I bought a bike

About a year ago, I started thinking about triathlons. Alas, there were two problems that would prevent me from training for this triathlon.

#1 I have no bike. #2 I've never swum further than the length of a pool...

Hmmm, major problems, especially since the whole meaning of "tri" is three athletic events in one and I can only do 1/3 of the events.

"But, biking is so expensive," I complained. So, I decided to try and find some swim lessons, but unfortunately summer was over before I completed, actually even started, my underwater mission. Isn't that just the way it goes? Procrastination at it's finest.

While in Iowa, I visited my friend, Alison, who is quite the cyclist, and asked her opinion about what kind of bike I should buy. First of all, it would be a fantastic option to be able to bike to work. 10 miles to work and back would be stellar exercise for one day and I would be saving the environment and my pocketbook. It would also be fun to bike the Los Gatos Creek Trail since it's very close to my house. Ride to Los Gatos, have lunch or a snack, and ride home... that's rad! So, I was thinking road bike.

Then I thought it would be fun to take the bike to Santa Cruz and ride along the beach trails, or eventually be able to take a climb up a rocky hill. Well, one needs a different type of bike for that - DAMN.

So, I decided if my first and second priorities would be road bike appropriate, I should definitely go for the sleeker, lighter variety. On Saturday, after 3 HOURS in the bike store, I bought this beauty...

I took it out on Sunday for the first time and am still getting used to gears, etc. But, it should be a good alternative to running as long as my butt can handle it. When, I say "butt" I mean just that... those small road bike seats are not particularly booty friendly. Yes, I bought a pair of padded shorts.

Biking is a step in the right direction. Maybe I'll eventually learn how to swim...

Fabulous Friday: Funnies

Thanks to someecards.com

Marathon to Marathon

A few months ago, my friend, Alison, told me she was interested in running a marathon. She has made reference to a few things she wants to "check off the list" before 30. I told her I really wasn't interested in training for a full marathon, but I would do a half. So, we conjured up a plan for me to come out to Iowa for a race, and she to return the visit and run a half here in California. Any excuse for a visit will do! Alison's best friend from college also signed up for the Marathon to Marathon and we've been periodically checking each other's progress, etc.



The big day was great! The morning temperature was about 56 degrees in Storm Lake, IA. At 6:00 am, we watched the start of the full marathon race in Storm Lake, then loaded on the bus to be dropped off (literally) on a country road in front of a farm house between Storm Lake and Marathon. At 7:00 am we were off! I decided to take my time for the first 6 miles - no need to try and "race" since I've only run 12 miles one other time. I was feeling mighty good after mile 6, so I got into a faster groove. Only after being gone for 9 years, could I finally appreciate the beautiful Iowa scenery:

If you don't like, um, "country smells," one might have not enjoyed it. But, I'm hard core. No poo smells or roadkill (which I saw at mile 9) would deter me from getting to the finish line!


We all got to the finish line before the first marathoner, which means WE DIDN'T GET LAPPED! YAY! We all finished around the 2 hour mark and were proud of our accomplishment. I want Helga to know that I really was the "fastest girl in San Jose" for this race. ;)

24 226 Suziemusi 28 Campbell, CA 1:56:50.02 (Ok, Campbell...)

I would like to thank our photographers, Bart and Munter, (Hubbies of fellow racers) for getting up with us at 4 am. (That's 2 am California time...) Here's to the Silicon Valley half marathon in October!

The state of Iowa

My flight came over the western part of Iowa, the driest part of the state, into Des Moines. I could see displaced water from lakes and streams but, believe me, the whole state is not under water. Cedar Rapids and places along the Mississippi are total disaster areas. My grandmother lives in the old Burlington Hotel and she was evacuated on Sunday. Luckily they live on the 8th floor, so just as soon as they get the electricity and water running again, she'll be back home.

Initially they reported that the Mississippi River levels would not reach those of the flood of 1993, but they went even higher.

My friend Alison said she and her husband spent part of last Tuesday night in their basement the night that tornadoes came through western Iowa. I drove up Highway 71 from Carroll to Spencer, and shuttered when I passed the Little Sioux River, knowing that 4 Boy Scouts had died when a tornado ripped through their campsite. This happened about 30 miles down the Little Sioux River bed, closer to the border of Nebraska. But one could see the effects of a tornado just 2 miles south of Spencer, where another tornado plowed down a large structure (a shed, thank God, not a house) and once shady trees were reduced to stumps with a few jagged branches.

Have I ever been in a tornado? No. I've only seen them forming in the sky. If they were ever a threat, I was usually down in a basement. (I'm asked that all the time.)

Just wanted to give a report.