Saturday, January 18, 2014

old dog, new tricks

A couple days after IMCOZ Jamie and I headed out for a ride.  Since I took this IM so slow and ran so little my body felt pretty fresh the days after and I really didn't wait much at all before jumping back into the swing of things.  add to that the fact that this is really NOT the off season down here and I had taken off so much time during the "season", I was pretty fresh.  Unfortunately the old bike (we're thinking we got it in 1995 or so) had a frame-attack and the derailleur committed suicide and I walked home, carrying my bike in the air (as the back wheel was unmovable).

Jamie, god-mechanic that he is, managed to convert the bike to a fixed-gear bike after a disastrous attempt at riding one of his castoffs had me choosing between brakes or sitting on the seat.  If I wanted to look behind me, shift gears, hit the brakes, I had to get off the seat to do so.  Made for a miserable (and not very safe) ride.  So I now have a bike to ride again, albeit with only 1 gear.  I figured we'd go with that until he went back to the US to visit his grandmother but kept my eye on the Slowtwitch classifieds and had the stroke of luck to find a bike that we hope will fit me.  It is bumblebee color and a triathlon bike.  That's honestly about all I know about it.  Jamie has the specs.

It is supposedly in incredible condition, a 2011 with 100 miles on it, and looks new.  I'm hoping that is no exaggeration as Merkalink is not going to bring me a bike that isn't new.  The bike shop shipped it out yesterday (or the day before?) and I'm thinking it might get to Texas middle next week, then about another week for them to import and me to go to the bank and pay, and then another week to get the bike.  Should be an exciting time.  I just hope the bike fits and isn't too uncomfortable.

We've been talking a lot about moving somewhere, even to Cozumel for a year, as we all have rather itchy feet right now except Jesse.  I've also made (in retrospect) a New Year's resolution to do *something* monthly.  We're rotting here, doing the same old, same old and it is time to shake things up.  I'm not sure what this month is and I don't have much time to figure it out.  :)  I'm kind of scheduling things around events and so far all I have is a 10K tomorrow and a 10K in March.    I think the kids have a vacation day early February so I am going to have to figure out what we'll do then.

In March, Aire-Libre is having a 10K on Holbox Island.  That is just Too Good to pass up so we're going there.  I need to find a place for us to stay and figure out who all will be going as Explayarte is having their first performance of AIDA the next weekend so likely the boys (Jesse in the band and Pike performing - YES!  my baybeee will be performing!) will stay here and just the girls and Jamie and I will head to Holbox sans doggie (so many more housing opportunities!).

Also end-March Ellen is going to Guadalajara for the pentathlon competition and while the school is discouraging parental involvement, I'm loathe to let my baybeee go all alone.  I found a trail run up there during the time she's up there and very seriously considered it.  I'm still on the fence but starting to think that I won't go.  We'll see.

Lastly, we're thinking about going to Neenah for the (short) summer to hang out with Maca and also to get some of this moss off our bodies.  Still unsure about that but maybe I would do a triathlon up there if we should.  I'm almost certain I won't be doing IMCOZ this year.  The $ is just too much and it leaves me open to do other stuff I want to do but can't because of IMCOZ like the DF marathon, Xel-Ha, and the jazz festival.  pictures are the girls riding bareback at a party (their favorite) and my steadfast run companion.

We've had some lovely calm days (norte) lately and I need to get off my butt and into the water.  Jamie wants to ride to Tulum today so I need to shuck off the down jacket, swim and then head out on teh bike...Just checked the status of the new bike - it is in Indiana.  Hmmm... that's an odd route to Mexico/Texas...