Greensfelder Challenge

This is Lilly. She is Scott’s dog. She is also our team mascot. We’re working on finding someplace to make her a jersey.

Once again Chain Reaction suited up for a day of riding this past weekend.  Well those of who own mountain bikes suited up.  The other one came along to dog sit.  We headed out to Greensfelder (behind Six Flags) for the Greensfelder Challenge mountain bike race.

It was a nice day and the trail was great.  Once I comfortably settled to the back of the pack, where I belong, the riding was great.

Scott coming to the finish line.

Kate crossing the finish line. She had to stop and retighten her cranks several times during the race because they kept coming loose. She still beat me. I’ve got to get faster.

I’m just trucking along. I didn’t ride with any water. That was dumb. So I was really thirsty here. But I was also still smiling.

Kate and Scott with Lilly. She’s spoiled rotten and gets this kind of attention all the time. Also, once she grows into her body a bit more we’re going to teach her to run the trails while we mountain bike. It’ll be awesome.

Vino Fondo

A while ago I found a bike ride online that I thought sounded like fun.  128 miles, 11,000 feet of elevation gain.  Luckily, I have friends who have the same idea of fun so four of us signed up.  We even decided to create a team and get jerseys made. How cool is that?  (Answer: very).  But when we showed up at the CSC on Saturday morning at 5:00am the thermometer was already reading 77°F.

1 car + 4 bikes = Total Awesomeness

 

We drove out to Augusta and signed in, ate breakfast, changed and got ready to ride.  The temperature kept rising.  We also found out at the race start that the routes were all longer than had been advertised because of road construction.  The 128 mile route was now 136 and the 85 mile route was now 96.  No big deal.

It was indeed a beautiful setting for a ride. If only it hadn’t been so hot.

Before the ride. We’re looking pretty snazzy in our jerseys dontcha think?

We started riding and within 6 miles of the start I was already off of my bike and walking it up a hill.  I had apparently severely underestimated what 11,000 feet of climbing was going to be.  Thankfully I wasn’t the only person who was having to hike a bike.  After that first initial hill the route turned into a bunch of fun rolling hills for a while and I was actually able to keep up with my friends for parts of it.

How awesome do my friends look riding together like a team?

After the first rest stop I had fallen behind my friends and was getting ready to try and catch up when a friendly man named Paul pulled up beside me and told me to grab his wheel and he would pull me up to the rest of them.  Just as I fell into place I got a flat.  Go figure.  Paul did catch the group to tell them that one of their teammates had a flat though.  The BigShark van came by and fixed my flat for me and I was under way in no time.  My friends had stopped to wait for me and when I road up they were very excited that someone had called us a team and said that a teammate had a flat.  (They weren’t excited about the flat, just the use of the word teammate.)

After having rided for 2 hours the heat was reaching an unbearable point.  We decided to opt out of the Mondo Fondo route (136) and do the Midi Fondo (96).  That was potentially the best decision we made all day.

Around mile 40 Scott’s rear derailleur broke leaving him with only 2 gears for the rest of the ride.  He finished and was still faster than me for most things.  What a champ.

Anna started getting some cramps toward the end and we would have stretch breaks.

Here they are stretching in a field. Turns out Anna was actually lying in a bed of nettles. Oops. Also, Scott wasn’t just being inappropriate, he was originally blocking the sun for Anna.

Here they are stretching in the middle of the street. That sounds safe.

Even though Anna was the one with the cramping legs, I was the one calling for most of the stops.  The heat was terrible and I was having a terrible time dealing with it.  So we stopped for water/shade breaks a lot.  We drank so much that we actually had to pee the whole day, that means no one was terribly dehydrated.  Yay us.

We finished together and my wonderful parents were waiting for us.  They had driven up to help us drive back to St. Louis.  They had also brought beer.

One of the best sights all day.

The next morning I got an  email from Anna saying she was already ready to go for another ride.  I think we all felt the same way.

Team Chain Reaction at the end of the ride.

