To Market, To Market

Where: Austin Farmer's Market (Austin)
When: Saturday, 11am

Purchased:

Piping hot pork & tomatillo tamale from the Gardener's Feast

Basil, lime, and pellegrino agua fresca

Zucchini, heirloom & grape tomatoes, a giant bunch of basil, & a mini watermelon from Johnson's Backyard Garden (Austin, TX).

Wish list (next week, maybe?):

A pretty little fig tree from Specialized Plant Sales (La Grange, TX)

Herb pots from the Herb Shack (Wimberely, TX)

Goat cheese from Maid in the Shade (Rosanky, TX)

Coffee cups from Austin Clay

CSA box from Johnson's Backyard Garden?

Midnight rider

Friday night.

I found myself standing beneath a moonlight tower.

165 feet tall.
Over a hundred years old.
Manufactured by Fort Wayne Electric Company.

Six bright lamps shining down on Zilker Park and 100 cyclists.

AWESOME.

Welcome to the 2nd Juan Pelota Moonlight Tower Constellation Tour. The goal? Ride all around Austin to view the 15 remaining moonlight towers, a citywide lighting system from back in the day (think 1890s).

I love this idea. Both that Austin is the only city left in the world to operate such a lighting system, but also that I could play follow-the-leader on my bike to see them all.

The ride was a perfection cross-section of the cycling community. I will admit I was expecting the group to be dominated by hipsters on fixies, but it was far more diverse: triathletes in sleeveless jerseys, roadies in full spandex, one parent-child pair, cruisers, BMXers, a recumber rider, single-speeders, commuters, MTBers, and more.

We rolled out at 8:15pm, and by the time we'd crossed Lamar Blvd, through Bouldin Creek, and into Travis Heights to the second moonlight tower, I think we'd lost a quarter of the group. Still, we pressed on, across the Congress Avenue bridge (over Town Lake and past some amused folks waiting for the bats to fly), through downtown, and into East Austin.


Contrary to popular belief, the east side of town isn't that sketchy. But just as I'd be wary to be caught in certain areas of Oakland, CA alone at night, there were moments when I was glad to be pedaling alongside 50 other cyclists, rather than by myself.

We stopped to regroup several times; each time the pack got smaller and smaller. I think the lack of maps and the steep little hills that pepper the Austin landscape took a toll on the weaker riders. We hammered up Chicon to MLK, over Manor, through UT, and up to 42nd. That's the northernmost tower.

After that the group blew apart. I counted 12 towers (there are 15) and decided I didn't mind heading back to Mellow Johnny's Juan Pelota cafe for some (free) beer.

We sat, drank, reveled, and mused that this was probably the best way to spend a Friday night. The end.

Words to remember.

Summer. Is. Here.

I know summer doesn't officially start until June 21st.

But as far as I'm concerned, it has arrived.

Cycling Central

My four-day weekend will be full of cycling, and rightly so.

I spent this morning at Lance Armstrong's place (Juan Pelota Ranch) in Dripping Springs, TX (just outside of Austin).



I keep having wonderful moments when I realize that Texas, this new state of mine, is just gorgeous! The Texas hill country's rolling hills are an amazing backdrop for this race, with its rugged and rocky limestone hills, scrubby trees and brush, and huge blue skies.

I've been learning very quickly why people adore Austin; I am beginning to appreciate more and more why these same folks also love the hill country.

Lance is one of those folks -- he's got a huge ranch and it's an amazing venue for the Mellow Classic. Two full days of racing, with two UCI Pro races, a bike expo, local vendors, beer (very important), and good times with Central Texas cyclists.

(No Lance sightings today, by the way. I'm pretty sure he's in France getting ready for TdF. But he's around... my friend got the "cycling nod" from him the other day when he saw him out on a ride.)

I should mention that it was hot today. A scorcher. I visiting the Nuun vendor booth about ten times to refill my bottle (and I wasn't even racing!).

If you look in the slideshow above, you'll see a shot of a bunch of spectators on the big hill, all sitting in the only logical place: the shade.

I skipped the pro men's race to go get cool and get home. I reserved some sweet equipment for Monday's CapTexTri: a wetsuit, Specialized TT helmet, and Zipp 404s. Oh sweet cycling gods... I love those Zipps.


Isn't she gorgeous?

Happy?

I love this infographic for life.

Courtesy of Janet.

Runner's delight

Where did the last month go? Seems like it just flew by...

There's lots going on, but occupying a good chunk of my time is my training. I'm running the Austin (Half) Marathon on February 14th!


My friend from San Francisco, "S", is coming to run the half marathon with me! I'm looking forward to showing off Austin and having some one to join me in the challenge. (She ran a half marathon in the Bay Area today, by the way, and is doing another one next week with me. No sweat. Amazing.)

Which brings me to one of my favorite things about Austin -- the hike & bike trails.

There are quite a few in Austin, but my favorite is the one that circles Town Lake (aka Lady Bird Lake) and borders Zilker Park and downtown. It's beautiful, free, and always full of friendly joggers, families, strollers, and bicycles. (Honestly, with the pedestrian volume, there isn't much room for the bikes, and I wouldn't recommend it as a bike path.)

You can drive to one of several parking lots situated just off the trail (near MoPac, Austin HS, S. Lamar St., S. 1st St.), but from my house, there are endless mileage possibilities. Two, four, ten miles, all a stone's throw from my front door. Glorious.


I came across a list of "runner's commandments," today, and several got a nod and a laugh from this newbie runner. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. Don’t be a whiner. Nobody likes a whiner, not even other whiners.
This aligns pretty nicely with my competitive cycling rules, too. Hamstrings sore? Feeling tired? Six miles too far? Path too crowded? Quit yer whinin'.

2. Walking out the door is often the toughest part of a run.
AMEN.

9. Don’t compare yourself to other runners.
By far, one of my biggest challenges. When I see runners who are faster, sleeker, or wearing cooler gear than I am, I tend to get jealous. When I see runners who are slower or wearing cotton (scoff), I get judgy. That's GOTTA stop. I run for ME, not anyone else.

10. All runners are equal, some are just faster than others.
As if I didn't think otherwise! Oh, yeah... see above.

11. Keep in mind that the later in the day it gets, the more likely it is that you won’t run.
All I can do is burst out laughing when I read this. Who has been on the treadmill at the gym at 11pm at night? Guilty.

16. A bad day of running still beats a good day at work.
Well, I don't know about that. A good day at work can be pretty damn amazing. But so can any run after a bad day at work.

19. Don’t always run alone.
Working on it. I swear. Anyone know of a good (slowish) running group in town?

24. Races aren’t just for those who can run fast.
Case in point.

52. Running is simple. Don’t make it complicated.
Indeed, one of my favorite things about this sport.

Wish me luck next week. 13.1 miles feels like an awfully long run...