Downhills, Art, Fashion Shows & a New Bike!

We stayed close to home during Spring Break week, hitting area parks and getting messy in the basement. This hill is beautiful & my oldest flew down it, smiling the whole way. I'm not going to critique his running form but if you'd like help/suggestions on downhill running technique go here at active.com.

For art ideas, inspiration and resources check out this artist/triathlete's blog. You'll find SO many great things! (lizards, art lessons, sewing projects, tri reports, and incredible refashions!) I'm hoping to profile Carrie & her husband soon! If you have kids, check out her "This is Me" A Kid's First Keepsake Journal.

photos: more from a park trip. A Sandhill Crane. T/E easily navigate the rocks.

photos: I took these at a recent Women's night at our local Trek store. We had yummy burritos from Chipoltle and Trek raffled off a free bike at the end ... and a woman named Sara won! but not me, I heard "Sara" & my heart accelerated. Coach Cindi from Madison Multisport spoke. I took one of her free pre-race clinics in the past & liked it.

And with the kids home, I setup the trainer on the deck for Cutter intervals while our youngest napped.

And finally, hubby bought a new commuting bike. The A/C in his van would cost $2,600 to fix so he decided he'd work on commuting more in the summer & recently brought home his new cyclocross baby.

Questions for You:

What's most interesting to you? Park trip, downhill running, painting, art, fashion shows, burritos, Breaking Away, trainer rides, or a new bike?

If you have kids, how do you like to workout with them at home?

Truitt (8yrs) Talks Trek

This week our son Truitt toured the Trek Factory with his classroom. Only one parent got to chaperone per four classes -- and it wasn't me. Maybe next time!

His brothers and I walked to school pickup this afternoon and on the way home Truitt told me about today's field trip to Waterloo, Wis. to visit Trek Bicycles. I told him I might write about it here on IronMakeover.

The conversation went like this:

T: Mom did you know Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France 7x?
Me: Yes.
T: And when he was retired some other guy won.

While on tour Truitt got to hold a bike frame. "It was extremely light," he says. The Waterloo factory just makes the frames and then the frames go to Whitewater, Wis., where wheels and handlebars are put on, he says.

T: They use really sticky glue on the bike. Your finger could get stuck to it.

Truitt liked the conveyor belt that frames hung underneath. "There was a net under the conveyor belt so if the frame fell it goes down the net and slides," he says.

He says they break the bikes to find the weak spots and the bikes also go through eye inspection and testing. Each frame takes about eight hours to make, he says.

Truitt and his classmates had to wear safety glasses while on the tour. Sometimes it was noisy on the tour. He says the workers "probably work 22 hours a day so they have 2 hours at home and that'd be it."

The group was only allowed on the first level, he says. "You're not allowed on the secret stairs unless you have a pass. Sort of like Coca-Cola--they have a secret recipe and they can't tell you either."

He ended our interview he, "This is Truitt signing off."

From reading Trek's web site I also learned:
- They encourage commuting and have a dedicated commuter room with indoor bike parking and full locker rooms. If you ride 12+ miles to work Trek buys you breakfast or lunch, cool.
- Trek provides loaner bikes for employees needing to run errands or pick up lunch, cool.

Questions for You:
- Have you taken a factory tour?
- What's the coolest field trip you took as a kid?

photo by me: of Truitt riding his nonTrek bike.