Dear Santa

This is not my last minute wish list to the guy in the red suit.  The Santa I'm referring to is Santa Ana, as in Santa Ana Winds.  We have had wind advisories for the past two weeks.  They have driven multiple fires in our area, leaving a large path of destruction.  The largest, the Thomas Fire, is on pace to become the largest in the history of California.  It's been burning for two weeks now with expected full containment in January.  The LATimes had an interesting article showing how the fire is larger than many U.S. cities.

We were advised on Tuesday, December 5th, to be prepared for evacuation due to the Rye Fire that was burning in Santa Clarita.  We were fortunate that the fire did not come to Simi Valley, but the winds have continued to blow.  We had a short reprieve on Friday, but the calm brought its own trouble - smoke from the Thomas Fire.

It's obviously not advisable to run in these conditions.  So what's a non-gym membership having, non-treadmill owning runner to do?  Les set me up on his bike trainer.  I used this at the first of year when we were getting a lot of rain and I had forgotten what a great workout it is.  The commentary on the screen is helpful and often entertaining.

This was a workout called "Fang Mountain."  A series of "under/overs" that kept things interesting.

This was a 90 minute session I did last week.  With a name like "Mary Austin" I wasn't expecting it to be so tough!

I am hopeful that the winds will die down this week.  Our current advisory is suppose to end at 9:00 a.m. today and the forecast is looking promising with cooler temps.  So in the meantime..

Dear Santa,
Okay, I believe!  I've seen my neighbor's reindeer fly.  Now please pack up your winds and go away.  Merry Christmas!

What's on your weather wish list this year?

The Last Two Days of McBRAAM

I flew to Atlanta last Wednesday to be reunited with my cycling husband!  Twenty six days apart is the longest we have ever gone in our marriage.  To say that I missed him would be a gross understatement, but I'm so glad that Les, Lance, and Pops had this amazing trip of a lifetime together!

It was dinner time by the time I made it to Perry, Georgia.  I made a quick stop at the hotel then met them at Rusty's in the middle of their dinner.  I spent Thursday and Friday playing SAG - Support and Gear - with Mr. SAGMan.  Here's a sampling of how the days played out:

6:00-6:30 a.m. - Up and at 'em! (this hurt, because it was 3:00 a.m. California time.) 
Breakfast time at the hotel.  Les and Lance fueled up with oatmeal, waffles, eggs, coffee, juice, milk, yogurt and fruit.  SAGMan headed to the ice machine to fill the ice chest that had accompanied them on the journey.  Water bottles were filled and the van was reloaded.

7:00 a.m - Final pre-ride check-in.
Short devotion and prayer led by SAGMan.  This was an important part of each day.  It lasted about five minutes, but each day the three of them focused on thanks for safety so far and continued safety for that day.

7:30 a.m. - Roll out!
Les and Lance would start riding.  SAGMan would drive 15-20 miles down the road to a predetermined location.  I followed in my rental car on Thursday and led the way on Friday.  We would ride and wait, ride and wait.  Surprisingly, we really didn't wait that long.  We all have Life360 on our phones - Les' phone was in the SAGWagon, Lance had his phone in his jersey and I had mine with me.  I had watched their progress from afar for 26 stages and it was cool to see them so close.  Les and Lance would get more water for their water bottles, eat a snack, take off jackets, tell us our next stop, and roll out again.

2:00 - Final check-in
When the guys had about 15 miles of riding left they would have one final check-in with Pops.  At that point Pops would head to the chosen hotel for the night (typically Days Inn or something similar.)  He would get checked in and bring in the bags they would all need for the evening/next day.

3:00-4:00 p.m. - Roll in
As soon as the guys got to the hotel they would do three things:  start re-fueling, shower, and upload their data.

5:30 p.m. - Dinner
Les was very consistent with what he ate most nights - chicken, pasta, pizza.  They stayed away from fried foods and heavy meat.  They needed a good balance of protein to recover and carbs to fuel the next day.

7:30 p.m. - Nightly Prep
Bikes were checked, tires pumped, water bottles cleaned.  Les would write his nightly blog.  Bedtime snack.

9:30-10:00 p.m. - Lights Out

They did this for 28 days.  Some days the miles were longer than others, but they rode every single day for 28 days.  Remarkably, they didn't have any mechanical issues and they didn't get rained on a single time!