Two Good Weekends

Two weekends ago Scott and I decided to ride a century (aka 100 miles on bikes) to prepare for the Vino Fondo.  It was a windy day, but the sun was shining and it wasn’t too hot, so I really can’t complain all that much.  Here’re some pictures from the day.

We were just riding along, a couple of miles outside of Alton, when Scott's rear wheel started to make a funny noise. Then it made a loud gunshoty noise. He blew out a tire.

Yep, he actually broke his tire, not just the tube. Luckily we were able to patch it together and limp back into Alton where he was able to buy a new tire.

On the way back into STL as we were crossing the bridge a barge floated underneath. It was so cool. And it made me wonder how they steer those things.

What up STL? Such a welcome sight after a long day on the bike.

Just this past weekend I went to a friend’s wedding in Indianapolis.  There was a wonderful gathering of people there and the wedding was beautiful and the reception was hopping.

Four good friends who don't see each other nearly enough.

Lesch and Esch looking fresh.

The wedding was a blast but unfortunately all good things must come to an end.  There were some pretty bad storms rolling through STL when I got back.  One of them dumped baseball sized hail down.  Gerald, my trust car, didn’t fare so well.

6 Knee Surgeries Later…

I had my first knee surgery when I was 15.  Another one on the opposite leg a year and a month later.  The next year I was told I had to stop playing sports for my school.  During college, when I wasn’t playing anything, I had four more knee surgeries.  All total six surgeries by the time I turned 22.  I’ve tried physical therapy, medicine, resting, being stronger, nothing seems to help my knees get better. So I knew it was kind of a long shot when I decided that I wanted to run the GO! St. Louis Half Marathon.  But I knew I wanted to try.

I didn’t tell many people, mainly because I kept getting responses like, “You’re doing what??”  or “Dumbass”.  I can’t really argue with those responses.  I figured I’d give it a go anyway.  I knew pain management would be key, and I made a promise to myself and a few of my very concerned friends that if I started doing damage to my knees I would stop.

Sunday April 15th 2012 was the Marathon/Half Marathon.  And lo and behold I was able to do it.  I knew I wasn’t going to win, even in my days as an athlete I was never fast.  I had no real goal except to finish.  So I took my camera along with me so I could capture the race for you through my eyes.  You’re welcome.

Heading out of my apartment to go catch the 5:57 metro.

They put these really nifty water fountain attachments onto the fire hydrants along the route where the water stations were.

Just hanging out at the starting line with all my besties.

This is the friend who I ride bikes with. The same one who I have crashed bikes with. She has killer tan lines. And is also faster than me running. No surprise there.

They didn't know I was taking the picture. From the look of my face I also might have surprised myself. But we were finally moving. Woohoo.

The starting line.

These fun kids came out to watch and cheer us on. How wonderful are they? How could you not help but enjoy yourself when seeing those faces and that excitement?

Another surprise. Kate showed up. On her bike. THe bike wasn't a surprise. Kate is often on a bike. But I didn't know I would be seeing Kate. She even rode her bike with me for a few miles. How wonderful

This is me running. What the really important thing here is my right calf. Go ahead and look at it in all its chiseled glory.

This is right before Kate left to go eat donuts. I apparently surprised myself by taking a picture again. I've got to stop doing that.

These are some more friends that I didn't know were going to be there. They even made me a sign. It said "Sweet Caroline. Run. Run. Run" How clever is that?

These are the first marathon finishers passing me. I still have about three miles to go.

The finish line. It looks surprisingly similar to the starting line, but with far fewer people in front of it.

What great friends. They came out to cheer. And then they took a picture with me when I was all smelly and sweaty.

We Finished!!! Hooray!!!! It's naptime!!!!

 

 

 

Elevator Etiquette

I ride the elevator at work a lot.  I know, I should probably take the stairs.  It would help sculpt my already well defined calves and I wouldn’t have to deal with all the people that have absolutely no elevator etiquette.  Therefore, alleviating a lot of my daily stress.  Too bad I’m too lazy.  Instead of swearing off the elevator I have decided to diagram the proper elevator filling order.  It’s kind of like an electron filling order, but for elevators not atoms.  Same difference.

