Brrrr

Sunday morning we planned to do a 40mi ride beginning in Pleasant Hill to Danville, up the back side of Mt Diablo to the Junction and back. The forecast was cold and rain so my coach changed the route so we wouldn't be decending the wet, steep mountain roads.

The alternative route was to take us out to the city of Crockett and back. We were about 15 minutes into the warm-up when the raindrops began to fall. After an hour or so we cut the ride short - it was wet & dang cold.

The great reward of a ride like this is the hot shower & flannel jammies waiting at home.

Up Next...

I'm riding around Lake Tahoe! I've been selected to mentor the spring season as they train for America's Most Beautiful Ride.

The season kicks off on Jan 31 and on June 7 we'll circumnavigate the highways clockwise around Lake Tahoe in both Nevada and California. It includes a challenging 800 foot climb to a rest stop overlooking Emerald Bay and a 1,000 foot climb to Spooner Junction. There are also many short rolling ascents and descents totaling over 2,600 vertical feet of elevation gain! The altitude ranges between 6,300 feet and 7,100 feet above sea level and the ride is recommended for conditioned recreational bicyclist, not for beginners. Team in Training participants get an added out and back on Highway 89/ Bike Trail to visit historic Truckee, California, before continuing around Lake Tahoe.

Are you interested in joining the TEAM? Click here: to find an information meeting near you

The Route

Click here to see the map of the route. You can see the terrain, satelite view, elevations, streets etc.

We covered a lot of ground.

We Did It!

Team Papa! Together we raised over $15,000 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society: Good job, girls. It was a joy to train and ride with you.

Before:

Self portrait at mile 20ish:

The long climb, at the heat of the day, about mile 60:

After:

THANK YOU for your support. I couldn't have done this without you!

The End Is Near

We had our last official team ride on Saturday. 50 miles. Easy.

Tomorrow we have our un-official biker chicks ride of 30 miles. Easy.

Thursday we begin the trip south. Friday we have carbo-loading pasta party.

Saturday I complete 100 miles. Easy?

I'm $1,000 away from my fundraising goal. That's just $10/mile on event day. Can you help? Donations still accepted!

80 Miles

Ow.

Goodnight!

Details of the ride from my coach's cycle computer: 80 miles; 4,162 feet of climbing; and 4493 calories burned (she said since I rode longer I burned more than that).

View Larger Map
I woke up hungry and still a little sleepy. I'm at work and trying to kick my brain into gear. Wish me luck.

The view for 99% of the day:
A beautiful day:
My thoughts at mile 69 when Merla wouldn't give me a ride:

A First Time for Everything

Last night we did our weekly climb up Mt. Diablo and I encountered three firsts.
1) Flat tire
2) Fall - I unclipped right foot, bike leaned left. Wheeee - here I go! Just a scraped elbow & knee. I'm fine.
3) Bite marks on right knee/thigh - how does The Beast jump so high? I guess she was mad about the crash.

The ride was great. Saturday we have 80 miles in Marin.

Cycling Makes Everything Better

Saturday began as a horrible awful no-good day. I woke up at 5AM (too early) but finally fell back asleep about 6.30 (I need the sleep before the 70 mi ride. I woke up again, tired and hoping for some more sleep but when I looked at the clock it was 8AM. Yikes! I have to be on the bike and ready to roll in one hour.

I scramble through my morning routine, skip the usual pre-ride breakfast - no time! Run out the door and back inside a few times to grab forgotten water bottles, gloves, helmet. I'm late, I'm late for a very important date!

One sacrafice I can't make pre-ride is the Peet's coffee stop. Ugh! Ethiopian is the drip of choice today. I HATE ETHIOPIAN (coffee, not the people or the food) So I order a latte and pastry for breakfast. UGH! Latte is too hot to drink and it never cools during the drive. I arrive at Orinda BART and still have no caffine in my system. This ride is going to be hard.

I see Jen H getting out of her car so I pull in the spot next to her, make a face and miss the stop before hitting the parking bumper - SCRAPE!!!!! A very subtle entry.

Coach K.Sue gathers us all together with great news: the ride will only be 56 miles but there will be about 2800 ft of climbing. We head out into the shady winding roads of Orinda, riding in an unofficial pace line. All of a sudden everyone in front of me slows & the rider behind me screams (yes, screams) SLOWING! This throws me off, I can't stop in time, I swerve to the right to miss the bike inches in front of me, I manage to unclip enough to pad the fall, I land in a fluffy pile of fallen Oak leaves - soft? no. I'm up in 2 seconds and looking for a gap in the line to rejoin the team. Coach comes back down the line "Is there a rider down?" "oh yea, that was me... continuing the worst day ever"

I put my frustration into the pedals and ride - after about 20 miles my mind has wandered off and I'm enjoying the day. My ride group had four or five flat tires - so it turned into a long day. Seven hours on the seat is more than I wanted. But I finished strong and felt good through the whole journey. From Orinda to Danville to Pleasanton to Castro Valley to Moraga to Orinda. Phew!

One of the tiny hills of the day:
Turn baby, turn:

I know - my complaints are nothing compared to what cancer patients go through. Please help me help LLS find a cure. Donations still accepted I'm 68% to my fundraising goal.

Pardon the Interruption

Well it's been a busy & difficult few weeks. I apologize for the delays.

First I traveled north for a few weddings in one weekend. I hoped to get a ride in the altitude to work my lungs. Mother Nature had other plans.

I returned home with the stomach Flu on Monday & on Friday had to put down my dog, Timm. Saturday's ride will help to clear the cobwebs!

I was ready to roll for our 70 miler. However, "the beast" as she's now been named had other plans. Here's a picture of me explaining my gear issues at SAG stop 1. The cable tension was off and the problem was either caused by or exaggerated a cracked link in my chain. So what should have been an amazing ride of rollers and beautiful scenery through some of my dad's favorite day trip destinations was cut short. I left the ride at mile 45.

