Yup, I'm Back On The Bike

After Bike to the Bay, I got it into my head that I wanted to do another event. In spite of being a bit wrecked afterwards, I had a lot of fun, and I really need the exercise anyway! Fortunately, an opportunity presented itself right away - all the cars at the Rec Center had been spammed by the Toledo Area Bicyclists club with a flyer for the Mad Anthony River Rally.

We've chosen the 62 mile route from Perrysburg to Grand Rapids, which will feature a Flying Pancake breakfast at 18 miles, and lunch in historic Grand Rapids! It sounds like a great time to me!

And! VG and I have new "uniforms":

Aren't they great? Super comfy, too! We got a few grins when we wore them out on the Wabash Cannonball Trail on Thursday!

It's been super hot here in Toledo of late, so we didn't get to see much in the way of wildlife, except for the HERD of chickens that we always pass. Yes, a herd. There are just too many of them to call a flock. I really want backyard chicken, but VG tells me they won't fit in my backpack. Har, har. Seriously, though, I want chickens. Fresh eggs for breakfast is my idea of pure heaven, and when the old broads retire, I can turn them into Coq au Vin! Doesn't that sound so good?

No riding today. Instead, I'm off to Toledo's Polish Festival with Younger Monster and Sam, my adorable French exchange student. We're going to stuff Sam full of pierogies and I'm going to drink beer until I bust. We have glorious weather today, and I'm very excited to show our Extra Kid one of the best things about Summer in Toledo - Street Festivals!

-- Missy, the Fat Bottomed Girl

In Which Our Heroine Learns About Wind

It was a GORGEOUS day in Toledo today, my darlings!  Beautiful, sunny, warm, breezy.

OK, not so much with the breezy.  IT WAS WINDY AS HELL!

The Vita Guru took off for work this morning, I grew weary of swearing at my own pile of work, so I hopped into the saddle and went twice around the neighborhood.  And it took For. Ever.  I am not even kidding.  It was really difficult to stay upright, I felt like I was going to be flung halfway across the state - if not to Oz itself! - at any moment!  But it was a great ride, even if it was really difficult and my legs burn and MY BUTT HURTS!

(I did a bunch of hip lifts after the ride to soothe the aching tuckus, and it seems to have helped quite a bit, but the "sit bones" are still burning and complaining at me.  It's hard to convince the junk in your trunk to stay situated such that it doesn't hurt so much!)

My playlist is steadily coming along, as I add songs, remove songs, and rutsch the whole thing around.  A couple weeks ago, my bestie introduced me to this song:

Isn't Florence just amazing?  Not only is she beautiful and supernaturally graceful, she's got her some PIPES!  There's something about this song that gets my heart beating and my legs pumping, and though it's probably going to catch some bugs, I can't help but sing along as I pedal down the road.  I've seen Florence live, and have a bunch of her stuff in the Ride playlist, but this one in particular has really been speaking to me lately.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, The Beastie Boys have also been in heavy rotation.  What?  I'm a child of the 80s, and I reserve the right to rock out to the soundtrack of my mis-spent youth as it pleases me!  (Also, MCA is looking mighty fine these days.  Not as fine as Lenny Kravitz, mind, but does ANYONE look as fine as Lenny Kravitz, I ask you?)

In spite of the pain of getting this bounteous booty into shape, I find that the music helps me power through it.  It helps me focus, helps my pedaling switch to auto-pilot so I can concentrate on important things, like not getting blown out of the saddle!

Even better, when I got home, I found my order from Foam On The Range waiting for me, so I had my pick of lovely things for my post ride shower.  Mmmm, Juniper and Sage SunSoap!

We had a very healthy supper tonight - chicken stir fry with broccoli, carrots, peppers, a slivered up Meyer lemon, and black rice.  I felt positively ravenous, but I was very modest in my portion, as the Vita Guru and I need to go for a blood draw tomorrow, and need to fast for 12 hours.  I don't want anything messing with my results, because I hate having follow-up visits with the vampires.

So, I'm well exercised, well-washed, and well fed, and I'm so very tired.  Tomorrow, a longer ride, and hopefully my butt will stop complaining so much.  And with luck, I'll get better about writing about my adventures!

Tomorrow, I'm going to be bad.  The Vita Guru and I are heading up to Evans Street Station to meet up with friends for the Oberon release party.  I promise I'll ride first!!  Oberon is what tells me that Spring is really here.

What's your favorite Springtime vice?


--Missy, the Fat Bottomed Girl