The main rule governing the filling of elevators is this:

All occupants must fill in such a way as to maximize personal space to all other occupants. 

Really it’s very simple.  But it is a concept that is rarely executed correctly.

1 Occupant

This is easy, where there is only one person you can really stand wherever the heck you want.  You can even push all the other buttons on the elevator and make it light up like a Christmas tree.  Granted, if someone else gets on then you are pretty much screwed because they’ll know it was you.  So use good judgement.

Proper filling for one occupant.

2 Occupants

When there are two occupants on the elevator it is customary for the first person to migrate from the center to one corner/side.  To totally maximize space the second occupant then simultaneously moves to the opposite corner/side.  No one is quite sure what the mechanism is for choosing a side.  Both occupants tend to act simultaneously so there must be some form of understood communication.  Granted this communication often breaks down and both occupants are left on the same side of the elevator.  With only two occupants  in the elevator the occupants are free to roam their respective sides without encroaching on the personal space of the other occupant.

Proper filling for an elevator with 2 occupants.

3 Occupants

When you start getting 3 or more occupants things can get a little tricky.  Ideally, 2 occupants will fill 2 corners on the same side leaving the third occupant to roam the opposite side where the majority of time is spent in the middle of the side.

Proper filling of an elevator with three occupants

4 Occupants

This one’s easy, each occupant should slide into his own corner.  And this point, the degrees of freedom of each occupant are much more limited than they have been previously and each individual must remain in his designated spot until it is either time to exit the elevator or someone else exits the elevator and the stress on the system is relieved.

Proper filling for an elevator with 4 occupants

5 Occupants

With the limited degrees of freedom the filling order becomes much more rigid.  The only acceptable spot for the fifth person to be is in the middle of the elevator.

6+ Occupants

Most likely some occupants will be traveling together and will therefore congregate in their respective spots acting as one occupant.  However, if there are more than 5 people on the elevator it is time to take the stairs, that cable is probably about to snap.

Elevator filling for six or more occupants

Easter Weekend

It was a beautiful weekend, with beautiful weather and beautiful people.  What could make it better?  Bikes.  And lots of them.

It all started out with a little Full Moon Fiasco on Friday night.

Followed by some mountain biking out at Castlewood on Saturday morning.

Turns out Specialized was having a "demo day" where you could ride their bikes. Unfortunately they were just getting things set up as we were leaving. In this case the early birds, being us, did not get the worm, being the bikes. We did get to ride the trails first though so that's OK by me.

We ended the weekend with a nice little 45 mile road ride. Four friends, good bikes, great weather. I live the good life.

Sometimes having your feet attached to your bike has it's "downfalls".

After all that biking we sure were hungry.  So everyone came to my place for an Easter feast.  What a weekend.

 

Rejoice Today!

I entered the dark chapel and sat down by myself.  Alone but completely surrounded by people who share my beliefs.  A flame is lit at the front of the chapel and from that flame a candle.  The fire is passed to each individual in the church, who in turn each light his or her own candle.  The soft candle light grows and swells until the once dark chapel is alive and glowing.  We sing as we pass the fire from one person to the next.

“Christ be our light! Shine in our hearts. Shine through the darkness.  Christ be our light! Shine in your church gathered today.”

We sit and listen to the miraculous works of God starting with creation.  We hear of him protecting and fighting for his chosen people as he led them out of Egypt.  We hear of the foretelling of his son.  When it is time for the Gospel reading we sing the familiar “Alleluia” that has been absent throughout Lent.  I can’t help but smile as I sing the familiar melody and I realize how much I have missed it.

We bless the baptismal waters and then in turn all get blessed with the holy water.  It’s hard not to smile watching Fr. Gary swing his olive branch without abandon doing his best to get everyone as drenched as possible.  The poor soul following him with the bowl of water gets the worst of it.

