I had all these wonderful intentions of reviving my blog as I revived my triathlon career last season. I managed one detailed report from my 1st race of last season. I wrote a very detailed report of a small race I did in New Hampshire, but half the text vanished into the Internet's version of a back hole. Hours of writing....poof!!! Gone. Instead my followers (do they actually exist?) got treated to a travel piece accompanied by lots of photographs from my Alaska trip. Did I ever tell you in my dream life I'd be a widely read travel blogger who gets free trips to write about? Wishful thinking. Just about as likely to happen as winning my age group at ITU Age Group World Championships.
When I left off last season I was sweating about doing the West Point Triathlon and what time I'd leave the house. Neurotic old tri-geek left early. The short version of my West Point race report: In my age group I got trashed in the swim. I roared back and passed them all on the bike, but reverting to an old pattern, I got caught on the run. So 2nd place in F60-64. I was satisfied since that has always been a very competitive race. I finally got to meet the other Polly who does triathlons. She finished 3rd and did stay for the award ceremony.
Labor Day Weekend I did a road trip with my sister and did another small race in New Hampshire. The Circle Triathlon. Nice course with a serious badass climb on the bike course. The one thing that stuck out about this race was playing cat and mouse with this one kid on the bike course. I was getting kind of annoyed because he's riding a plain old bike with no bike shoes or toe clips. I couldn't get rid of him. (The inner bike snob in me was showing.) I'd pass him and then he'd pass me. Every time he passed me he give me a look, and when I passed him I'd give him a look. We came into transition together and after that I never saw him again. When I looked at the results I'm thinking how did he have those crazy fast transition times. Turns out he did the entire race including the swim in Vibram 5 toed shoes. He's a really fast runner, and I should point out about 45 years younger. No age group awards in that race either. I can't remember where I finished overall.
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Saturday, February 07, 2015
A Letter to My Neglected Road Bike
Dear Ms. Light,
I know you've been wondering where I've been the last 3 weeks. All those Tuesday and Thursday mornings you waited, expecting me to pump up your tires and take you out the back door for the Unemployment Ride. Instead I'd grab a small gym bag with Tae Kwon Do gear and leave without you. Then there were those Saturdays and Sundays that I was not working that you would wait patiently for me. However I'd stumble by you at 9:30 am having just gotten up, and brought in the newspapers. Later on you might see me with the gym bag, or on some days you'd see me peeling off layers of snow covered garments. You're probably thinking to yourself, "There she goes again, ditching me for another sport."
No, no it's nothing like that at all. Yes, I'm doing Tae Kwon Do and I'll be testing for my next Black Belt in November. But I've not given up cycling. After all I'm planning to do the Lake Tahoe Century with Team in Training again. I can't be neglecting my cycle training when I'm planning to ride 100 miles on June 7th. So what's the deal with all those missed mornings? You're also probably wondering why you see me taking cycling clothing out of the washer and taking it upstairs to dry.
I have a confession to make. I've been seeing another bike. Yes, I admit it! I've been cheating on you. No, I have not been going out with Blue Bayou. Winter is not the time to be cruising around on my tri-bike. That will come later. You've never seen the bike or the people I've been riding with. This brutal winter weather has caused me to go over to the dark side. Yes, I've been hanging out with the beautiful people in their cute tank tops and colorful tights. Yes, those type of people that I see going in and out of Soul Cycle in Greenwich, CT Yes, those people that Lisa and I make fun of while she's massaging the hell out of my cranky joints. However I'm not at Soul Cycle in Greenwich. I'm at Flywheel Sports in Scarsdale.
Rest assured I've had not totally gone to the dark side. No cutesy tops and tights for me. Regular cycling shorts and a run or tri top. Also I do compete in class by having my stats show up on the torq board. I've yet to have the top score yet. The best I've done so far is 2nd. It's all about power and there are bigger and younger women who take these classes. Just maybe before this temporary affair is done, I'll be able to beat all the ladies. I wonder how they'd do outside in the cold?
Dearest Ms. Light, bear with me. Once Mother Nature stops being such a witch you and I will be together again. We'll go out with the boys and cruise up Rte. 22. We'll go climb some hills and hang with the pack. Understand that I need to hang out with Fly so that I can be ready for the peloton. You wouldn't want me to embarrass myself by getting spit off the back before the Kensico Dam because I wasn't doing any training? Fly will never be as dear to me as you are. She doesn't know that I will be ditching her as soon as Mother Nature allows me to.
Enjoy the warmth of the house while you can. Sooner or later I'll be looking for you to join me on the road again.
Love,
Your roadie girl Polly
I know you've been wondering where I've been the last 3 weeks. All those Tuesday and Thursday mornings you waited, expecting me to pump up your tires and take you out the back door for the Unemployment Ride. Instead I'd grab a small gym bag with Tae Kwon Do gear and leave without you. Then there were those Saturdays and Sundays that I was not working that you would wait patiently for me. However I'd stumble by you at 9:30 am having just gotten up, and brought in the newspapers. Later on you might see me with the gym bag, or on some days you'd see me peeling off layers of snow covered garments. You're probably thinking to yourself, "There she goes again, ditching me for another sport."
No, no it's nothing like that at all. Yes, I'm doing Tae Kwon Do and I'll be testing for my next Black Belt in November. But I've not given up cycling. After all I'm planning to do the Lake Tahoe Century with Team in Training again. I can't be neglecting my cycle training when I'm planning to ride 100 miles on June 7th. So what's the deal with all those missed mornings? You're also probably wondering why you see me taking cycling clothing out of the washer and taking it upstairs to dry.
I have a confession to make. I've been seeing another bike. Yes, I admit it! I've been cheating on you. No, I have not been going out with Blue Bayou. Winter is not the time to be cruising around on my tri-bike. That will come later. You've never seen the bike or the people I've been riding with. This brutal winter weather has caused me to go over to the dark side. Yes, I've been hanging out with the beautiful people in their cute tank tops and colorful tights. Yes, those type of people that I see going in and out of Soul Cycle in Greenwich, CT Yes, those people that Lisa and I make fun of while she's massaging the hell out of my cranky joints. However I'm not at Soul Cycle in Greenwich. I'm at Flywheel Sports in Scarsdale.
Rest assured I've had not totally gone to the dark side. No cutesy tops and tights for me. Regular cycling shorts and a run or tri top. Also I do compete in class by having my stats show up on the torq board. I've yet to have the top score yet. The best I've done so far is 2nd. It's all about power and there are bigger and younger women who take these classes. Just maybe before this temporary affair is done, I'll be able to beat all the ladies. I wonder how they'd do outside in the cold?
Dearest Ms. Light, bear with me. Once Mother Nature stops being such a witch you and I will be together again. We'll go out with the boys and cruise up Rte. 22. We'll go climb some hills and hang with the pack. Understand that I need to hang out with Fly so that I can be ready for the peloton. You wouldn't want me to embarrass myself by getting spit off the back before the Kensico Dam because I wasn't doing any training? Fly will never be as dear to me as you are. She doesn't know that I will be ditching her as soon as Mother Nature allows me to.
Enjoy the warmth of the house while you can. Sooner or later I'll be looking for you to join me on the road again.
Love,
Your roadie girl Polly
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
