holy you know what--

Let`s just say that some of these Navigators guys are going pretty good right about now....
Did somebody say 85 miles in 4hrs? We rode with those guys, and they NEVER let up. Actually we got going faster as the ride went on. It was all about getting in a solid day on the bike before the snow comes around......

We have arrived--

We look a wee bit outnumbered by the Navigators guys hey. Just so happens that some of the girls (or "chicks" as Beamon would say) were not present for this "onofficial" shot.

32 Hours before now, I wrote this post-

sitting on the plane for the moment, with loads of zing in my blood. i`m not just talking about the amount of caffeine i have consumed since 4:30am, i`m talking about the zing of both adrenaline and excitement that is flowing in my blood as i get closer to meeting up with the team. it`s been a rather stress free trip so far (except that i forgot my flip flops...my favorite footwear ever). anyway, now that i have things at home all squared away so that i can be out of town, i`m enjoying the chance to catch-up on normal people stuff, like chilling out and reading magazines.
maybe i will sound silly, but this month's vanity fair has turned out to be a good pick for me, and where i`m at these days (side note: never bought this mag before). there are two great interviews inside with icon women, demi moore and tyra banks. loved 'em both. after reading these articles, i can honestly say these women are role models for me. i`m right in the middle of their ages and can --oddly enough-- totally relate to these women on one level or another.
sure i`m no runway model or superstar actress, but these two share a side of themselves in the interviews that brings them both right back down to earth in a way that i can get with. demi is a mom, no longer with her children`s father and she has all sorts of the same things going on that i do with regards to parenting the "teenager". as a women, she`s been through the ringer a bit, and she`s reinventing herself. i can get with that more than i will ever bother to share here on this blog. tyra, well.. she`s on a mssion to be more than a face. she works hard and she is making a difference for people, especially women. what can i say, except go-girl-go. i like what you got to say.
sure we can all have our opinions and such, tv tyra is a bit strange for me, and demi has had her share of movie flops, but they are both out to break the mold. i can definitely get with that. cheers.....

Did I mention..

we got two weeks at training camp people. saweet.
oh yeah, one more thing -- little man myles was wrongly accused of setting off a stink bomb at school. must be the black hooded sweatshirt and the long hair, hey. he worked it out though and we`re all good. just in time for me to go. hip hop.

And

bringing the running shoes too... yup.

Lauren -- had to post this :)

.......we`re off to training camp Saturday.
Albuquerque, here comes TEAm Lipton!
Ok, so the high temperature is gonna be like 44 degrees. Good thing the pool is indoors, because I`m bringing my suit (and I`d bet money that Lauren is too!)

That mess took awhile to clean up--

Lately, I`ve been on a major home fixer-upper trip. And actually, today I will have three different home helpers here working all at once --a painter, an electrician, and a yard cleaner guy (i`d say landscaper....but i`m not quite at that point with the yard!). So back to the painting part. Well... it has taken me about ten trips to the paint rental place for me to actually decide on the colors for the walls here. Ok...according to the law of averages, I guess it was meant to be with all of that back and forth, that some of (which was really a bit more than a little of!) the paint was probably going to eventually..... spill in my car! I won`t tell you how fast I hit the turn that probably caused it. I forgot about the paint being there and was putting the Jetta up for a little "speed test" into a corner. Next time ...no paint in the car. Btw--the Jetta handled very well....even for a wagon. And I thought I just bought that baby b/c she can run biodiesel and gets 45+ mpg....

lovin it

Myles is home

He brought me a little gift package from Hawaii, a necklace...and a Lipton Tea Bag.

its gonna get interesting.....

The Garden

Host Housing Chicago August 2006

In the family

So this guy happens to me my little brother, Todd. It`s a pic from the archives off his website, toddlyons.com. That one was taken at Venice Beach. Back in the day (early 90`s) he and Matt Hoffman were like the first run of BMXers to start launching the back flip. I can verify that Todd was a daredevil long before his bmx days though (which started at the ripe old age of nine).
Can you imagine what it was like sharing a bunk bed with the likes of that little scrapper....?

