I'll miss you and love you forever Bike.

I'd recommend pressing play so you have appropriate background music for this post....

Bad news bears, my bike has been laid to rest in front of my work. Although I suppose in the next week I"ll have to figure out a way to move it off the sidewalk...

Bike's final resting place...Brooklyn, NY :(

So many of you know my bike was already in bad shape. The breaks didn't quite work, which made downhill rides all the more exciting. It had 6 gears, 4 of which worked... but you never really knew what gear you were in. The handle bars were rusted at an awkward angle. Long story short... it was a mess... and I loved it.

Earlier this week I had an unfortunate run in with some metal shards that apparently, someone thought would look good on the street. My tire and tube were torn pretty badly and I had the do the walk of shame all the way back to my apartment, making me late for work. That was Monday...

Tuesday: I paid $37 dollars for a new tire and tube and was back on the roads!

Wednesday: I planned to meet a friend in Manhattan after work and decided I'd make an adventure out of it. I was going to bike through downtown Brooklyn, over the B Bridge, across Manhattan to the West Side Green way, and up to Columbus circle. I was SO excited, and was looking forward to the ride all day!!!

6:05pm I look out the window and see a man KICKING my bike. Seriously?! Who the heck just     stands there and kicks a strangers bike. I yell down the sidewalk at him... he disappears.

6:15pm I finally get out of work and go to start riding. I realize the my pedals barely rotate and the chain won't stay in place cause the whole spinny contraption has been bent... literally... not just dented, but BENT. 

6:25pm After spending a few minutes trying to fix it. I throw out some curses, then a few tears, call a friend to vent, then just get on the subway.

Taking a Break from biking some trails in NC

So that's it. I decided it was time to throw in the towel and venture into the new and updated world of bikes. We've had a good run bike. Multiple states, roads, trails, and many accidents. But we stuck together. I'll truly miss you and no shiny new bike will ever fill the void you've left. Goodbye my friend.

Our first picture together

Glow Sticks and the bike I loved.

Charlotte, NC. 

Hey Again

Well Blog-o-sphere, It's been a while. I've been overwhelmed with work (7 straight days totaling around 70 hours) and haven't been doing much of anything exciting. Last weekend I headed up to West Point to cheer on the athletes participating in the Special Olympics. It was fantastic to be outside and to be a part of something so special to so many families.

I took it easy on my ankle this week. Did my typical bike rides to work and a few other places but only got one run in. The great news is that I ran my fasted 5K in a year! I actually giggled a little bit as I was slowing to a jog and looked at my watch. It feels so fantastic to finally be making some progress again. So much so, that I almost considered attempting a sprint series Ru-Bi-Ru today. Unfortunately, my friends birthday celebrations were a bit more festive than I had planned for and I ended up sleeping in past the 7am registration deadline (and the 8am start time). I did get to explore a new Biergarten! We all met at Greenwood Park and had a great time! Their prices are fantastic, I spent less than $20 in the 5 hours we were there. It was also right along the cemetery so my bike ride home really renewed my excitement for exploring Greenwood.

Despite sticking to my normal routine, looking back it was a pretty good week. Ran, biked, made an impromptu trip to Coney Island with the roommate, celebrated a friends birthday, and now am just relaxing at home and preparing for next week. The man comes into town Thursday, one of my best friends comes on Friday and we've got tons of fun stuff planned.

Exciting posts/pictures to come!

Me and My Bike... A Love Story

Last Wednesday I got reality handed to me in the form of a sprained ankle. Apparently running a 5K, biking 8 miles, then trying to play 3 hours of a sport I haven't played in a decade was a bit too much for my ligaments. After 4 days of intense RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) I'm back on my feet (without a limp). Today was the first day I've been back on my bike since Wednesday and MAN it felt good!!! So I figured I'd take a moment to tell you all about me and my bike...

