DEADLINE! DEADLINE!

The deadline to register for a full week of RAGBRAI is tomorrow (Friday). If you’re just riding part of the week, you have till June, but if you’re going to spend the time training, you might as well do the whole deed.

It’s not a bad price for a week’s vacation… but you might need another week to rest and get back into your skinny jeans (spandex only on the ride).

• Week-long Rider ~ $150
• Week-long Non-Rider ~ $35
• Daily Wristbands ~ $25 a day

Only 8,500 week-long riders and 1,500 daily riders are technically allowed to ride. If the entries exceed the number of riders allowed, a lottery will take place. That’s when it’s good to be part of a team, because if one person in the team gets chosen in the lottery, the whole team goes.

Getting ready for #30daysofbiking. I think I’ve persuaded at least one co-worker to take the challenge. We’re eyeing Wednesday as a good warm-weather ride for the week.

Get out there and bike!

Tweets, Twitter, Tweetchat and Hashtags.

Tweeting and writing this blog during my road to RAGBRAI has opened me up to all kinds of great social groups. The Mullet’s to Mars ride resulted in a handful of really entertaining twitterers and a few fun Facebook friends and through my followers on Twitter I’ve discovered some really great activities to take part in.

So, I was sitting at my desk, tweeting about biking, minding my own business, and I fall into this Tweetchat. Follow a few links and I find myself signing up to bike every day in April… Sometimes I sign up for things like 30 Days of Biking and RAGBRAI and later think to myself, who do I think I am?

Well, here’s the deal. According to their website: http://30daysofbiking.com The only rule for 30 Days of Biking is that you bike every day for all 30 days in April—around the block, to work, 20 mile workout, whatever suits you—then you share your adventures online. Tweet it, tell your Facebook friends, write a blog, call your mom… Whatever suits your fancy, tell the world about your adventure during 30 Days of Biking.

It’s the second year of the adventure and people seem to already be excited about it. I heard about it on #bikeschool. If you don’t know what’s up with the #, let me give you a tutorial on #hashtags.

Hashtag is a social media term that Twitter followers uses to categorize tweets and make them easier to search. #Bikeschool uses a hashtag to create a chatroom-type atmosphere in TweetChat with a few chosen people asking the questions, and everyone else answering using the hashtag: #bikeschool.

The chatroom updates at http://tweetchat.com/room/bikeschool and automatically refreshes the page with tweets that you and others have hashtagged.

Like #bikeschool, 30 Days of Biking will use a tweetchat to organize the tweets of participants using the hashtag #30daysofbiking.

If none of that makes sense to you, don’t fret. 30 Days of Biking can be done by anyone anywhere with or without complex twitter understanding, a twitter account, or even a computer! If you do, in fact, have a computer, go to http://30daysofbiking.com/bike/register and register with me, under the team name WHO Riders (there’s a space to enter it at the bottom). It’s just a little physical activity and some camaraderie. Now where’s Jeriann, I want to make sure it’s gonna be warm in April.

Commencing Commuting

I like to commute for a few reasons: first of all, it takes just as much time to ride down the block as it does to walk to my jeep, drive to work, park in the back of the lot and walk in. Second, I fill up my tank less. Sometimes my Jeep sits in the same spot for a few days. I know it’ll be that many more days I can drive without filling up the tank. Lastly, and regrettably the least of my worries, my carbon footprint.

I realize I should be more concerned about the earth than I am. I bring my own bags to the store, I drink my h2o out of a Camelbak water bottle… But I don’t think about recycling as much as I should, I don’t have a separate bin for my cans and bottles and I toss the plastic cups after I’m done with my chai.

So when I read this little stat in my Women’s Health mag, I was most excited about a little cash-ola in my pocket…

“Biking Benefits: Swapping four wheels for two can shrink your waistline and your carbon footprint. To see how much, go to youcanbikethere.com and plug in your numbers and the site will crunch them. A 144-Pound woman who bikes seven miles at 10 to 12 miles per hour burns 224 calories, saves around $3 in fuel, and spares the earth 6.8 pounds of toxic emissions.”

