Saturday, October 16, 2010

RAIN PANTS/not racing saving money not so much/SIGG BOTTLE

Rain Pants = Greatest Invention Ever

I rode my bike this morning in this nor' easter that is hanging around.  T bailed on me - can't say I blame her but my options are limited so I still biked.  I had just gotten some new rain pants in the mail and was debating keeping them.  Well, the weather decided for me.  They were great! They kept me warm and dry! I put them on over my bike shorts. They are made for a man or woman (boo) so they were slimmer in the hips than I wanted (why I was going to maybe not keep them) but I loved the two places you could cinch them to keep them away from the chain.

I was warm for most of the ride. I also had new gloves on which worked great.  A lot of my ride was uphill which was perfect. Once I hit the long downhill stretch (the header on my blog) is when I got cold.  My feet were soaked and never warmed up after that. I had only a few miles to go so I was okay.  When I was going on my "canopy" road there was snow on the side. Last night when I went to bed there were a couple of inches on the ground at home and I was a bit worried about my ride today. But it changed back to rain here and it was gone by morning. It made the windy rainy weather look downright inviting!

I didn't take my camera but the river is back up  (not as much as last week) and made for interesting sights!  I had told myself last night when I saw the snow that I might have to use the elliptical as I am not equipped for snow riding (yet).  But all was okay and I rode.

Not racing/Saving money/Not so much

Now it might seem like I could save some money since I am not racing!  Ha! Not a chance. Here are some pictures of what I have deemed necessary for my bike so far.  There is still one item coming in the mail.  My next purchase may be a headlight. Depending on if I keep riding to work it will be getting dark early soon!
Helmet - obviously a must

rain pants and gloves

heavier socks

a lock 

reflecting lights

rack for carrying

bike bag 



New Sigg Bottle From Cafe Press!!

I also got my new free Sigg Bottle in the mail from CAFE PRESS!  It is awesome.  Here is a picture of it. Yes that is pictures of me being athletic!  Loved that I could put photos on it!



CafePress offers millions of personalized gifts where you can make your own custom Christmas ornaments and even personalized holiday photo cards!


And I got this awesome Brooks jacket from a giveaway at Racing With Babes!
And I have a surprise gift coming from Forward Foot Strides!
Except for this pesky heel life is good!

One Last Thing

I am reading Ken Follett's newest book, Fall of Giants which is the first of a trilogy. I purchased the hard cover when it first came out something I rarely do.  I am on page 299 and not at all hooked which is not a good sign. I am a big fan of Ken Follett's and particularly loved Pillars of the Earth. Is anyone else reading this? Thoughts?  


18 comments:

Marlene said...

And I thought running was an expensive sport! Good for you on the rainy bike ride!

Chris K said...

Howdy, my comment has nothing to do with this post. Ken Follet: I loved, loved, loved Pillars of the Earth and World Without End (sequel). Please tell me how your book turns out. Email me through my blog. Please :-)

As far as your injury.....I will just say that when I was injured I did not run for 10 weeks. I don't recommend the "bury head in sand approach". You are lucky cuz you have another passion; riding. Heck, if you have to take a year off, DO IT! (just my unsolicted advice from a fan)

Patrick Mahoney said...

I've read every every Ken Follet book except World Without End. Great Stuff. I'll read this new one soon.

You asked where I grew up...answer Danvers MA but I spent tons of time climbing in the White Mts. until I moved to NYC at 30 and then to CA...

Char said...

Sounds like you need rain booties to keep your feet dry. Do they make such a thing?

Jill said...

I've read Pillars of the Earth and LOVED it. I wish I had more time to read...maybe after I cut of my foot (with my fingernail :) ), I'll be housebound and left with nothing to do but read!!

I don't bike so I can't really say much about gear but I heard it can get costly and good lord, those bikes can get sooo expensive. My son wants a road biek - holy moly, not in my budget.

Hoping the weather holds out for as long as possible so you can keep riding!!!

Any news on the x-ray?

Amy said...

I just finished the sequel to Pillars of the Earth (I read Pillars last year) - I loved both of them. I agree, by page 299 you should definitely be hooked, if not that is a bad sign. Darn.
At least you got some nice biking gear and lots of cool gifts!
And snow - already??? Brrr...

Steel Springs said...

This is the first snow sighting that I've read about...here comes winter. I'm glad that the rain pants worked so well! It's a bummer that they're unisex, though.

I love the Sigg bottle! Great choice of photos. Awesome jacket, too!

Johann said...

Your 'not saving money" outings to the mall made me smile. All worth it for sure. That bottle is very cool. I need something with me on it. It seems heel injuries can last long. At least you are still very active. Take care!

Anne said...

Good job on getting out there in the rain...rain pants sound great, now I want some :) I've definitely noticed how many things I "need" now that I have a bike...it can all get quite expensive!

Hope you get news on the foot soon...

Emily said...

I LOVE Cafe Press! I definitely score great gifts for people on the site all the time. Cute water bottle! What fun that you can add your own pictures to it!

LMC said...

In my humble opinion, you absolutely need all of those purchases! :) I hope you get to ride your bike for a little while longer before the snow gets in your way. Still hoping your heel gets better soon!

Julie said...

Look at you and all of your new biking bling and cool clothing:) It is so great to see you excited about biking and new gear is always a bonus!

HappyTrails said...

Ha, ha - you are hooked! We are going to need to tune in to your blog to see what new bike accessory you are trying and we might need! :-) Glad you got out in spite of the chilly, wet weather. Have a fantastic week!

Lindsay said...

yeah those are all definite NEEDS. don't feel guilty :)

you are quite dedicated for riding in the rain! i would have *maybe* pulled out the trainer (if i was in your boat and couldn't run).

Teamarcia said...

Look at you hardcore biker chick!
Love that Sigg!

Darlene said...

You are defintely a REAL biker!!! I love the water bottle! Congrats on being so lucky!!!

Ewa said...

I might have to get rain pants for biking also. Our rainy season seems to have started.
You are one tough lady biking through this kind of weather.

RobinLK said...

Wow! Awesome gear! I just kept hearing 'ka-ching' in my head as I scrolled down. LOL You really scored on the Brooks jacket, too. Nice.

From the looks of your most current posts, the new gear is coming in handy. Yay!

*hugs* from Orlando!