everything going on around me...just not the phone.

I don't have any picture (because my phone was on rice), but I went to a fabulous Mountain Bike Clinic called the Courage Women of Dirt (CWOD) and I became a Trail Angel.

Photo: I am now a Trail Angel. Who wants to ride Sycamore Canyon?

The clinic was fabulous, the lunch was catered by Panera and I won LOTS of stuff at the raffle.

Photo: Courageous Women of Dirt.....I LOVED MY DAY! I spent the day being trained by Julia from Coach Carmichael. Then having all this stuff given to me. (I did win the shoes and the bars) Friends - next year you need to do this with me. It rocked!!! And the lunch was catered by Panera. YEAH!! Best Mother's Day gift to myself EVER!!

The training was awesome also.

Sunday was Mother's Day and it was nice and not nice. The not nice part was my mom is really sick and she was in the hospital, so I couldn't spend it with her.

The nice part was I went and picked up my daughter and spent the morning with her. Then I gardened with my youngest son (he even picked up dog poop all in the name of Mother's Day). I went on the 4th Annual Mom/Dion bike ride.

Photo: 4th Annual Mom/Dion ride...first year it took 1 hour 58 minutes... This year 51 minutes and I did intervals so he could catch up. Love you son!

Dion and me

I really wish I had pictures of our first ride together. I didn't have an iPhone then. How times change. Just like my first annual ride with Dion was on a mountain bike and going SLOOOOW, while Dion sped by me. It's taken me a few years, but this year, Hector (my tri-bike) and I blew by him and had to backpedal to let him catch up.

Monday was AMGEN TOUR OF CAlIFORNIA and I had the great opportunity to be a Course Marshal. They gave us BRIGHT ORANGE shirts to wear and an official hat.

It was 106 degrees in the shade. How those guys rode their bikes that fast past me, I have no idea.

The Amgen Tour of California Pelaton.

I only had to argue with one guy who insisted that the city had NEVER shut down the road for cyclists before...I tried to explain to him that this was the first time the Tour had come through Palm Springs. He ignored me, pulled into the road and was promptly pulled over by flashing lights and a pissed off cop and given a ticket.

I don't know what his fine is, but I hope it is big!!!

I recovered from my hot, hot, hot and exciting Monday by going to work in a kindergarten class and then taking the Tuesday night TC Riverside group to the Nissan dealership to get our forms signed so we can all get FREE bike jerseys.

Photo: We will all be getting new jerseys. Thanks Nissan.

Oh yeah! The Triathlon Connection Riverside cyclists!

One salesman wanted to know who was going to take the test drive....none of us did. We promised to come back wearing our new jerseys and take a picture with the manager.

Wednesday I swam in the pool and put in a couple of miles on the elliptical....my knee has been acting up from my old laundry injury, so I have been trying to baby it as I do have Vineman 70.3 in July and I am going to be healthy and injury free when that tri comes around.

Thursday - no matter how much stress I have accumulated during the week - you know, mother-in-law living at my house, 23 tattle-telling kindergarteners in my class, knowing I need to clean my house, but I don't have time because I had to fast grocery shop after work for my weekend away triathlon trip.....and then I picked blogging over packing...

All that stress disappears when I climb on my bike and pedal a few miles with friends.

Photo: We've been talking about having a "flat clinic," but Shirley Drachslin Jones is making sure we all learn on her bike.

Even when those friends have flats.

I love how Shirley wanted to change her tire by herself....I know it was hard for my guy to sit on the side of the road and watch her, since he really is a knight reincarnate.

And what is Will doing in the background? Yoga.

I guess I am going to have to start Yoga for Athletes at the end of our bike rides.

How many yoga mats can fit on my front yard?

I guess as many riders we have at the ride.

OMMMM...

I mean, let's all continue to Train-n-Tri.