Now, I plugged in my stats on youcanbikethere.com, knowing full well I lived about .06 miles from work… Actually, .32 to be exact. But I was pleasantly surprised with the results of my round-trip commute.

“You have burned 33.92 calories. You have saved $0.43 by not driving. You have saved the earth 0.8 lbs of toxic emissions.”

My 5k 2-way commute to the Y was downright astounding!

“You have burned 166.95 calories (not to mention the cals blasted AT the gym). You have saved $2.10 by not driving (and $0.50 by not parking in the lot). You have saved the earth 3.8 lbs of toxic emissions."

Now, I hate it when people do the whole- you can save $1.2 billion over the course of 360 years! But, (stay with me here) if I biked to the gym 3 days a week for the fairly reliable warm Iowa months of June, July and August, AND biked to work on those same three days, I’d save $100 this summer! And save the earth 180 lbs of toxic emissions. Now I don’t know how they weigh emissions… but that sounds like quite a bit of emissions!

All that said, the number one reason I like to hop on the bike and ride wherever I can manage, is that my rear end needs to get used to this saddle if I’m going to have any hope of finishing RAGBRAI with a smile. The more time you can sit on your bike, the better you are. Padded bike shorts work wonders, but after a full day on a bike, those who have put in the time are hitting the beer tents, not searching for a bag of peas in the frozen section at Hy-Vee.

Speed Bump

It’s the first warm days of spring and I’ve hit riders block… I have no desire to swim or run for my tri training, and I have little desire to jump in the saddle.

I spent the last 3 months dreaming of these 60 degree days, plotting my paths, building my, now massive, quads in preparation for 20 mile rides, and I’m just not interested.

I’ll tell you why I think this is. I have a few ideas;

1. I live on the 4^th floor of a walk-up on the top of a hill. If I want to ride, I throw my bike on my shoulder and walk it down 4 flights of steps. Not so bad, but when I get back, I first have to climb a half mile hill on the girl, and then throw her over my shoulder, fight the heavy front doors to my apartment, and haul her back up 4 flights. Just the idea of it makes me grumpy.

2. I just don’t like being a nuisance. I’m not that biker that flies through intersections on a red without looking, I check my shoulder to see if anyone’s behind me before making any lane changes… I’m a considerate traffic participant.

That being said, I get a little anxious riding on open roads. I love riding trails where everyone is high-fiving and enjoying the outdoors… but I almost ran into a car today who didn’t use a turning signal, I ride so close to the parked cars because I’m trying to give the drivers a full lane that I’m afraid I’m going to clip a mirror. When I do make it out to the open road, I have anxieties about what the drivers are thinking of me, if they will give me a full lane when they pass and if they’ll give themselves enough time to get back over before the oncoming traffic comes.

3. I love riding with friends. I like having some company and a little encouragement on the high hills and head winds. However, my last 3 friendly rides have gone like this; Mullet’s to Mars- My friend Krista likes to bike, but she hasn’t been hitting the gym like I have preparing. She likes to leisurely stroll on her big bulky cruiser, I wanted to be the first one at every stop, leading the pack. I heard one guy say to another, “you don’t get to be the fast one” as they sped past us. I want to be the fast one! I should note though, I had a BLAST, and I love my dear friend Krista. We actually went on a walk the next day and pushed each other up a big hill west on Grand. We just aren’t in the same cycling mindset. The second ride began with my friend Kevin coming to borrow one of my bikes. We carried them both down the 4 flights and jumped on… And then my back tire locked up! The alloy quick releases just aren’t doing their job. I since got it fixed, but I’m not convinced I won’t switch to steel before RAGBRAI. Finally the latest buddy ride I went on was with my friend Rebekah. I went on a ride with her last year and she kicked by butt. I hadn’t been riding at all, and she was on her sporty road bike, and I was on my then 100% mountain bike. That said, I was sucking air on our totally flat trip past Napier over by Ames. It wasn’t a good ride, and I felt like the fat kid who can’t walk up a full flight of steps. This time I was confident. She’s been running and I’ve been biking, I thought at least I could keep up… and I did for the first leg. Downhill and with the wind. Then we stopped to check the time and it was clear she was down for more and I was ready to turn around. We turned around, because I get what I want, and with the wind in my face and the seemingly hillier terrain, she kicked my rear all the way back to Ames. We got done and I was sure we had gone 20 miles… nope. 10. Good 10 mile ride Alisa… Get ready for 6 more of those EVERY DAY for a week.