Friday afternoon was so exciting.  Les and I had plans to stay on Tybee Island for a couple of nights while Lance and Pops were going to drive back to Cookeville, Tennessee.  I checked in to the Admiral's Inn, then Pops and I wandered around waiting for the triumphant entry.  I'll write a separate post about Tybee Island - it's a cool place!

Right about 3:00 p.m. on Friday, October 27th, Les and Lance made their final left turn from Butler Avenue on to 16th Street.  They rode the Strand Avenue traffic circle where Pops and I had a small group waiting.  (I attracted a bit of attention standing on a bench, hollering, with two phones in my hand - one for pictures and one for video!)

Les took his shoes and socks off and walked right on to the beach and into the ocean carrying his bike!  It was such a cool moment - I am SO glad I was there!  So much happiness with these three.

After several more minutes of savoring the accomplishment we headed to the hotel.  Lance took a quick shower and Les unloaded his things from the van.  We borrowed one of Pops' suitcases to bring home with us - Les had put some supplies in the rental van in boxes and we needed a way to get things home.

The final moments before Lance and Pops drove away were so sweet.  We stood by the van and gave thanks to God for such an amazing journey.  I listened as these three men shared final words after 28 days of constant contact.  It's pretty cool when you love your family as much as these three do.

Remarkable

Les and Lance have now pedaled their way into their eighth of nine states!  They crossed the Mississippi/Alabama border this morning and are nearing the 2300 mile mark.  They have had an amazing trip and if all continues as planned they will reach Savannah, Georgia and the Atlantic Ocean this Friday!!

But let me tell you about someone else who is remarkable - my neighbor, Joe.  I introduced him on this blog over five years ago.  He is one of many smiling faces I see on a regular basis when I'm out running or riding my bike.  Joe is an avid hiker and always has a smile for me.

About a month ago Les and I saw Joe while we were on a bike ride.  It was just a quick, "Good morning!" but I told Les, "Joe didn't seem himself."  Les wondered how I could tell in such a short greeting, but I just knew.

Fast forward to this morning while I was out for a run.  I saw Joe up ahead and determined to catch him.  I slowed to a walked when I caught him.  Our conversation started off like this:

Me:  How are you, Joe?
Joe:  I'm great!
Me:  You didn't seem yourself when I saw you a few weeks ago, are you okay?
Joe:  Well, I had my toes cut off...

To make a long story short, due to poor circulation, Joe's feet were not getting adequate blood supply.  In June he had the toes of his right foot removed and in July had the same procedure done on his left foot.  He is now walking on stumps.  He said he was in a lot of pain prior to the surgery but has had none since.  The main thing that has changed is the length of his stride, but his sunny outlook hasn't changed a bit.

I asked Joe if he had been able to resume hiking.  "I wanted to hike a certain mountain on my 80th birthday and I did just that on Wednesday!"  I am so in awe of this man!  80 years young, walking three miles, 5 days a week and in his words, "working at the Senior center to help those less fortunate," the other two days!

Joe reached his turn around point and we said goodbye for the day.  I finished my run with a huge smile on my face!  What an inspiration!

Tuesday Rambling

I have a lot of little things on my mind, none that deserve a full post, so here goes:

1500
I crossed the 1500 mile mark for the year sometime last week.  I also crossed the 1500 mile mark on my Specialized Vita that I got in March of last year.  Cycling miles add up quickly.  Unfortunately, my running miles have been on the low side the past couple months.  I've had IT band issues that make anything over 3 miles really painful.  I miss being able to go out for a medium/long run but I really want this to go away, so I'm trying to be patient and smart.

McBRAAM
Les and Lance have now ridden over 1,000 on their cross-country cycling trip.  They are making their way to Texas today - state #4!  I am continually amazed at how well they are doing.  They are loosely following America By Bicycle's Fast America South route.  They have already made one change - Friday's ride was 144 miles, Saturday was to be a rest day, followed by about 135 miles on Sunday.  They chose to split Sunday's ride in half, making Saturday and Sunday "short" rides of just under 70 miles each.  Les said as long as their bodies and the weather holds they really don't want to spend a full day hanging out at a hotel.

