Crazy Catch-Up Post v2.0-Cycling

In the last post, I caught up on the quilts that I've made since neglecting this blog.  In the post, I wanted to update you on my bike situation.  (Yes, in my opinion, it deserves its own post.)

Early in 2012, I tore my right meniscus.  Believe it or not, it happened at the gym stepping off of the treadmill.  I didn't realize that is what I had done and trying to talk myself out of any real pain (sheesh, I have had four children) I kept doing all of my normal exercising:  running, elliptical trainer, squats, blah, blah, blah...   Well, I did some serious damage.  Arghhhh.

Around that same time, my super-hot hubby decided that he would start riding regularly again.  Rene had been a hard-core mountain bike rider and cyclocross rider, but had never really been a serious road cyclist.  I love any opportunity to share pictures of my hotter than an oven-husband.  Here is a shot of him in a mountain bike race from back in the day:

Mmmmmm. Mmmmm. Mmmmmm.

I digress....back to road cycling.  Since he was going to start riding road seriously he needed a bike upgrade.  You will find that, in our family, it doesn't take much coaxing to upgrade our bikes.

So, hubs bought himself a Cannondale CAAD-10 Ultegra on a super-sweet deal.  His other Cannondale was available and considering my growing frustration with my knee injury, I decided to give it a try.  I hadn't ridden (other than our beachcomber) in years, so I wasn't sure if I was going to work with my knee injury.  It did.  I could ride for miles and miles and my knee is pain-free.  Yippee.
(It is a temporary fix, but I just keep putting off the surgery because I can't imagine being immobile considering our fast-paced life.)

The only problem was that Rene's old bike was too big for me.  It was 54 cm and just not a good fit.  He finally talked me into buying a new bike for myself that actually fits.  So I went to my favorite bike shop, Nytro, and was fitted for a bike that fit my frame.  I ended up with a 2012 Carbon Fiber Cannondale Synapse 51cm.  Such a better fit!  Now, my arms don't fall asleep on long rides.  Here is my little sweetie....

Look how cute our bikes are together.  His and hers.  Sick, right?

Alright, so I could go on and on (wait...already have) but the long and short of it is that we have been riding fools.  The other awesome thing is that Jake is old enough now to babysit the younger kids and he craves money like crazy so it is win-win.

In November, Rene and I signed up for a Century Ride called Bike the Coast.  This century ride was 100 miles up and down the coast...not a race-just a participation ride with a little bit of a competitive feel.

We did it!  Obviously, Rene killed it way quicker than I did but I was so happy to have finished.  100 freakin' miles!

The Start Line at 6am.  Ick and Brrrr.

My bike at a SAG station.

Finally, the finish line!  (I think that I crossed it around 1:15pm.)

   Since then, we have been bundled up and riding in the cold, winter months.  That almost seems like a joke out here in California.  Seriously.   :)

As of the end of the year, I had ridden 2,714 miles and I only started in May.  So, this year I would like to double the number of miles and vary my routes.  (Because I am normally in a time crunch, I tend to stay on the same route.)  So excited for this year!  Rene and I are also planning on taking our bikes to Mississippi with us when we go this summer.  Should be hot and fun!  :)

So excited for this year!  Rene and I are also planning on taking our bikes to Mississippi with us when we go this summer.  Should be hot and fun!  :)

Ok, I feel pretty caught up.  One more, as soon as I get to it, about the family.