Taking a breather & looking ahead

So I've completed the 5 boro bike tour and met a personal goal. I should jump right back into training and Boot Camp but I've decided to take the week off.
My body needs a rest. I'm tired of being exhausted and exhausted of my muscles aching all the time.
I did take the bike out yesterday and did 10 miles which were insanely taxing and not too much fun.

I'll start back to class on Saturday morning. I just need to rest my joints and muscles and my soul too I guess. I worked really hard on Sunday.

Of course even though I'm resting, I'm never really still. I'm always looking for my next challenge, the next goal to work towards.

(And this is the point in the blog where my darling husband filed the divorce papers)

The Ride To Montauk - That is a link. Links on my blog come up gray for some reason

The Ride to Montauk 2011
Beautiful Flat Routes for Beginners & Experts
30 miles • 70 miles • 100 miles • 145 miles
SATURDAY JUNE 18, 2011

I'm considering either the 30 or the 70 mile routes.


Come ride with us to Montauk on June 18th and have a blast!

The Route
This ride is flat, Flat, FLAT!

The ride has wonderful scenery, fantastic rest stops, free bike repair, and full on-demand S.A.G. (bike rescue) support.

We pedal on quiet back roads past mansions, the ocean, farms, windmills, and the most beautiful sections of the Hamptons. Whether you are a beginner or an expert, this is the ride for you!
Start your day in Manhattan or Long Island and pick the distance that’s right for you -- 30 miles, 70 miles, 100 miles, or 145 miles.

We’ll ask you during registration which distance and check-in location you prefer, but you can change your mind if you like, even on ride day, at no additional cost.
ALL routes end in Montauk, so even if your friends are pedaling a different distance, you can all meet up at a rest stop or at the finish for the post-ride party!

Along the way enjoy our beautiful rest stops in Lynbrook, Babylon, Blue Point, Westhampton and Water Mill -- we were the first to find these great spots, and we’ll be there this year to welcome you with great food, support, and a place to relax.
 
Get home from Montauk on your own, or sign up for our optional transportation for your bike and you. The first run is at 12:30 p.m. for our super-speedy riders!  The last run is at 7:30 p.m., and we’ll make sure you don’t miss the last trip home.


The Best Bike Ride Food Ever

Bike ride food should be nutritious.
Bike ride food should ALSO be fun.
This is the sort of cool stuff we serve on The Ride to Montauk:
Homemade pie from legendary Briermere Farms, along with fresh whipped cream that is made on the spot.

• Our Peanut Butter & Jelly Buffet at each rest stop.
• Hummus with Pita (for those who want extra protein in the middle of the ride).
• Ice cream.  Some people love ice cream during a ride; some people hate ice cream during a ride. Our promise: there will be no MANDATORY ice cream eating on this ride! When we serve sweet treats like pie or ice cream, there will ALWAYS be healthy snacks too.
• Artisan whole-grain breads from Balthazar Bakery; plain or with fantastic organic preserves.
• Fresh fruit. Not just bananas and oranges, but local Long Island strawberries or grapes too, depending on what looks best in the market that day.
• Foccachia from Balthazar Bakery. Biscotti. Muffins from Yura Bakery. Pound cake in a half-dozen different flavors from La Bonne Boulangerie.Gatorade and water, of course.

At the end of the ride there’s a big post-pedal meal with food for vegetarians and meat-eaters at no additional charge.
Do we seem food obsessed? We are! Our menus change every year, but if it’s not incredible, we don’t serve it.
Compare all of this to what you were served on the last big bike ride you did. OK? OK. (Diana note: 5 boro had mini Lara bars, raisins, bananas, & those atomic orange cheese and cracker sandwich things oh and lukewarm water)

Free Hot Showers at the Finish

We offer free luggage service from the morning check-in location of your choice.  Bring a small bag with a towel, shampoo, and a change of clothes for our free hot showers at the finish line -- we’ll truck the bag to Montauk for you so you don’t have to pedal with it.  (I searched a long time to find amazing shower trucks, and was the first to bring a shower truck to a NY ride!)  At the finish you’ll find free massage too.


Help On the Way
We have the best S.A.G. (bike rescue) service around anywhere. Need a hand? Too tired to go on? Just call us and we’ll rush to your aid -- we have staff and vehicles all along the route.

New to long-distance riding?  We offer an optional escorted ride for the 30- 70- and 100-mile routes at no additional charge -- pedal with our trained leaders who will help you have a great ride.


We Support Our Community
It’s important to us to leave money behind where we ride. That’s why we donate to charities all along the route such as the Lynbrook Fire Department, Blue Point Boy Scouts, and more. You do not need to raise money to pedal this ride -- just pay the basic ride fee and you’re ready to ride.



I wanted to do this ride last year and still want to do it this year. Unfortunately I have this whole guilt complex thing about being a mom and doing something selfish like this so last year I skipped it.

This year, I'm learning that to be a good wife, and good mom, I have to do things for myself, things that make me happy.
Which is why I go to Boot Camp 6 days a week and why I'm going for the Kettlebell Certification and why I love these bike events.
It's still insanely odd to me that these forms of exercise, these very physical goals, these things that leave me with sore muscles and achy joints and a tired body are what makes me happy. That being strong, and pushing myself makes me happy gives me brain cramps.

In perusing the website for the ride (which you really should do. Glenn is insanely thorough if he is nothing else) I came across this: Overnight and thought
"AHHA!" That's my in! That's how I get everyone to agree to this day of mommy disappearing  from dawn till dusk only to come home tired, bruised and sore."(Remind me why I like this sort of thing again?)

I started planning it in my head that I'd leave the kids with my mother and sister and Mike could meet me in Montauk for a really romantic, beautiful overnight. How awesome would that be? Just the two of us in such a beautiful little town.

So I started doing research because with my hubs he likes to know all the details before he agrees to something. (Though really at this point I think if I told him it was just going to be he and I, alone, with no kids he'd be on board)

I found the perfect hotel: The Montauk Manor.
I was all excited till I checked out the calendar. I'm sure by now those of you with kids know what I discovered.
June 19th is Father's Day.

Insert very loud, very long string of expletives.

Okay, so that wouldn't work. I STILL want to do this ride though!
It looks like I'll have to go back to my old standby sale tactic. I take the kids to my mother's the night before (which means we still get our overnight just minus the sea air and romantic setting) and get someone to watch the dog for the day and he gets a day of peace and quiet to do whatever he wants with. He can sleep late, play his video games, watch TV and just chill with no interruptions.

Win win for everyone.

Of course I'd love to follow that ride up with this one but I think I know better than to push it.

Maybe...