I'm really enjoying their trip from afar!  It's been amazing to see their progress and I'm glad everyday when I hear from Les that another ride is complete.  He is super upbeat.  They will have stories to tell for the rest of their lives.  Les has been the primary writer of the blog so far and he really is that entertaining in real life. 

Coming up on October 21st is the annual University of Tennessee vs. Alabama college football game.  This year it takes place in Tuscaloosa.  Les and Lance are both Tennessee boys, their parents and sister still live there.  If they stay on schedule, they will be riding in to Tuscaloosa that weekend.  They won't be wearing their UT cycling jerseys!

Pumpkin Muffins
About a month ago I had to go to Fresno for the funeral of a former boss.  I was asked to speak and decided to go up the night before to see my sister and her family.  I baked a batch of pumpkin muffins, took half with me and left the other half at home.  When I came home, a mere 24 hours later, they were all gone!  While I was at the grocery store today, I decided to pick up the ingredients for another batch.  I spotted a Devil's Food cake mix and decided to make chocolate pumpkin muffins instead.  They definitely don't have as strong of a pumpkin flavor, but they are still good.

Pumpkin or Spice Muffins

Makes 18 muffins
1 Spice Cake Mix
1 15 oz. can Pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling) OR
1 15 oz. can Sweet potatoes in light syrup
1/2 cup Almond milk

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325.
Grease cupcake pans.  Puree sweet potatoes in the blender for about 30 seconds.  Mix ingredients (no egg or oil, just the cake mix, milk, and pumpkin or sweet potatoes) and pour in prepared pans.  Bake according to mix instructions for cupcakes, using the full amount of time (approximately 25 minutes).

Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins

Makes 18 muffins
1 Devil's Food Cake Mix
1 15 oz. can Pumpkin
1/2 cup Almond milk

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325.
Grease cupcake pans.  Mix ingredients (no egg or oil, just the cake mix, pumpkin and milk) and pour in prepared pans.  Bake according to mix instructions for cupcakes, using the full amount of time (approximately 25 minutes).

All of these are very dense muffins.  The spice cake mix is slightly higher in calories, each muffin is about 150 calories, while the chocolate are slightly under 100.  Not bad for a quick snack or addition to breakfast. If I was going for Wife of the Year, I'd Fed Ex some of these to Texas or Oklahoma...

Fall Running
This is the one time of year that I start getting a little run envy.  People across the country start talking about cooler temps, morning runs that are glorious, and needing an extra layer.  I know that I am spoiled because I can run outside all winter, but my least favorite is our current weather pattern.  Our temperatures are moderate, but Santa Ana winds are blowing and our current humidity is 10%.  We have a tree down in our front yard from yesterday's winds.  With my cranky IT band, I'd rather be on my bike, but when the wind is over 20 mph I'm a little afraid of being blown right off the bike!  If we didn't have weather, what would we complain about?

McBRAAM

There is an epic cycling race that has taken place for the past 36 years - Race Across America, otherwise known as RAAM.  It starts in Oceanside, under one of the longest piers in California, spans 3000 miles, climbs 175,000 feet, crosses 12 states and finishes at City Dock in Annapolis, Maryland.  I'm married to a cyclist who loves to ride and race but RAAM takes it to a level that he's not interested in.  Riding cross country, however, has been on his bucket list for a long time.  Which leads us to McBRAAM - The McElhaney Brothers' Bicycle Ride Across America.

Les and his older brother, Lance, will be embarking on an amazing journey this Saturday.  They will leave Southern California, with Savannah, Georgia on their minds.  Les' dad, Bill, affectionately known as Pops, will be driving the support vehicle.  The route looks something like this:

 

The two most common questions I have received:

1.  Are They Crazy??
Well, yes, a little.  Or maybe a lot.  However, this goal is not out of reach.  Les and Lance are both strong riders.  They will not be racing.  Pops will have water, fuel and tools in the van if (when) somethings goes wrong.  All three of them are very intelligent (it's actually kinda scary how smart they are) and they have spent months planning, researching, thinking, and planning some more.  The RAAM record is 7 days, 15 hours and 56 minutes.  These guys are planning on 25 days of riding across 28 days total.

