The Wee Mermaid has a way with words…and shoes.
Recently she has taken to a flip flop on one foot alongside a rubber galosh on the other.

It makes for a unique visual and auditory experience when she runs hunkered down, clinging with her toes on one foot and her heel (if that is possible) on the other through, say, a McLendons or the mall.

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Meditate on a horse race, with rubber horseshoes, on concrete, and jellyfish tied ’round the ankles and you’ll have it.
It is pretty clear which one is ours.

Somewhere along the line she described her style as “each from each” and she uses it liberally. She has even coerced her sister and together they might insist on nightgowns and ‘each from each’.

Now you know.

I just checked on my old record, set on my Thunderbolt, and let’s just start this off with a subtle statement.

I smashed it.

Cutting to the chase numbers right away:

• Distance = 16.8 mi (perfectly calibrated odometer/speedometer)
• Time = 54min 42s (56 seconds better than my previous record)
• Average = 18.5 mph

With only 400 miles on my Silvio I beat my herculean effort on my Thunderbolt and I did it via Colman Park (not Massachusets hill) which is approximately 2 tenths of a mile further…on the flat that would be about 30-40 seconds…on a hill maybe 1 minute?

Some other points to note about this ride.

• I had a good time going out of the gate, I got lucky on a few lights in Renton and was able to maintain most or all of my momentum without danger.
• I am about 5-8 lbs lighter this year than I was last year.
• I was running light (no bike bin) because I have noticed the aero-drag of the bike-bin.
• I was not nearly as wiped out after this ride as I was in Aug of 08 – I am in better shape and I didn’t lay it all on the line with the ride…I went hard for sure but there was still more in the tank when I was done.
• At the onset of my first real climb I was rockin a 21 mph average over 20 minutes
• After that climb reduced my average to 18+ my flat speed brought it back up to mid 20′s.
• The next big climb through Colman Park took it back down to about 19 and change and if I am not mistaken I crested that hill in the 38th minute and re-attained a 20 mph average before I hit the city riding.

Incidentally, the fact that I wasn’t as tired doesn’t mean a whole lot. I could have TOTALLY spent every last reserve, collapsed at the door and maybe eeked another minute out of my commute? I may try that some day but really the best point is that with roughly the same “level of effort” I can reduce my commute time by nearly 10 percent.

Where 60 minutes used to be a target, now 55 minutes is.
Where 65 minutes used to a norm, now 60 minutes is.

Traffic lights and other factors make a bigger difference than the aerodynamics and weight of my bike for my commute but overall I am extremely happy with this bike and especially my prospects for longer faster rides.

Go Cruzbike!

La Petite Mermaid gladly made her way to her first day of school; ever.

This event won’t ever happen again and I stayed home to document it with the following four thousand words.

As an aside I don’t think I will ever be able to see pink again either.
’nuff said.