You Can Call Me Jane

Wednesday was my first ride with the Janes of See Jane Ride! It was definitely a rewarding and cathartic experience.

My day leading up to the ride was a very hectic one. Everything from the dog accidentally getting kicked in the face, losing a tooth, bleeding everywhere, me running late, the printer not working(I had to print my trial pass), to almost running out of gas and getting a little bit lost. In the end I made it just fine, and was pretty psyched to go on my first ride. Jane was even there waiting for me!

 Jane, You don't know how much I need this ride right now.

The amazing Dana (co-leader of the Janes) waited for me and filled me in on some safety tips. I honestly don't know much about road or group rides, so now I do. As you may remember I am lacking a bike right now, so I was set-up with an awesome 2010 Cannondale Quick; part of the Jane's fleet.

I was looking forward to talking and chatting, and even hamming it up. I have a habit of coming off as anti-social because people mistake my shyness as disinterest, so to make up for it I try to be over-the-top nice. It turns out that instead of being a chatty Cathy(or should I say Jane?) I decided to sit back and take it all in. It couldn't have been a more perfect day.

 Happy little farms.

It felt so nice  to just let go. I had been waiting to get out there, especially not having a job lately. I'm turning into a complete lump. Thanks Jane for kicking my butt. The mileage wasn't bad, something like 5 or 6? I have a feeling road riding miles will not intimidate me much anymore, especially if they continue to be as nicely paced as this loop. A couple hills along the way - nothing too scary. In fact they were very rewarding.

Happy little hills.
 

I would have liked to get to know the Janes more, as I did meet a couple, but feel like the opportunity will arise soon enough. I did meet another leader of the Janes, Carla, and got to introduce myself to others that I know I will see again. You should check out the Janes either at See Jane Ride or on facebook, and they also write about our adventures here!

Have a goodnight Mr. Sun!

The ride was very easy going. Perfect weather; perfect day. Without getting too personal, I have a very strong spiritual/religious connection with the wind. A certain someone was with me there that day. I find that Nature's greatest gift is some wind through your hair. I couldn't have been happier.

Partly Cloudy

Since moving to State College I haven't had much luck in the employment category. I have my mascot job, which averages to 4 gigs a month and my BBW job, where they never put me on the schedule. I was working at a clothing store for some time, but the owner/manager was a monster and I didn't want to be around all the negativity.

I can relate.

I figured it'd be easy to get a better job here. All the students leaving at the end of April should make more positions available. I've spent the last 3+ weeks filling out applications and taking online virtual job assessments like a crazy person. I have retail and management experience(a lot of it) and figured I could settle down in just about any retail position.

So with being almost unemployed and having lots and lots of free time, I was biking a lot. I decided, because I wanted to get a new bike, that it was probably time to sell my old bike before I wear it out too much. I put it on Craigslist for $300 and sold it for $280 within the week.

This was how I felt when they took my bike away.

Now dearest reader, you might think, "but Megan, now you can buy your brand new bike!" Well, with all the debt I was slowly sinking into from seeing little to no shifts at work, I realized that my bike money would have to go towards life expenses first before I get a new bike. I just got slammed with an $800 car bill (new tires, inspection, and a new motor mount, if you must know). I felt so utterly upset.

If you're a believer in that phrase about closing a door but opening a window, the next day my friend Jess was moving out of State College. She asked me if I wanted her sweet huffy. Now, while it isn't a Trek Skye S, I figured it'd be better to have A bike than NO bike.

Rusted Everything?? I'll take it!

Not considering the huffy, I am currently without a bike. This is depressing especially with the weather starting to get warmer, Janes starting to go on rides, and less than 113 days away from the Coal Cracker Classic. On top of that the boy and I are having some issues, ones I don't wish to tell the internet. I almost considered moving back to Allentown. With all of this crap that is getting in the way, I still would try to compete in the CCC. SO without training as much as I'd like to be, I will still compete to prove it to myself. I have to.

 You will be mine!

On the upside, today I was called to schedule an interview with a lovely new interior design shop downtown =). Also, tomorrow the Janes are going on a ride, and while it semi-conflicts with my work schedule, I must attend! I was also given a free trial membership which is great! Even though I don't have a bike they can loan one to me for rides and I'm happy with that. I do believe that things will turn around.  I do believe that I can climb out of this debt hole once I get a nice job. I also believe that I will be on a bike again in no time, and you will see me this September at Bungalow Park at that starting line for the Coal Cracker.

Training a Champion

So remember in my last post where I said I was having some personal issues and didn't feel like writing much? Well 10 days have passed and I felt I should say SOMETHING. Here's a little story about Vali's first trip.