2.  Are You Going With Them?
No.  Originally they had considered renting an RV and Les told me I was welcome to go along for part of the trip.  My response, "I'm not living in a rolling locker room for a month!"  This is a boys' only trip.  I am happy that they are doing this but I am happy to stay home.  I've got a to-do list that is growing and I hope to actually get it all done.  I will be flying to Atlanta during the final week to meet up with them and be in Savannah for the grand finale!

I'll be posting updates here from my perspective from time to time, but if you're interested they plan to blog daily at their own blog ~ McBRAAM. 

Cycle to the Sun 2017

Three weeks ago we flew to Hawaii.  Instead of our usual Hawaiian Airlines flight #1 to Honolulu, we flew to Maui.  It's been a while since we went to one of the other islands and had some down time.  Of course for us it's never just Rest and Relaxation, there's always some Recreation involved, too.  While I did a little bit of running, the biggie this time was for Les - Cycle to the Sun:

The legendary Cycle to the Sun is one of the most difficult bike climbs in the world.

The ride climbs 10,000 feet over 36 miles and reaches gradients up to 18%. As a comparison, the famed Mont Ventou in the Tour de France is only a 5,336 foot climb over 13.6 miles. It starts in Pa’ia at sea level and finishes up on top of the Haleakala Volcano at just above 10,000 feet (3,048 meters).

If you've ever been to Maui, you've seen ads for riding down Haleakala.  Les has ridden up Haleakala three other times but never raced it. We arrived on Wednesday and took Thursday and Friday as full on R & R.  Les got his bike ready and went for a short ride and I went for a short run, but there was a lot of relaxing involved, too.

Lanai island

We had an early start on Saturday morning to get to the race on time.  We both knew quite a few of the riders (the race is capped at 200.)

After an Hawaiian blessing, they were off!

I knew I would have plenty of time to wait, so I headed to the nearest coffee shop.  I ended up spending two hours with a lady whose husband was also in the race.  We shared stories about family and adventures.  My plan was to drive to the summit and hopefully see Les a few times along the way.

I stopped at the Visitor Center and watched Les go through.  Then I drove a few more miles to see him again.  I cheered for every rider who came by.  I was disappointed in most of the other friends and family members who were at the lookout.  They just stood there and only cheered when their rider came through.  I had fun with it, even asked "are you questioning your sanity right now?"  One rider said, "No, that was 10 miles ago!"  It's a grueling race and I know even a few words of encouragement can mean a lot. 

Riding strong enough to flash the "I love you" sign!

I was at the summit when Les came across the finish line.  The friends and family there were a lot more active - cheering for each rider.

He had been sick for about 3 weeks leading up to the race.  This is no easy ride at 100%, so I was happy to see him finish with a smile!  This was Les' fourth attempt and fourth successful finish on this ride.  His fueling was right on and Dramamine on Friday night/Saturday morning kept altitude sickness at bay.

It was a very clear day at the top.  In the distance are Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii...

Since the race I have heard Les say about a dozen times, "I want to ride Haleakala again!"

Have you ever been to Maui and tried the downhill? 
We rode it on our first visit to Maui in 1996.  I hadn't been on a bike since about 6th grade so it was pretty scary to me.  I'd love to do it again but don't plan on riding up!

1,000 Miles

I hit the 1,000 mile mark for the year this morning!  It's always exciting to see that number.  The breakdown by month:

January: 189.44
February: 156.30
March: 118.12
April: 162.06
May: 165.54
June: 170.64
Partial July: 44.36

Total: 1,006.46

Breakdown by activity:

Running:  405.27
Walking:  101.04
Cycling:  500.15

Almost identical numbers on my feet vs. on my bike!

I had an amazing run this morning.  We are still on Oahu so I headed up Tantalus.  I ended up running my third fastest on the entire 10 mile loop and my second fastest on the second half which is all downhill.  Strava also gave me my third best 5k!  It's funny - I'm not training for anything but I'm running strong these days.  Pressure free running = getting the joy back.

We're just past halfway, how is 2017 treating you?


Quick edit:  If you are a Strava user, check out Relive.  The site has been providing 3D videos of rides for quite some time but now they're also doing runs.  Here is my run from this morning: https://www.relive.cc/view/1075721591