“As I went down to the river to pray, studyin’ about that good ol’ way and who shall wear the starry crown.  Good Lord, show me the way.  O sisters let’s go down, let’s go down, come on down,  O isters let’s go down, down to the river to pray.”

As the people to be baptized  profess their baptismal vows, the entire congregation renews theirs.  I’m not sure why it’s taken me so long, but this year I really realized how much it sounded like a wedding.

Do you reject Satan? I DO And all his works? I DO And all his empty promises?  I DO…. We all profess our faith loudly each individual voice joining seamlessly with the rest in a booming I DO.  It gave me the shivers.

There were five baptisms this year.  Five individuals who of their own accord decided that this was what they believed and this was the community they wanted to belong to.  After each person there was a raucous applause and singing of “Alleluia”.  The angel choirs of heaven will be hard pressed to surpass the joyous noise we made.

“Alleluia!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!  Alleluia! Alleluia!”

The bread and wine were consecrated and we all shared in a meal, the same meal that Jesus shared with his disciples on the night before he died.

“We are one body, one body in Christ, and we do not stand alone.  We are one body, one body in Christ, and He came that we might have life.  For He tells us: ‘When you eat my body and you drink my blood, I will live in you and you will live in my love.  When you eat my body and you drink my blood, I will live in you and you will live in my love.’ We are one body, one body in Christ, and we do not stand alone.  We are one body, one body in Christ, and He came that we might have life…” 

And with that the Mass has ended.  Let us go in peace to love and serve the Lord.  Thanks be do God.  Alleluia.

And we excited the chapel singing “Rejoice! Today” and that’s exactly what we are doing.

Potential

I’m the odd one out in the lab.  It could be because I am the only member without a second degree beyond my bachelors (although that will be coming soon).  It could also be that in a lab whose members names are John, Jin, Joe, and Jean my name is Caroline.  It could be that I seem to be the one who has the most difficulties in getting experiments to work.  However what one of my coworkers chooses to fixate on is my lack of a significant other.

I’m constantly being asked about who I spend my time with and if they are single.  Recently we got a new french graduate student in the lab.  He came to our lab meeting this week and when he walked in the person sitting across from me kicked me under the table and then gave me a not so subtle wink.

Later that day I heard of her trying to figure out how old he was.  And lo and behold another coworker was asking me how old I was.  Megan and I were discussing the conspicuous nature of our labmates inquiries and she was giving me a hard time.  I pointed out that she was also not married at my age and her response was, “True.  But I had a boyfriend.  I had potential.”

John was walking by at that time and he turned around as she said that and said, “Caroline, don’t let them tell you that.  You are full of potential.”

I’ll keep telling myself that since it turns out the frenchman has a girlfriend already.

Monday Mountain Bike

I’ve concluded that daylight savings time is a great thing.  Mainly because I can now get out for a mountain bike ride after a day at work.  And I’m not the only one doing it.

Seriously, who wouldn't want to come out here after work. Also, it's a good thing those flowers smelled good. Because it was 90 degrees and I sure didn't smell good.

We road just under 12 miles out at Greensfelder Park, most of which were on a black diamond trail.  It was not easy.  I sweat a lot.  It was a ton of fun.

Catching a breath, getting a drink, and getting ready to tackle the next section of trail.

I came to a couple of conclusions while riding yesterday.  First of all, mountain biking is significantly more difficult than road biking.  Secondly, sharing trails with horses is not at all fun.  Largely because they leave their poop everywhere and I frequently have no choice but to ride through it.  And also because their hoofs chop up the trail.  I have never felt as though I needed full suspension on my bike until yesterday when I was riding over areas that should have been flowy and fun and I could hardly hold on to my bike I was getting jostled so badly from the poor trail conditions caused by the horses.  I didn’t just want to point out the problems though.  I’ve also come up with solutions.  Horse owners should have to clean up after their pets just like dog owners do.  And they should also have to wear slippers while on the trail.  I think this would make everyone (everyone meaning mountain bikers) much more happy.

1 Week

Sunday March 18th

 

 

Sunday March 25th.

It’s incredible the difference that a week can make.