It all began the spring of 2009. I had moved to Charlotte, North Carolina that year and was starting graduate school. I happened to live an awkward distance from school, you know, when you're too far to walk but too close to drive. So i decided to get a bike. I found a decent "hybrid" on Craigslist for $50 but upon examining the bike a week later, was able to haggle the guy down to $35. I occasionally rode the bike but really never used it as much as I had planned. 

Fast forward to 2013. For some reason, one Saturday... I decided to ride my bike to work and it was MISERABLE. I was horribly out of "biking" shape, NYC drivers are MEAN, and it turns out there is a whole neighborhood named Park Slope because it's on a huge, steep slope... but I had never put that all together. Long story short, I hated it! But for some reason... I did it again the next day, and the next. I also started realizing that even though the subway is much cheaper than my car was... riding my bike is FREE!!!! Half of my commute is also through park. Most New Yorkers barely get to see a park once a week and I get to see everything blooming twice a day. These days the only reason I take the subway to work is if I'm forced too because of an after work commitment, OR if I have a sprained ankle (although I think riding my bike would have been better than hobbling the 1/2 mile to the subway). 

My bike is very old, it has shocks that are completely rusted, brakes that function when they feel like it, 6 gears: 4 of which work but you never really know which one you're using, tires that have to be refilled every other day, and handle bars that have rusted into a very odd angle. But... it cost me $35 so getting the $75 tune up that it needs is out of the question. When I heard through the grapevine that I might be getting a new bike for my birthday (June)... I had very mixed feelings. I've come to love my heavy rusted chunk of steel but, at the same time, am very excited about the prospect of an upgrade. 

Apparently a "hard tail 26er" is what the bike shop dudes think will be best... I don't know what this means but apparently it has wheels that can handle trails OR roads (a must) and brakes that work. So I'm sold. Any advice from the bikers out there? 

Pick-Up Soccer.... Adventure #1

So for the past few weeks I've been STARING at this pick-up soccer league on Meet Up.  All women's, beginning/intermediate... exactly what I needed. Now, I used to be fairly decent at soccer, I did play for 12 years after all. It's just that those 12 years were from age 4-16 or somewhere around there. Haven't really touched a ball since then, so I figured this league would be a great way to meet some new people and get back into playing without being expected to bounce the ball on my head across the entire field.

So Wednesday comes along, I leave work early and am so nervous that I ride my bike all the way to Prospect Park before realizing I didn't wear my helmet (EEK!). Then it begins... the awkward few minutes where I get to stalk around the park fields looking for the group of strangers that looks most "soccer-like"

Long story short, I found them. There were 24 ladies in all and we played 2 games (shortened of course). There were lots of ability levels and even some people who were worse than me (woohoo!). By the end of the night I had scored 2 goals, made some friends, and sprained an ankle. All in all a good night.

I highly recommend Meet-Up. I've really been wanting to meet some new people here in the city which can be hard since everyone is so spread out and busy. I also am broke so this was a great and FREE (unlike other rec leagues) way to get out there, meet people, and play some soccer. 2 thumbs up!

If you're ever looking for me on a Wednesday I'll be playing soccer (after the ankle heals )

Sunburn Season

Every year around this time, no matter what state I'm living in... I enter into what I refer to as, "Sunburn Season". It's that odd time between Winter and Spring where it's still sort of chilly so you never think to wear sunscreen... and it takes a few burns before you get back into the habit of applying sunscreen. I've acquired some pretty impressive and awkward tan lines this 'season" including a 4 inch chunk of my leg that was exposed by my 3/4 length leggings on a hike. Oh, and better yet, the backs of my hands are a few shades darker than the rest of my arms. SUPER sexy!

This Saturday I headed up to West Point to see some special people (one in particular) and to watch some baseball (GO #13!!). It was nice out... I wore a dress (VERY unlike me). Well long story short, I have very randomly placed patches of sunburn, mostly on the right side of my body. My right shoulder, right side of my face, the inside of my left knee and calf, and the top of my left foot. Now first off, if anyone can pull off ridiculous looking sunburn, it's me (splotchy and fabulous!) That being said the burn on the top of my foot is really holding me back! I tried to slide into some running shoes today but that was a serious FAIL! I may be forced to ride my bike to work in flip flops...