What a sweet line of optics....and even sweeter to be sponsored by them :)

A little low-brow entertainment

....i was told this was the biggest collection of those things on the west coast. took me like ten minutes to look up and see it all.....seriously. how did i miss all that when i walked in the door?

A little bit of anarchy wouldn`t be all that bad, would it?

So, I`m out on my bike today, minding my own business ...and sure enough, I get run off the road by some person who decided it was their job to teach me a lesson for rolling through a red light to make a right hand turn.
Let me just say that again -- I was making a right hand turn, without any cross traffic in sight. So this car, or shall I say minivan, decides to follow me, proceeds to honk at me, and then boldy swerves at me to push me off the road.
They accelerate after giving me my "lesson" and drive off, leaving me only to assume that they felt justified in some weird sort of way. I on the other hand found myself immediately thinking of the movie Road Warrior and the concept of Anarchy ...and how... if only it were like the movie, that freak would not have stood a chance with me. Now yes, yes, yes, I am a yoga teacher and I keep my peace and I like to think I keep a pretty level head most of the time --- but do not think for one second that I didn't fantasize about having some kind bazooka thing mounted to my top tube, ready to take that jerk out. Honestly, I was getting a little too much pleasure thinking about it. I think I`m gonna have to go rent that movie just so I can really get my fix. But really....just a little anarchy, once in awhile? What do you think? It might be a good thing you know....at the very least, it could help with population control. I can see it now, there could be designated "Anarchy Days" each year, like Valentines Day and such. This could get interesting.... and I bet a bunch of those mean motorists wouldn't stand a chance considering how crafty most cyclists are.......

More layers indoors...

PG&E bill came... OUCH that hurts more than the crash I just had. You can call me soft, but damn it`s cold! Have to use that heater, no matter what. It`s gonna be all about hats and hoodies and cozy socks and slippers for awhile.....and 55 degrees max when it comes to using the heater! Somehow I have to knock a hundred bucks off of next months bill. Gotta love these old homes.

When the tables turn

Myles just left for a ten day trip to Hawaii with his Dad, Step Mom and baby sister. Funny how I can travel a bazillion times a year and it`s all good, but when it`s his turn to go it`s a whole different ball game. We parents get butterflies when our young ones begin to spread their wings, but since we are well into the teenage thing, I guess there's no looking back.

Crisp and Cold--

Although I am not complaining (because at least the sun is shining..!) I do think it`s safe to say that we are having a cold snap here in NorCal. Current temperature 33 degrees and "feels like" 27. Forget the road today... i`m hitting the dirt.

Another first for the New Year...

When I showed up to meet my client this morning, there were two USADA agents awaiting my arrival for my first "out of competition" drug test. Let`s just say that I was not very well hydrated. It took almost two hours for me to give them what they came for. Lovely.

A shout out to my little big man --Myles

Ok....so not only did we just have the holidays and all, but around here we also celebrated birthday number fourteen for Myles. It`s crazy to think about how quickly the time has passed. Jeez...we got HIGH SCHOOL next year people. Oh man....... here we go......




still smiling after fourteen years!

A weekend of firsts --

First 100 miler for 07 on Saturday and first crash for 07 on Sunday.
Happy New Year.

Naps --

Naps are not usually part of my "training program". I`m not really sure if I don`t nap because I`m a mom or because it`s just part of my personality. Either way, people have been telling me for quite some time now that I better take the time to work these mysterious little gems into my life --especially when I`m training lots (which is certainly the case these days). So you folks who`ve been encouraging me to take more rest... well, you will be happy to know that I passed out quite hard for a good little snooze this afternoon. I think it was well deserved...and definitely well received.

More Good Times...

I always seem to forget how much I love mountain biking, and my little 13 inch hardtail Ibis Mojo. What an amazing day of riding. I think we did four peaks along the ridge between Sonoma and Napa counties. Something I`ve wanted to do for a long time...it`s absolutely beautiful up there.

Good Times...

If you haven`t seen Cracker play live (and you like that kind of music) -- I highly recommend that you catch them if they come your way. I`d say that was the best twenty bucks I have spent in long while....