Two weeks ago Tom and I decided that we would go for a small bike ride at Circleville Park. We had become so hopeful about Vali being a bike dog. We knew that even though he was young that we could at least get away with a short ride, and see how he did.

Vali says, "Safety First!"

Vali loves to chase the bikes, so before we got to the field we let him off leash in the baseball fields across from the park. He followed for a short bit but then made a break for the road. We are bad parents, in that we trusted him too much. Lesson learned. We got to the park and decided that we wouldn't let him off leash until we got to the woods. Here he is going up the hill. I might also add that I used to hate this hill, but now it ain't no thang.

 You can tell from his pulling, he really wants to GO.

We let him go and he followed us for a good while. He even went the right ways when I'd yell LEFT LEFT LEFT. He stopped when he met up with another dog, they sniffed and we continued. Just when we thought everything was going well, he decided to make a break for it and run to the park. I have never seen him run this fast in his life and he was gone. I left it up to Tom to catch him, and spent the time trying to find where they both went, as it started to rain. 

I'm not too fond of my face in this picture, 

but Vali looks overwhelmed with accomplishment.

We met up and had a photo opp, then continued. He was much better behaved on our way home. Tom even was able to ride with him leashed and he kept pace.

Look at him go!

The next post will be full of DRAMA. I don't know if you're ready for it.

Gardening: Another Beginning

I've been making good progress lately. The weather has been nice and I've made sure to get out just about every day. My trips are somewhat small, usually not with fitness as my only goal. 

 like that time I rode to wegman's to buy all the chocolate croissants they have.  oh like everyday.

I love summer because my eating habits completely change(besides still consuming lots of chocolate croissants). Gardening is one of my favorite things. I never really understood why some people gripe about it, because I think once you start a garden right, it doesn't need tooooo much upkeep. I will blog about my gardening progress because I feel it coincides with the healthy upbeat lifestyle associated with cycling.

 This is my BAG O' BARK

Lately I've taken a couple trips to the nearby park/woods to gather bark to use as drainage for my sandbox transformed garden. 

I collect buckets

I rent a townhouse, so I don't have much space to garden. I tried to gather buckets from dumpsters rather than spending money on planters. This is the set up for 2011. Some things I've learned from previous gardens(as last year I lived in center-city Allentown)  is to maximize the vertical space. Grow up. Plant vegetables that I know I will eat. Water and proper drainage are key. I've faced some issues with the sandbox outside. First, we weren't sure whether it was ours to use. Luckily the neighbors said that they didn't use it so we could. Unfortunately it had a solid bottom so I drilled holes in it, took out most of the sand, and covered the bottom layer in bark.

mmm sand...

One of my friends who works at Lowe's (yeah that's right I have connections on the inside) is getting me some soil/dirt to fill in the sandbox, then it's planting time.

Here's what I have so far

And also some potatoes

And along with that every year I have either mystery seeds or plants that come up. Mystery plants tend to be my favorite for the very reason that they are a mystery. One year it was a squash.

These are this year's mystery plants. One is a pepper for sure.

I also have some seedlings started in an egg carton, and about 6 of them are sprouted. We'll see where this goes. I can't wait to make some awesome salads and salsa.

More bike-related entries coming soon =) I'm going to go eat another chocolate croissant.

An Ode to Threadless and Bicycles

I'm in the worst mood lately, so consider this entry for good measure. I have been making progress with biking and exploring new things, however I've been going through some personal issues lately and am having a hard time gathering my thoughts. 

The first 6 shirts can be found at Threadless. IF you've been living under a rock, or just aren't into t-shirts, Threadless is a lovely clothing company that let's artists contribute original designs, and let their customers vote on ones they want to be made into shirts.

 Liberty by

Kneil Melicano at Threadless

I'm not all about wearing bike shirts, just to say "HEY EVERYONE! Yeah I ride a BIKE!" But most of the ones I own are ones that I really like the art concept. I bought this one because I really like the symbolism of the phoenix.

Missing by Julian Glander at Threadless

This one I bought after Tom had his Bontrager stolen out of the back of his car. It's a sad sad thing when a bike gets stolen. I feel like this is the general thought that anyone would have towards a bike thief. Tom's a good guy though, and thought, that if some jerks stole it and tried to sell it, then maybe someone somewhere bought it and enjoys riding it. If YOU have ever had a bike stolen from you, check out the I Hate You Bike Thief blog/website. There are posters you can print to tell your local bike thief that he/she's a jerk face and reader stories that are HILARIOUS.

Have A Nice Day by Chalermphol Harnchakkham at threadless

I never bought this one, but think that it's really beautiful. I love nature, and I love bikes - the bird on the handlebars is a nice touch.

