Tour of Paris

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The Chef and I rode the Tour of Paris, TX yesterday and it was so stinking stupid hot. I rode the 37 miles and Chef rode the longer route, 60 something miles. It was really fun to get away for a day together – although the last ten miles I seriously thought the skin was melting off my bones. Someone there said the heat index was around 117 degrees – that is just ridiculous – and even more ridiculous that we voluntarily rode our bikes for 2.5 hours in the stupid hot. Like I need more reasons to move to Napa. Anyone want to buy some radioactive property in the middle of nowhere Texas?

It’s also ridiculous that gas drilling has permeated my mind so deeply that whenever I see smoke, or pollution or anything – the first thing I do is reach for my trusty iPhone and make a video.  I’m not sure what this place is or what it does, but it was along the tour route and it was smoking so I instinctively did what I do best – fight crime while riding a bike – the multi-tasking talent just never ends.

Paris Texas from Runner Susan on Vimeo.

This is my favorite picture – Watch for “fog” on road:

No excuses

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There are some weeks when I post everyday, and then there are weeks when I don’t post at all. I reckon this is one of those weeks. I just haven’t had anything exciting to blog about and quite honestly (and shamefully) I didn’t do any running.  I sat on my butt all week long with intentions everyday to run or do something at least, but those intentions never made it any further than staying mere intentions. I’m thinking next week I need to do some more vlogging, I miss vlogging and I know you all miss my torturous screaming. Who wouldn’t?

I thought in spirit of those abandoned intentions I’d post some races I’m contemplating – only a few of which are committed. And by committed I mean somewhat probably and mostly almost committed.

  • May 30 – Tulsa Tough 30 mile bike rally*
  • June  – Red White & Blue 5k
  • July 18th  – Too Hot Too Handle 15k
  • August 23rd – Hotter N Hell 100  bike rally*
  • September 19th –  Tour De Fleurs 20k*
  • September 27th – Heels & Hills Half Marathon
  • October 18 – Columbus Half Marathon*
  • October 10th – Hartford Full Marathon (only because I know David misses me so much he can hardly stand it)

Now I gotta run because the Martini Twins have some wine to drink and some bitches to pass.

Runners, do not freak out!

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WARNING: This post does not make much sense because I spend a lot of time talking to myself.

I had so much fun last weekend running the half marathon, I’m itching to do another. Of course, I don’t think I could run too many during Girls Weekend; I’d break down sooner or later. Hopefully later. Anyhow, there is a local half this weekend and I’m trying to decide if I should run it or not. It’s a smaller race but VERY hilly, which would be good training, but the hills would be tough. I’m not a good hill climber on my feet or with my bike, so maybe it would be good for me. But then again, I’m not about hills. You see my dilemma.

Half marathons are probably my favorite race distance (at the moment) – and if I ever took it somewhat seriously, I might even get faster. But what is our lesson here? Faster does not mean Funner.* Okay, back to the point, why am I even bringing this up? Because, (and this is where the runners need not freak out – I’ll explain why in a minute) I promised the Chef I would ride the Hotter N Hell Hundred in August. And in order to finish this race I’m going to have to start the training plan he’s put together for me soon – and he has a long ride on the schedule for Sunday – half marathon day. I’m not one with the bike yet, but I REALLY need to start thinking about getting one with the bike – or I might just be dead on the bike. I haven’t made a decision yet, but I think I might run this half marathon and then start the HHH training on Monday. Sound fair?  I think so.

Okay, so let explain why Runner Susan is still Runner Susan and not Rider Susan. Because as soon as HHH is over, my plan is to start training for another race – maybe even a marathon. I’m thinking Houston in January of 2010. Nothing is set in stone, because I need to do some shorter races too, because I have yet to prove to myself that I actually have fast twitch muscle fibers that can do some damage in a shorter race. Now, I just need to figure out if I’m Type IIa or Type IIb. This is where you can tell I’m rambling because I’ve had 3 cups of espresso. And yeah, I know I should spell check, but I’m too wound up to take the time to do anything productive.

Right here is where I was going to talk about how we helped the local vet save the neighbors goat, Vinny. Seriously – it was dark, the owners were out of town, and the goat was on the ground with its eyes rolled back and barely moaning – near death I tell ya. I held the mouth bit while the Chef held the horns so the vet could shove a tube down his throat and relieve him. But then I decided it really didn’t really make sense in the context of all this running and riding stuff so I left it out. But in case you are wondering, Vinny is alive and well because of our goat-saving kindness.

So, Internet People, what do you think? Am I crazy? Delusional beyond caffeine? Does this post make any sense at all?

*Yes, I know funner is only a word in Australia, but I think it’s kind of fun to throw in foreign words every now and then – makes me smarter than I look . . . and goes along with all the run-on sentences, superfluous commas and unnecessary explanation points!

vin

Sending it back

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After my shower I was putting on my jeans and I felt something weird – I look down and my toenail was gone. I can only image it happened on my freezing cold bike ride on Saturday. My feet were so frozen I thought my toes would break off. I can’t have this no toenail thing and I’m seriously considering sending the bike back.