You are Exercising Your Brain Too!

After a brain trauma accident, one tends to "think" about head issues a little more than normal. And I found this interesting article on how exercise makes your brain grow -- particularly the cognitive and memory region. I don't think I ever mentioned to anyone after my bike crash, that the doctors put me on a trial drug which I'm still taking called Citicoline. It's a naturally occurring substance in the brain that researchers are discovering when taken in large doses, helps repair damaged brain cells and improve function. For years, doctors felt when a brain cell is damaged it's gone forever. But no more -- your brain can be fixed! And for all my exercise-obsessed friends, just think, your heads are growing, bigger and bigger with each pedal stroke. Ride on!

My New Training Partner

Yup -- a blind mouse! Poor little thing came staggering onto the patio during a trainer session, and entertained me for about a half hour before he parked it at my front tire. Guess he was tired. It was SO sad! I was actually wishing one of my cats was out to put Mr. Mouse's misery to rest. Of course I teased and tantalized him. I felt bad afterwards.

The Race I Missed - Capital City Challenge

Three cheers to my adventure racing team mate, Donna Weiser and her Team, Lynne Fickes and Lynn Reinhart at the Cap City Challenge in Harrisburg this year. They were second! And rumor has it the other teams on the Heim Construction Team did quite well this year -- a couple firsts and seconds! They are all rocking an rolling. Full results are here. Look for Heim Construction. Lots of Pics here. Its a fun race, and I'm sorta sad I missed it, but very happy Donna did well (again!). Here's a shot of her team, and a shot of the hardest challenge - getting up and over a 6-foot slippery log. Nice job to all!

If I Wanted to Waste Some Money

I could easily waste some money on one of these bikes. I'm not a big follower of the bike frame scene, but apparently these have been on the market for a couple years and are taking the hardcore mountainbiker world by storm (or the folks who don't know what to do with their money!). Its a Jeff Jones bike. They are always fully rigid and typically singlespeed although you can get gears. He got the front fork design from a 1930's bike - how cool is that! There were two of them at the BASH this year and they are immediate attention getters -- very sexy lines, and of course titanium is always worth a second look. Here's a good blog post from a semi-local dude on these bikes - "Todd." I can't say I foresee one of these anytime soon... they average between $5,000 and $9,000! Astonishing. I'll have to make DEAN suffice for now, and he doesn't too bad of a job - although comparing the lines of the two looking at these two pictures, the DEAN is definitely not sexy - but serves the purpose well. Maybe a little facelift and he'll be good as new.

Weiser's Seating Arrangements

This is SO cool... one of the campsites in Weiser State Forest now has stone seating. Rick said someone obviously had a lot of time on their hands. Its very noticeable...we were riding, and these "chairs" stuck out like a sore thumb at this campsite. Couldn't help but stop and snap a few... and of course rest a while!

The Mountain Bike BASH!

A LOT has been going on... even though you'd never know it with my lack of posting on this site! Actually, there's been a few more updates than normal to the Rattling Creek Blog which is where I've been spending a good bit of time the past few weeks. Rick and I volunteer with trail maintenance in Weiser State forest, near our home, to keep trails open for Mountain Biking, and each year our local mountain bike club, the Rattling Creek Singletrackers, holds a "festival", so to speak, to ride those trails. This weekend - Sept 11 through the 14th, is the BASH, and we've been clearing trail the past few weekends to be ready for the riders. Most of my "exercise" (note.... not "training" any more!), has been hiking a couple miles on weekends. I, of course, am the one to carry the chainsaw -- it just couldn't be any other way! I'll get to ride on Saturday, but for the most part, my job at the BASH is registrar. I'll post some pics next week if I get a chance.

Long Time No Post? What Up?

Sorry for the delay...not a whole lot going on right now with the R&R factor in high gear now that racing and training is officially and truly gone. Rick and I have been spending every weekend kayaking and also doing trail work in Weiser State Forest, on the Rattling Creek Trails. We're making sure the trails are good to go for the upcoming Rattling Creek BASH. And my workouts? Ha! What's that... a workout??? Actually, I'm still attempting to do that one-hour a day gig, but yet another slight injury prevented that from happening this past week. I overturned my ankle last Sunday so I stayed off the foot-thang all week. But this week should be back on track.