Bike Chaos by Fabio Franca at Threadless

I love this one. I wanted to buy it for Tom but he tends to like smaller simpler designs. I like it though =)

Color Wheel by Ross Zietz at Threadless

This one they just recently put up, I think it's pretty cool, maybe for some of you art majors out there.

Infinity MPG by Ross Zietz Threadless

This is Threadless' most popular bike design. I decided to show the tote bag, because if I ever do end up getting it, I'd get it on a bag or a water bottle, rather than the shirt.


Another one of my favorite shirts that I'll probably be wearing a lot this summer is this one

It's JANE! from See Jane Ride! (no, not the model, on the shirt!)

They also have a slamming shirt-dress that I want to get. Look look look at it!

These and other merch can be found HERE. I'd recommend it especially if you're an active sassy lady and of course if you love See Jane Ride.

Well hopefully blog, this will hold you over for now. Coming up soon -

-My personal beliefs regarding motion and why everything in my life needs to constantly be moving, and how biking fits into that.
- My progress so far, and things I feel better about, like evil hills.
-Ride soundtracks. I don't know if there's some rule that it's unsafe to listen to music while on a bike, (not being able to hear things around you) but I always have my ipod with me, and I'd like to share the tunes.
-Updates on some more adventures, Trips back to Allentown, and Vali's biking progress as well.

The Things That Hold Us Back

It's amazing what we, as people, will come up with as an excuse. I'm not even talking about the excuses we tell our peers, colleagues or employers, but the ones that we tell ourselves. When taking on new things in life we will of course face many obstacles, some mental and some physical. I would easily define myself as a "do-er." So when I find myself coming up with excuses, I try to find out why I am doing it, and how I can attain the goal at hand.

I've gone out biking a couple times recently, now that the weather in State College is starting to feel like Spring. Or it just skipped Spring altogether and suddenly it's late-July humid out with 80 degree temperatures and thunderstorms, but I'll take whatever comes my way.  Both trials were about an hour in time to Circleville Park nearby my house. Circleville Park provides a nice long macadam path to ride on, or paths that go into Patton Forest that are really easy starter paths; no rocks, no switchbacks and only 1 or 2 fallen trees. Although I'd consider my trips short, I have learned a couple things, that I must overcome.

Clearance and Proximity
I'm that person on the roller coaster that keeps my hands up until the car goes under a tunnel or overhead beam. I know, in my head, that engineers spent a lot of time making sure that there is plenty of clearance for people to raise their arms while coaster cars whiz into tunnels at 65 miles an hour. But there's something in me that just can't keep those arms up. Applying that to mountain biking, I'm deathly afraid that I will just ride right into a tree, ala george of the jungle, because of misjudging how much space I have on a particular path. I enjoy Circleville because of this. I'm not really trying to tackle any crazy obstacles yet, but learn paths, and space, and passing courtesy because I know I will get passed.

 Those are trees. They might want to hurt me?

The Opinions of Others
My first trip out to the woods was very very exciting for me. I was on my own, and I enjoy being by myself because ever since I was a toddler, my mother can attest, that I would never want help. EVER. "I can do it myself" I would exclaim and feel that the reward was even greater because I figured things out on my own. Granted as a twentysomething now I know when to ask for help, but the idea of reward still stands true and feels really good when you do something on your own. On my second trip Tom went with me. I felt miserable. Maybe it was the mood I was in that day, but I felt the pressure. I felt like he would judge me, and that I was probably doing everything wrong. Funny thing is - he's not a judgmental person. If anything he wants to help me and encourages my little biking endeavor. Sometimes I think that it's not biking I'm afraid of, but my boyfriend. I'm fine when I bike with Rachael, or with my friend Erik back in Allentown. Put me with Tom though and I feel like a dork. This may be because I tend to put him up on a pedestal. Oddly enough I don't have a solution yet for this one. I'm kind of stumped. at least I know that it is something I need to work on. I need to focus on enjoying myself and not worrying about others opinions. I also think that biking with people of my skill level will help with this.

At least I'm wearing my helmet.

My Bike. Past and Present.
In an earlier entry I mentioned how my bike is too large for little old me. When I had turned the size of my bike into a big enough issue Tom resolved that we should get a new one for me. From there I wasn't sure what to do next. What size is right for me? Where should I get a bike from? Should I buy one that's put together already? Would he want to build me a custom one? What do I know about this stuff? All  know is that I want it to be comfortable and look pretty. I looked for a little last Autumn, but felt like I shouldn't be unhappy with a gift, and that I could make my bike work. Shortly after starting this blog, Tom approached me with "If you're really serious about this biking thing we CAN get you a new bike." We've made the decision to sell the old one, and now I want this - which I won't get quite yet, but can't wait.

