One, Two, Three, Go!

I'm in Milwaukee.  Loving it!  Have held my baby niece for hours and hours... man, it's crazy how quickly you get very, very attached to those sweet little faces, warm little bodies, tiny little fingers and toes.  I think my sister, Rebecca, is very blessed with her baby Lilliana, and also very blessed that while Auntie Jenn has some quirks and neuroses here and there, she is thankfully NOT so crazy as to try to sneak this adorable little peanut home on the plane.  'Cause trust me -- it's tempting.

On the plane ride here, I was re-reading a favorite "brain candy" novel by Emily Griffin called Something Borrowed.  I know it was made into a (bad) film, but the book is a really well-written piece of chick lit.  There is a section in it where the heroine, Rachel, talks about her method for breaking any bad habit.  She counts to three in her head when she wants to give herself a fresh start.  So... a nail biter could, at any time during the day after accidentally chewing his or her cuticles, say "One, two, three, go!" and have a clean slate, no longer a nail biter.

Love that concept, in context with my earlier post about perfectionism and artificial deadlines.  I am trying to do the Paleo diet this month, and today turned out to be a bust because I ate carbs -- both complex AND refined.  But.... One, two, three, GO!!!  I am back on my Paleo diet, eating what cavemen ate long ago and keeping my blood sugar under control.  I can do this.

Had a nice, albeit FREEZING ride with my stepmom on Sunday.  My parents live just three blocks from Lake Drive in Cudahy, and there is a bike path that goes from College Ave and Lake Drive all the way down to Bay View, at which point a rider can take city streets through the viaduct to the Third Ward, and right to the lakefront downtown.  Sandy and I rode down through Sheridan Park and beyond, sitting on a bench in front of the Lake before heading back.  I think she will be pleased to find out it was a nice little 7 1/2-8 mile ride. 

Tonight, I followed the same bike path route (it was way warmer) but kept going through Bay View, down to the car ferry, turned around at Lincoln Avenue and came back via Lake Drive. Wow, much different kind of ride than in Wyoming.  First of all, the bike path made life SO much easier -- no traffic or turns to worry about... easy peasy.  Also, all the lush, green vegetation everywhere really soothed me.  Lots of parks, people out walking and riding, kids playing, the smell of summertime grilling..... felt like home.

Bay View has all these lovely older homes that look out over the Lake... I adore riding through the neighborhood looking at pastel color exterior paint and cool architecture.  Some day...

Tomorrow I hope to break the 20 mile ceiling for one of my rides.  That is my one and only riding goal, and if I make it, it will be my longest ride yet, so good thoughts and "rooting for me" are both much appreciated.

Two super kudos for me:  First, this is an old route that I used to do when I got here.  The route took so much out of me that I couldn't do ANYTHING else the rest of the day.  There were three or four climbs that I just dreaded during the whole rest of the ride.  Tonight.... no problem; the climbs felt easy and my burden was light.  I was ready for anything and felt somewhat disappointed that I had to end when I did... I could have gone further.  Second, I kept an average speed of 12.5 mph, which is especially good because the bike I am using has a broken shifter, so the pedals can't use the full range of speeds available on the gears.  It can downshift all the way, but it can't up shift that far, which means it has a maximum speed that is lower than normal.  Feeling good about my accomplishments.

Tomorrow I will push myself.  I will be a long distance rider who is organized and determined.  I will surpass a 20 mile ride.  I will love it.  And I will do it all while eating Paleo!

One, two, three, GO!