When you're tired

Recumbent
Originally uploaded by Rehan Nasir.

So although it was just a "ride," I felt my pride ebbing and flowing once in a while. Like when I came up on this guy and his bike. I felt that yes, I am going to have to pass him. However, he was moving along at a pretty good clip, so I figured I'd get a back shot. (I did pass him after a while ... but he stayed back there for quite some time.)

The low point on day two was toward the end of the ride when I got passed by ... a horse and buggy. Now, I've ridden in Lancaster a bunch of times and have nevery had any problems whipping by the carriage. But I couldn't hold my equine friend back for that long. I would have taken a photo, but really, there's no need to photo-document that embarassment.

End of the ride

Originally uploaded by Rehan Nasir.

This was the end of the 150 miles over two days ... the first day ended at Allegheny college in Meadville, PA. The second at Conneaut State Park in Ohio on Lake Erie. If you look on the left, that's my team, the Wacky Wheelers, in red. I got hooked up with them through my former employer. I want to really thank everybody who donated and made this ride possible. It was a good time that was made more enjoyable by cool weather.

I heard that last year it was blistering out and three years ago it rained all weekend. On day one I was cramping up a lot because of not being that prepared and lack of hydration -- when it's cool out, you don't drink as much as you should. Day two was much better. I drank more, took it easy and spent more time letting my food digest.

Also, on the first day, I "spun" up the hills. That is, I put the bike into an easy gear, cranked up the cadence and slowly climbed. The day one hills were a little longer and steeper. On day two, I just attacked all the little hills. Stood up, pounded. I was also able to draft a lot more on day two and really save energy.

The bike that I bought just a few months ago was brilliant for the ride. Nice and smooth, no mechanical issues. Others were riding all sorts of different beasts -- much older frames, newer carbon jobs. Turns out it's how good you are, not the bike.

MS 150 Ride

Originally uploaded by Rehan Nasir.

I spent a little time on the second day of the ride -- shorter, flatter -- taking a few photos off the bike. It was kind of hard because I just wanted to ride and get it over with. I felt like I was going so freakin' slow at times. Day 1 was the worst -- 85 miles, windy, hilly. The wind was the worst because if you stopped pedaling ... you stopped. Plodding along by yourself at 9 mph, you started to calculate how much longer it took. Then a group of steel-legged beasts would whoosh by, laughing at the wind. It's all good. This year was good, but next year, if I'm better prepared, it'll be really enjoyable.

It's official

I got a call today from my former employer, Jacobs. I worked with them in Conshohocken and Lancaster. Turns out that there's an opening in Indianapolis, so we're moving there. I start work on Wednesday. Thought I'd get this blog cranked back up again so everybody knows what's up and can also check out a bunch of recent photos. There has been, as you can imagine, quite a bit going on here in Pittsburgh. I'm certainly going to miss this place a lot. I was really hoping it would be more than just a year, but such is life. We moved in Memorial Day last year and will likely be out of here by the beginning of August.

First piece of big news (the job is a secondary piece) is that we went for an ultrasound last week and found out that we're having a boy! I'm quite excited. I need to make sure to buy some Pitt-appropriate clothing before we leave. They checked everything they could in the ultrasound and so far, so good. We are narrowing down names and may have one very soon.

Second piece of news is the job bit I suppose. I start next Wednesday and will be in a hotel for a bit. Maria will stop working on July 7th or thereabouts. (She's been working as a dental assistant in case you were unawares). She'll join me in Indy for a week to find a place to rent for a year. The housing there is relatively cheap, so after a year we are hoping to build a house or buy a place outside of the city. Possibly in town if we find something worthwhile. I'm very curious to see what Indy is like.

Third piece ... finished the MS150 charity ride this past weekend. Ride to the Lake, no, Escape to the Lake. 86-odd miles the first day, 60-some the next. My summary of that is a whole 'nother post.