 That is a Women's Trek Skye S in LAVA BLACK. 

I'd put all my green accessories on it, of course.

Timing and Priorities
When I moved to State College I started the year off with 3 part-time jobs and the sad grim hours of winter. Now the days are longer, I only have 2 part-time jobs that I barely work at, and am searching for employment. If I had all the time in the day I would love to bike ride more. Unfortunately, the beginning of May is traditionally when I start gardening all my summer veggies, so I'm trying to prep the planters and garden now. I hate to feel like I'm racing the daylight, and my other daytime activities include; playing with the dog, taking him to the dog park or for walks, trying desperately to spend quality time with the boyfriend before he leaves for work,  grocery shopping, doing dishes, and wasting way too much time on the internet-although this can always wait til the sun goes down. Tom just recently got into a work out routine of strength training/weights alternating every day with bike rides. He always picks places that I want to go, but then tells me he doesn't think I'm "ready" for them. Well, I'll show you! Sometimes I get too discouraged to go bike riding. Where's my motivation? Besides, I like riding by myself anyway. Again, I need to just get out and have some fun. I might end up getting a full-time job soon and then who knows how much free time I'll have. What if this happened?

RIDE BIKES EVERY DAY!!!

The Support of Friends and Family
Now someone might be confused and wonder why I consider this an obstacle, or "opportunity for growth." My friends and family tend to not understand why I'm suddenly doing this. Ever get really excited about something and then go try to explain it to someone who has never heard of what you're talking about? They usually don't get equally excited, and that is the situation I'm facing at the moment. Friends have been supportive for the most part, but like to crack hipster jokes at me and other "supportive" things. My mother asked me "Do I wear a helmet?" which I thought, "Is she really asking me this?" and then said "well at least you're not one of those CRAZY bikers." To which I asked her to explain but she changed the subject. I want to say she was referring to bmx.

My mom thinks I do this. HAHA I would do that. 

Just to get a reaction from my MOM.

What frustrates me most is that I have all these hang-ups. Why can't I just get out there and ride? I can't wait til the See Jane Ride rides start. Looking forward to being around a lighthearted group. I think in time, with more and more rides, I will be able to let go and have more fun. Because if I wasn't having fun, I'm not sure why I'd be doing this.

Dogs and Bicycles

Consider this a lighthearted post, as I haven't made great strides in riding lately. I've had some progress but thought I'd spend the time to fill you in on some more fun biking-related stuff.

I think bicycles and dogs go together like french fries and ketchup. Sure you don't need ketchup to enjoy your french fries, but it can make them so much more fun. If you're ever down at Freeze Thaw Cycles you might run into their customer service representatives, Salsa and Bosco.

Salsa getting some water, by A. E. Landes Photography

Bosco - sportin the HAWK

What I love about these dogs, is that they're not just shop dogs that sit around. These are also dogs that you'll run into if you're out on the trail. They love biking just as much as people do.

Bosco out with Harry and Chris

When we moved to State College, Tom and I decided that we were ready to get a puppy. When we were thinking of breeds and qualities we were looking for we definitely wanted a dog that we could train to be a bike dog. We would need a pup that liked to be around people, perhaps a herding dog that could handle a bunch of bicycles, and a dog that would have plenty of energy and endurance.

brace yourselves... for cuteness

ready?

ready??

ready???

I don't think you've prepared yourself yet, for how cute this is.

I warned you.

This is our Australian Shepherd, Vali. He is now 4 months old and when we first brought him into the house, one of his favorite things to do was go over to the bikes and chew on them. We took this as a sign that he happily accepted his future role as bike dog and would love it(or that he was teething). We've read that it is best to not over-exercise a dog or do any strenuous activity until they are at least a year old. We probably won't take him on a ride until then. There's always time now, however, to get him socialized, and used to bikes as well as other dogs. He is pretty smart and learns things really quickly. As a shepherd, he already loves herding and today we took him out with the bike for the first time to see how he would react.

Chasing Tom around. Bite his tires!

It was very successful. Once he wakes up from his nap, I'll try to ride around this time. He really is an amazing dog, and I'll be sure to update here and there about his progress. He still has yet to meet Salsa, Bosco, and also Sebastian, another shepherd that rides with us.

Sitting pretty.

Do you know any awesome bike dogs? Some breeds aren't cut out for it, but I've read that it's never one particular breed that's great at it. It's all about how you train them. Let me know if you see any bike dogs out there!

(not mine). from flickr