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"This Shall Pass"...
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Monday, 04 May 2020 23:10
ED. Owner of Worlds and National Championship medals, Cheryl is a three-time Minnesota Master of the Year. She's been to Venice.
By Cheryl Zitur
It has certainly been a crazy time lately. While I am not much of a writer here are a few thoughts about my quarantine.
On March 16th I went into work at Life Time like any other Monday but things were already starting to happen. The week before the Boston Marathon was cancelled which I began training for last January. Wow-now what do I do? At least I have Tri season to look forward to and my job. The club was eerily quiet on the 16th reminding me of what it felt like the day after 911. That night we were closed down and I was without a job to go to. In my adult life I have never had this much free time without either raising kids, healing from an injury or surgery, working or going to school or usually a mix of all of the above. This was all new to me....
"Health Before Fitness"...
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Saturday, 02 May 2020 23:10
ED. Today, two-time Minnesota Master of the Year nominee Julia Weisbecker writes about how she (and husband Roger) are handling the pandemic.
By Julia Weisbecker
Hi MTN, So you wanted some words on what the past month has been like. Roger and I were in California for two weeks to see some pro tennis. We have seen it every year and honestly its the best non slam tournament with great viewing and good access to the players practicing, etc. It got cancelled right as all the Covid 19 stuff got rolling. I sorta knew it may happen as the NBA cancelled on the same night. So we were left with nothing to do but ride our bikes, swim at the Palm Desert Aquatic Center, and run in paradise. Poor us. Well that quickly changed, as Riverside county closed the pools, and all group rides were cancelled. Riverside county is about 10 days ahead of MN so we were ready for what MN had planned once we got home. It was tempting to stay. We have a pool at the house and while it wasn’t really very warm ( and no i ...
Will Races Happen This Year? If So, ....
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Thursday, 30 April 2020 23:10
By Kelly O'Mara (triathlete.com)
Let’s get the first thing out of the way: No, there is no definitive word yet on when races will resume as normal or if the big events will happen later this fall.
“Our inability to give concrete answers isn’t because we have concrete answers and won’t tell them,” said Andrew Messick, CEO of Ironman—which he believes triathletes understand in the current situation.
Both Rocky Harris, CEO of USA Triathlon, and Messick say they’re preparing for both the best- and the worst-case scenarios.
The best case? Some racing resumes by July and then they’re able to roll out more races as restrictions are lifted in different regions.
The worst case? There’s no real racing for the rest of 2020....
New Languages, Rented Clarinets & Chocolate Milk Popsicles...
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Tuesday, 28 April 2020 23:10
Trying to Make the Best of a Situation
By Judy Rykken (aka "Rex')
A routine gives a certain calm and structure to the day. With the new stay-at-home edict, it’s difficult and at the same time, a change is good for the brain and presents learning opportunities. The best part of this is noticing how neighbors, friends, and communities are helping each other!
After many weeks at home, to counteract the sadness of not being able to visit my wonderful husband, I thought about what to do to brighten the day! I thought about priorities, how much time I waste, and what new activities would I like to try, previous ones that have been abandoned that could be restarted, current nagging tasks that are no fun to do (and easy to put off), and projects to maintain what is already in place.
And Then "the Stuff Really Hit the Fan"....
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Sunday, 26 April 2020 23:10
By Scott Myers
Before the stuff really hit the fan, Andrea and I did a trip to Maui with our travel bikes (steel Ritchey Breakaway cyclocross style bikes, we got these long before "gravel bikes" were a thing). Maui is a favorite place to bike for us and this year we finished the triple crown of Maui cycling. If you have never heard of it, it is either because you aren't well read on awesome biking or because we made it up.
Ride 1 was the West Maui Loop, about 85 miles and more vertical than you can shake a stick at. We did it under wind advisory, which is probably not a best practice since they don't really go "boy who cried wolf" with wind around there. It looked like the tornado scene from “Wizard of Oz” at times, but we were treated with beautiful winding roads along the ocean with incredible views.
Ride #2 was the East Maui Loop, 105 miles with enough vertical to nauseate a Napali. Epic for sure. You spend the day circling Haleakala (the famous volcano) and end with the famous Ride to Hana in reverse. But in between is insanely gorgeous and fun cycling. Leave your 19mm silk tubulars at home for this ride (unless you have dental work you would like removed), because you hit a stretch of maybe 20 miles of the roughest road you have ever seen. I suppose it keeps the riffraff out. But in the end, it is worth it for sure....