The idea of training for RAGBRAI and a triathlon has gotten daunting. I’m scared to run, I don’t enjoy swimming anymore. I don’t want to stop loving my bike.

I hate to say it, but I’m considering dropping the triathlon to focus on RAGBRAI. If you have time, leave me an encouraging note or send me some advice. Leave it here or, as always, I’m tweeting my progress on @alisa_who.

Mullet's to Mars

If you follow me on twitter at @alisa_who then you know that I finished the Mullet’s to Mars ride with style and made it to work in time! The ride raised money for the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence and we got drink tickets for both Mullet’s and Mars Café and a sweet shirt!

The day started a little rocky… my friend Krista had flat tires and couldn’t get to my house to fill them up. I stopped at a gas station to fill up and went over to Krista’s.

We loaded her bike, stopped back at my place because I forgot a lock and a helmet, and headed over to Mullet’s.

Half way there I realized I didn’t have my debit card anymore, so we retraced our steps and found it at the gas station…

Got to Mullet’s a half hour late, but it was all good. Most of the riders were grabbing a bite to eat (HELLO! The food looked amazing) and I got myself a bloody mary. Mmmm.

We headed out around 11 from Mullet’s, rode through downtown to the Royal Mile, stopped again for an hour. Next was Gusto Pizza… I LOVE Gusto. We had their Charlie Sheen pizza last week and I was hooked. I wanted to try the Thai Kwon Dough pizza this time, it has bean sprouts and cilantro and peanuts and a thai peanut sauce. Like I assumed… it was awesome.

I talked to a few folks who questioned my RAGBRAI training when I didn’t mention anything about eating or drinking beer… But I slowly won them over with tales of Chris’s Cakes and Tenderloins.

Our next venture was past the hill on MLK… I knew it would be a challenge, but I’ve said it once, and I’m sticking to it; I love me some hills! I made it to the top and waited for the sag wagon to pick up the stragglers… No sag wagon, but a few walkers.

Mars Cafe had a delicious iced chai waiting for me and some raffle prizes. I didn’t win anything… neither did Krista. I think it was a conspiracy. Krista was a little mad that they let people buy extra raffle tickets, minimizing her chance of winning something… but it was all for a good cause.

I ran into a guy I knew from Carl’s Place who was taking pictures during the ride, and I’m hoping to get some more pictures from him!

Side note- Click Here for the official RAGBRAI route.

Spring Training

I’m sitting in the newsroom looking at the sun shining in the windows. I actually went over and stood in the warmth for a while when I first got it. It’s a bit of a mirage though, it’s not really all that warm outside… But the sun, the vitamin D… It’s all encouraging to me.

I’m riding with some folks in the Mullet’s to Mars ride tomorrow (Sunday) morning. It starts at 10:30 at Mullet’s Restaurant and we will ride to Mars Café. Only 4 miles, $25 and it benefits the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Drink specials at the stops and Gusto will open early with pizza specials. Live music at Mars and raffle prizes.

I’m looking forward to a week of 50’s and some much needed fresh-air saddle time.

Here’s a good article on RAGBRAI spring training: http://ragbrai.com/2011/03/11/ragbrai-training-time-for-base-training/

Starting to log hours tomorrow! Can’t wait.

