Day if the Dead...I mean Tread

Cece and friends signed up for  a bike ride called "The Day of the Tread."  This is a themed ride where many dress in costumes.  It is like a Halloween ride.  Cece rode with her friend Julia and did the 26 miler.  What fun they had! 

Then they met up with these two men and we rode together the entire way.    They held and watched our bikes at rest areas, and told us when there was no TP in the restrooms.  All around good guys.


All along the way there was live music and many rest stops that featured many tempting goodies like sopapillas, delicious coffee and cream......themed cupcakes and much much more.

On the ride, there was bacon and eggs....
.

Fred and Wilma

A hand Biker in a coffin....
And then there was Gerry Moore...who finished the 100 miles in 5:45 and was not even winded! 
And best of all, friends meeting up at the end of the day and comparing notes about how their rides went. What could be better?

Contemplating Lance: How Heroes Fall

Over the years, many have weighed in with Cece and told her that "for sure Lance is doping.Everyone in cycling is doing it."  She has heard this a lot. But, it seems Cece chose not to believe it.....perhaps she wanted to keep her fairy tale hero all in one piece.

But in reading and contemplating Lance now, that the doping allegations are more than just rumors, Cece is feeling very let down.  Her hero, the man who won 7 Tours, who overcame cancer , who does so many good things through his Livestrong Foundation (that Cece supports whole heatedly) and has lungs like no one else, has cheated.  This is what bothers her the most....the cheating.  The winning by cheating.

As a cyclist and as a competitor, Cece also wants to win...to be the fastest, to get up that hill first.  But the reality is that she does not.  Should she then try to win by cheating?  Should she somehow try to beat the system?  To outsmart the system?  Would she cheat to win fame , money and glory by living a lie? 

Cece hopes that Lance will tell the truth and tell his story at some point...so she can understand the desperation that compelled him to live a lie for some many years.  What a toll it must have taken and is taking on him.  She is worried about him and his fall from grace.  He seems to have lost everything.

He is not the first hero to fall from grace.  For other reasons, there has been Tiger Woods, OJ Simpson,Bill Clinton, President Kennedy, Mike Tyson, pedophile priests and many many more.  Men in power.  They seem to think they can command and that none of the rules apply to them...or that they can manipulate the rules to their benefit.  Why is this?  Power?  Control?  Dominance?  Thinking they are untouchable?  People will cover for them?  Lie, cheat and steal for them?

It is just so sad................................that Lance had to win by cheating. 

Marathon Mania! 26.2 in Their Honor!

Cece has been sick the last 8 days and has not exercised or been on her bike!  So it was with great surprise that she found herself in the midst of the Duke City Marathon, her first day back on the bike!  How did this happen?  Well evidently, the marathon route was partly along the Bosque!  Cece was on her bike from  mile 15-24 along their route.
It did not take her long to realize that at this place  in the race, the runners were in a coma.  It was worth her life dodging in and out of them…with their ear buds in and fully comatose from their mileage.  All Cece’s shouts of “On your left” literally fell on deaf ears.  So she had to weave in and out.  Many yelled and cursed at her.  Runners are cranky!  Didn’t they see the sign that said “Share the Road.”

Despite all the traffic, Cece had a wonderful ride with the most beautiful scenery. This was her first day taking pictures on her new IPhone and she was not sure how to work it. The picture on the left also came out twice on video, although she knows not how this happened!
Cece kept riding and riding and riding…and soon it became real quiet as she adventured into the bowels of the south valley.  Cece always sees coyote down there….but that is also when she is dating the wrong man!  A sign that Cece cannot ignore.  So, no coyotes…a good sign!  BUT, she is not dating anyone either!

Out with The Goat!

When your friend's nickname is the Mountain Goat, and you go out for a ride together, you can be sure that there will be hill climbing involved!  At the end of the ride, her friend said, "Thanks for entertaining my addiction to climbing hills!"    They had just finished climbing 1400 feet of elevation gain.  Cece said, "Grrrr." 

Stephanie took her over every hill and false flat between the bowels of Rio Rancho and the county of Bernalillo!  AND as happens in New Mexico, there was a strong head wind  no matter which direction they climbed uphill!    At one point, Cece caught a gust and her bike went sideways!  Why wasn't she home under the covers? 

Cece had ridden close to 90 miles this week and her legs were trashed.  At one point, after getting up another hillacious climb Stephanie said , "Have you seen all the sheriffs on this road?  I have counted 8 so far."  Cece replied, "No, I am focusing on my own suffering and just praying I get to the top of the next hill!"  

Cece's body does not like to climb uphill....but it is getting better and a part of Cece likes to complain and curse as she goes uphill!  The two friends did agree that they would rather climb hills than ride the long boring flat that never seems to end on 313! 

And so at the end of the day, Stephanie seemed to be able to tap dance up yet  another hill and Cece was dehydrated and happily complaining, but they agreed it was a good day!

The Mountain Goat and The Owl Went out to Tea.....

Cece has created for  herself a motivational poster that is hanging on her wall right across from where she is sitting as she writes this.    The poster has  photos cut out in collage form and features sleek and powerful   women lifting, doing pilates and yes....cycling up a steep hill whose road goes round and round the hill....or should she say mountain!  Up  Up it goes.

If you know Cece, or have been reading this blog, you know Cece likes to complain about hill climbing.  She will do it....but it is hard for her.  She likes certain hills...and not others.  One of the hills she does not like is the Tramway hill.  She has forgotten if it is 6-8 miles up with no breaks.  She has successfully avoided this for 2 years now.  Her friend Mike says, "It is a good measure of yourself...because the hill never changes, only you do."  Still,. Cece avoids it and pretty successfully! 