This week will be an odd one at work. I have Wednesday off since I'm working Saturday and was really hoping to get some adventures in. Like finally attending this Wednesday pick-up soccer league I've had my eyes on. Since flip flops are a challenge to put on at this point, I'm assuming soccer cleats will be a no go.

Fingers crossed that the foot burn subsides by Wednesday, and Cheers to a happy and short "Sunburn Season". Maybe one of these years I'll learn my lesson BEFORE the first burn.

Climbing in NYC

My senior year of college I needed additional elective credits so I decided to take an "outdoor learning" class. Basically we sea kayaked, white water rafted, did high ropes courses, and learned how to rock climb.  After that class I really didn't use any of what I had learned until about 3 years ago when I met a certain special guy who was also into climbing. This past year in particular it has become one of my favorite "outdoorsy" activities. Its also probably one of the reasons I've become so obsessed with the Breakneck Ridge trail.. it gives you a bit of grappling without needing an expensive fall pad.

In North Carolina, climbing was no big deal. I could just head to Inner Peaks  or my personal favorite the US National Whitewater Center and for pretty cheap could climb as much as I wanted. Fast forward  to NYC... climbing has become a bit more difficult. Not only am I short on climbing buddies but it's EXPENSIVE! This past week I went to Brooklyn Boulders twice, and even though I had a fantastic time.. I spent a total of $41 dollars (totally worth it though). I've scoured the internet for cheaper alternatives... but unless you have friends with equipment, a fall pad for bouldering, or a decent salary for a climbing gym membership... it can be fairly challenging to keep up.

The good thing about the day passes at BB is that you don't just have access to climbing. They also have Yoga classes (for just a few dollars if you've purchased a day pass), free weights, a slack line, as well as a whole section devoted to strengthening with a whole wall of finger grips! This place is also massive! You definitely get what you pay for.. which is SPACE! A close to extinct commodity here in the city.

Hmmm definitely a challenge, but while I brainstorm alternatives... I'm going to keep climbing!

Bouldering at Brooklyn Boulders this past week

Climbing at the USNWWC in NC 2 years ago

My first outdoor climb at Crowders Mtn in college... yes they made us wear helmets

  

" Order Whatever You Want"

Since we're on the topic of cheap/free activities let's talk about my boss. I work for a small business, a franchise to be specific, and my boss LOVES handing us the credit card to eat and/or drink. Last night we had our bi-annual (although it has been happening much more frequently) "Staff Night Out". We all met at a local Bier Hall and...well... got stupid. It's amazing how much more you drink when you're not paying for it, and also when the beer is served by the liter. *insert a slightly nauseous and dehydrated grin here* To say the VERY LEAST... it was a good time.

Die Koelner Bierhalle  is where we ventured. AWESOME call by Mr. Boss. First off this place is huge by Brooklyn standards. Even later in the night when it was packed we all still had plenty of space to walk around and sit. True to the Bierhalle tradition, they have an incredibly large selection of beers on tap and also bottled but also have a decent liquor selection. They also offered much more food than other beer gardens where I've been. I ordered Tilapia with a salad and it was perfectly cooked and seasoned, and came with the most delicious dill tartar sauce I've ever had. We also ordered pretty much one of everything on the menu as the night progressed. I give it two thumbs up!!!

I definitely needed this outing. I've been feeling fairly grumbly at work and last night was a great reminder of how awesome my job really is. One of my coworkers even jumped in and ran with me after work! I have a pretty laid back boss who lets me run the show, amazing coworkers, and I'm surrounded by children all day. Could you really ask for anything more (other than a raise)? 

To a week full of adventures. Prost!

The Gang. I bet you can't guess which one is my boss....

My hiking buddy Ms. M !! Enjoying a liter of beer in my super stylish and definitely matching running gear.