Build The Trails

The Board of Supervisors in Guthrie County voted 3-2 to turn down an already-approved development grant of $365,000 for a 17-mile trail across the county. They also refuse to take ownership or take responsibility for maintenance if it does get built.

The trail is also part of the proposed American Discovery Trail which is a network of trails stretching across the US.

A crowd of 60 people showed up to attend the hour-long public hearing on Thursday morning before the supervisors took their vote. 60 people! And on a Thursday morning. Most of these people probably took the morning off from work to voice their opinions. Almost all of the people who attended were in favor of the trail. They’re in favor of the economic boost it could give to struggling, small town Iowa.

Just a handful of people voiced their opposition to the trail project saying the maintenance costs and legal liability that would come with ownership would be a drain on Guthrie County taxpayers. (This was after a guy from the St. Gregory Retreat Center volunteered the center to do trail inspections, pick-up trash and do light maintenance.)

When I read this I immediately thought about my own pocketbook. I thought about how I’m trying to pinch pennies. I haven’t been to Smokey Row in a month, I’m trying to decide if I should spend $5 to get into an office March Madness pool… I have my money packed into envelopes labeled, “groceries”, “gas”, “savings”, “debt”. I’m on a major money diet.

I know where all my money is going, but there are a few things I don’t regret spending my money on; Y membership, my new bike, and fresh fruits and vegetables. I don’t regret spending money on these things because my health is important to me and I know I’ll see the return in my investment in the lack of hospital bills and prescriptions.

My message to Guthrie County is this; those trails will be used. They will be used by kids learning to ride their bikes, by senior citizens getting out of the house to get some fresh air, by moms and dads needing a moment away from the kids. Those trails will be used by your family and my family, and for the sake of our health, BUILD THE TRAILS.

What's your favorite RAGBRAI food?

On Sunday, RAGBRAI posed a question on their Facebook page that got me reminiscing. “Name your favorite food during RAGBRAI”. I opened the feed to see if some of my favorites were listed. Here’s what I found:

At least half of the 230 some odd answers were “Beer”… or “Liquid Bread” as one fan put it. That counts as carb-loading right?

Beer is an obvious choice. But I was looking for content. Pure, unadulterated gluttony. I was thinking about the best breakfast and must-stop lunch spots from my childhood, and wondering if anyone remembered a long-lost favorite.

So without further adieu, here are my top 5 RAGBRAI foods:

5. Blue Bunny ice cream bars: I remember stopping in the middle of a scorching July day to hug some poor intern who was dressed as the Blue Bunny and get a chocolate dipped ice cream bar. It was the highlight of my summer. Forget Cinderella and Disney World, this rabbit was a celebrity in my book. Plus he gave me ice cream…

4. Corn on the cob: This one’s obvious. We all do our part to fertilize the fields (hey, there aren’t always Kybos). So we deserve to indulge in some butter-drenched cobs of corn.

3. Turkey Tom’s Tenderloins: This was my lunch, every day. No need to even ask what I wanted. I would be content with this oversized patty of breaded meat on a tiny bun. (anyone ever notice that a kid’s tenderloin is the same size patty with a smaller bun?) This was a popular Facebook favorite too. I’m in good company.

2. Chris Cakes Pancakes: Another fan fav. Chris (that’s what I call everyone who work’s at Chris’s Cakes) is making cakes in a frenzy and tossing them to whoever can catch-um. You don’t have to stand in line for long if you’ve got good hands. They literally THROW the pancakes at you. If, however, you can’t catch… You not only let down your father, you have to stand in line till the front.

1. Orange sherbet served in the orange peel: This is my Holy Grail. I remember eating it on hot days during RAGBRAI, but no one else remembers them. It’s like that doll I had as a kid that I SWEAR had a yellow striped jumpsuit, but we found it a few years ago and it had a blue jumpsuit… My mom say’s I’m crazy and that it’s always been blue. But I know, in my tiny child eyes, that dress was YELLOW. Anyway, the sherbet… It’s just a scoop of orange sherbet in one half of an orange peel. Spoon-less deliciousness. I’m going to be on the hunt this year for this little gem.