Well, this morning , she will ride with her friend Stephanie. They spent a while negotiating the route.  Stephanie was told to ride flat pedals and around the block for her first ride.    Stephanie is recovering from ankle surgery and this is her 2nd ride after several months recovering from plates and pins.  Stephanie's nick name is "the Mountain Goat".  Are things getting clearer to you now?

So, Cece offered a 1 mile ride on the bosque.  Perfectly flat.  Steph laughed.  "I rode 8 miles yesterday!"  Cece said, "I thought you were going tor ride around the block."  "Steph said, "I had to get to work."

Stephanie wanted to ride up Elena.  Cece said no...she was pressing her luck.  They detailed other routes that were hillacious. No to all from Stephanie.  So, Cece had to dig deep and offer the first mile up of Tramway!  Well, of course, The Mountain Goat jumped at that one right away!  Cece reiterated...just the first mile up!  Agreed!

So The Owl and the Mountain Goat  ventured out on a 10.48mile route whose final mile before the turn around is a 1 mile climb.  You can be sure Cece will be watching her computer to tell Stephanie WHEN to stop and turn around....and Cece is sure The Mountain Goat will want to climb more!  So, they will have to wrestle.

AND as Cece expected, The Mountain Goat wanted to climb more!  So, they negotiated up to the next gas station.  Stephanie said, "I think I can make it all the way up."  Cece said she was sure she could and so could she but it was not sensible.  Cece offered additional flat mileage after the glorious downhill and she accepted!  So down they went!  Weeeeee!   WEEEE, Weeeee WEEEEE !

They ended up riding 13+ miles and they were both happy with that.  Next they have planned about 21 miles....including the Atrisco hill which Steph says she has never done before.

 It was another perfect day in New Mexico with moderate temps and little wind..They relaxed and chatted afterward at the Satellite coffee shop and had a coffee and snack!  A good day, good challenges and good company!  What could be better?

Regatta at Tingley Beach!

Well, you might be wondering what has happened to Cece.  She has been focusing on her training and doing bricks, working out at the gym and yes, cycling!  She has been pretty well disciplined...but today....she was out for a joy ride!

A ride down the bosque was called for...just a leisurely ride....just working on her cadence.  Not working on speed....smelling the roses, remembering why she loves to cycle...smelling the earth in its richness, seeing the leaves changing in their cyclic patterns, that she knows so well.....Greeting the roadrunner and catching his blessing.....answering her phone, stopping to talk to people...just being a leisurely cyclist,..seeing the mini train packed full of families.....and even one time when a man was talking to her about his average speed, she reminded herself silently that today was not a day for speed...it was a day for refreshment!

It was the type of perfect day that you can only hope for.  Moderate temps, 2mph wind, cool enough to wear sleeves...a glorious day that could not be ordered up.

She saw many new things that she had never seen before...boys on skateboards, many amputees with prostheses riding or getting in shape for ski season.... AND she saw a mini regatta at Tingley Beach!

Many had  large toy sail boats sailing in the lake.  Cece had never seen this before and was fascinated!  It is just so much fun to be outdoors and to see the world on two wheels...stopping and starting whenever you please....exploring and investigating as you wish....it was like a long lost friend that she was getting reacquainted with.....not rushing...just exploring to get to know again.

I Spy ....Something Yellow! Change Balances Out Slowly!

It seems like it has been in the high 90's for the last 3 months or so with little relief.....but Cece should be grateful that the humidity is 11% rather than 80% or greater like it is in New York!

It has been hot , hot hot here all summer with very little rain.  Even our monsoon season has been disappointing...the rain seems to evaporate in the heat faster than it can hit the ground!

Cece has been very busy all summer....clients passing away, recovering from this, supporting the staff through their grief, getting another hospice patient into this same home, training for the Senior Olympics, loosing weight, her dad being in and out of the hospital, supporting her sister as best as she can from afar....a thrown out rib, figuring out how to cope with active rest while she wants to be moving more and faster...facing the facts that she needs to do hill repeats and then doing her first brick!  By the way...she is still successfully avoiding Tramway...but she knows that this will not last too much longer.

So it was with quite a bit of amazement that as Cece rode on the bosque this morning, she noticed the leaves beginning to change!  How could this be?  What happened to the summer?

The fall is so beautiful on the bosque!  Cece likes to notice all the changes since she last rode down.  She stops at the bridge she likes and thinks about her mom and has a talk with her.  She sees her favorite little steam  locomotive that she always tells herself she will ride one day between the zoo and gardens....and she notices that they changed the turn around in the parking lot at Central and the Botanical Gardens!  Change occurs!

Life is hard most days in our lives...and Cece thinks this is because change can be so destabilizing. How does Cece cope with change? Like many of us...not easily.  But, she has learned  to put one foot in front of the other as she  tries to prioritize her self-care. Get more sleep, eat clean and healthy, exercise and talk to family and friends.

She knows that if she is not stable, while things around her are changing, that this will make it so much harder to cope. Life can be hard.  She never wanted to admit this when she was younger and more starry eyed!

Cece and Yun talked about this in a round about way the other day.  One friend was telling the other that people cannot understand how she can be so happy and upbeat and positive when things are going awry.  One friend laughed and said, "Denial?"  The other said "no, it is more like a swan swimming on the lake....you only see the beauty of the swan...not their feet paddling furiously underneath the water!