Those are my favorites. And while searching my mind-archives for my favorites, I stumbled across my least favorite palate memory of early RAGBRAI days: Powerbars. Blech.

Follow RAGBRAI on Facebook at facebook.com/RAGBRAI

I had to laugh at this page when I stumbled upon it:

A little RAGBRAI humor: http://www.wadenelson.com/kybo.html

Types you’ll find in spinning class:

Types you’ll find in spinning class:

Spinning All Star: The best in the class… he was there an hour early to get warmed up. He’s got a RAGBRAI II Jersey on and attacks hills with the ferocity of this girl

Excited newbie: She’s fresh off a marathon and is ready for something new. In her eyes, there’s nothing like the sound of her hoofs hitting the pavement, but she’s excited to trade it in a few days a week for some strobe lights and 80’s pop. She’s got the pep of a cheerleader… in fact, are those pom poms you see in her gym bag?

Disgruntled Newbie: She is new but she’s not happy about it. The instructor says, “turn it up to 8…” and she looks at him like he has 3 heads. Sweat is flying all over and she might as well be talking to Charlie Sheen, because none of this makes sense to her. Somewhere between Tiger’s Blood and seated sprint she hits the door. Mumbling something about Pilates next time.

Oldie but a Goodie: He looks like he’s pushing 80, but he rocks your socks off on the bike. There’s not arthritis in those knees. They’re flying faster than the instructor’s!

Discontent Regular: She can’t pick a bike, she can’t get her seat high enough, her cleats won’t clip in. It’s just not her day… EVERY WEEK.

Sandy Beaches: This guy knows in his heart, it’s 5 o’clock somewhere. He just doesn’t put in the effort asked. You’re doing a standing sprint at level 9 and he’s somewhere around 2 winking at the girl across the room. He gives off the “it’s not as hard as it looks” vibe, and you just want to scream, that’s because you’re not working very hard!

Is That Spring I Hear Around the Corner?

I went on my second little adventure of the “spring” yesterday. The first was in February that day it was 65, when I went out to Waterworks Park and followed a trail till I came to a flooded area under Grand. Yesterday I headed in the opposite direction, looking for open road.

After Yoga at the Riverfront Y, I asked the front desk girl if she knew where the trail leading to Saylorville was. She said she rides it all the time in the summer, and she gave me perfect directions down Grand, left on Robert D. Ray Dr. and onto the path. I left home in a hurry before yoga, and left my Des Moines Regional Trails map at home… so I was on my own.

I rode for a few miles along the river in 50 degree weather, smiling at the walkers and dodging the spots in the shade where the snow hadn’t melted yet. Calling out “On your left!” and trying not to startle my fellow exercisers.

I got to about East Washington Ave. and came to a trail dead end. I could go right… seemingly curving back to where I started, or left… down a big hill. I chose the hill, knowing full well if that wasn’t the right way, I’d have to climb that sucker.

The sidewalk seemed to end at Union Park, and I wasn’t sure where I was, or if the trail picked up again, so I headed back… Up that hill. I knew the same trail led back south to Grey’s Lake at the very least.

I ran into a new friend named Jim on the path and we rode around a bit downtown and stopped for a coffee at Java Joes. He told me about the Des Moines Bicycle Collective on Grand and we headed in that direction to check it out.

The Des Moines Bicycle Collective is a volunteer run, non profit, community bike center committed to promoting healthy, sustainable transportation. They repair and recycle donated bikes for resale and reuse. The teach safety, commuting tips, and bicycle repair skills as well as housing a little bike store in the front full of affordable, rebuilt bikes. Their flyer says; donations, time, skill, parts and money are always appreciated.

Check them out at 617 Grand Ave. or at dsmbikecollective.org. They have limited hours, but they fit right into my schedule. I’m planning on going in sometime this week, or early next week to volunteer. I figure there’s nothing bad that can come out of learning bike maintenance and making some cool bike friends.