The bike has been fixed and I am ready for action this weekend. A new and interesting post to come soon.

Thank you for your patience.

Calaveras Road

View Larger Map
What an exciting weekend ride we had. To start things off we had the first weekend of rain, would the ride go as scheduled? No, rather than our early 8AM roll time coach pushed back the time to allow the roads to dry a bit. On our way to meet the team traffic came to a screeching halt and the highway was closed due to police action. Everyone from Oakland/Berkeley/SF/Marin was going to be stuck in this mess. We hit the road over an hour later than scheduled but had a beautiful ride from Dublin/Pleasanton BART to Calaveras Reservoir

It's great to explore so many areas of the Bay Area. Have you ever been to Sunol? What a cute little town. I want to go back & explore.

The ride included a 12 mile climb of 1,105ft and 1,032ft decent. Hills have been hard for me but Coach Marc complimented me on my cadence. It's good to know I'm improving. I'm still a bit nervous on the downhill since my hands are too small to comfortably grip my breaks. Coach Mark rode downhill with me and complimented my technique. So while I may not be the first up or down the hill at least I look good doing it!

A quick reminder of why I'm doing this:
Leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma will cause the deaths of an estimated 52,910 people in the United States this year. These blood cancers will account for nearly 9.4 percent of the deaths from cancer in 2008 based on the 565,650 total cancer-related deaths.

Every ten minutes, another child or adult is expected to die from leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma. This statistic represents nearly 145 people each day, or six people every hour.

Leukemia causes more deaths than any other cancer among children and young adults under the age of 20.

Help us find a cure for blood cancers with a donation?

I Miss You

The Mark of The Beast

 I've re-named my bike "The Beast". How great is it that I can obtain gear makrs within 30 seconds of unloading the bike from the car. I haven't even climbed onto the saddle and she bites me.

Sunday was a great ride... read below.

Day 2... more riding

 Saturday I finished 42+miles so I thought it would be a great idea to join the Sunday Buddy Ride in the east county for another 30+ with climbing.

I thought it was a good idea until we hit the 1000' elevation sign on
Mt Diablo when coach Mike says "yay we are half way there". "Which half?" I ask. "The easy half" he answers. Great. Keep legs moving, it's hot, it's dry. I stop in the shade for a drink and astange man arrives dripping in sweat to report to me that his thermometers report it's anywhere between 95-102.

I climb a little more, I'm exhausted, it's hot and I dismount to walk a bit. While resting again in a tiny patch of shade Coach K Sue comes down the hill looking for me. She gives a little pep talk, I think she "lies" a little bit to get me going. Sure it's flattening out! Sure it's more shady! Sure! Thanks to her I make it to the top, on the bike, pedaling.

This picture is of me during the rest after going 30 miles, the last 6 of which were a climb of 2,200ft in 102 degree heat. I'm smiling because it's all downhill from here.

The things I'll do to help find a cure for cancer!

Forty pt 1

  At least the marks are getting smaller. Today we rode from Sausalito up through San Anselmo and Fairfax. We missed the turn to Nicasio and ended up in Samuel P Taylor State Park. It was a beautiful day for 40+miles. Tomorrow we ride 40 in the east bay - up Mt Diablo!

Today - By The Numbers

Miles - the longest one day ride so far. I'm doing back to back 40s this weekend.




Days to go. The event is almost here!







More than half way to my fundraising goal

Ch Ch Ch Change (is accepted)

Coinstar! – did you know that if you put your change in a Coinstar machine, you have the option of donating that money directly to LLS? There are over 13,000 Coinstar machines (most in supermarkets – go to www.coinstar.com to find a machine near you).

Collect your change (and anyone else’s - but you should probably ask them first). When you use the Coinstar machine, simply select the "donate" option at the beginning of the transaction and follow the on-screen prompts to select LLS as your non-profit organization of choice. Then pour in your change; the machine counts the coins, and then provides a tax-deductible receipt for the full value of the donation. Send a copy of the receipt to me and I’ll get credit toward my fundraising goal.

Easy! Plus Coinstar doesn’t charge their regular fee for nonprofit donations. http://www.coinstar.com/us/PressReleases/941379

Exhausted Just Reading This?

Here's a quick breakdown of my weekend. I'll try to get some pictures up soon.

Friday Night: Carbo-load dinner, drink lots of water, fall asleep by 9pm

Saturday:
5:30 - wake up before alarm and wonder if it's worth it to fall back asleep for another 30 mins, toss & turn until alarm.
6:00 - Get out of bed. Make breakfast, 2 scrambled eggs & bowl of oatmeal. Drink water. Pack equipment.
6:30 - Load bikes into car, pick up coffee to go, drive to meet the team.
8:00 - Arrive at Pt. Reyes National Seashore. Stretch legs. Chat with friends.
8:30 - Team talk, I win a fund-raising prize (thanks to all who have given so generously), Coach Michael teaches us how to change a tire.
9:00 - We gather in our new ride packs and practice changing our own tires. I'm the first in my group to finish - It's a dirty job and not too hard. Phew & knock on wood that I don't actually have to do this on the road.
10:30 - We hit the road leaving Pt Reyes and pedaling 42+miles through Inverness, Nicassio and Olema. We learned how ride in a pace line. I learned that you can pedal slow and move uphill at the speed a sleeping sloth and make it to the top still upright & breathing.
3:30 - The finish line is in sight! Finally get off the bike, find my legs, stretch, change out of sweaty chamois, regroup with all the other ride packs.
4:00 - Wandered my way over to the Honoree Picnic to hear the stories of the honorees we are riding for this season. Two teammates riding along side me are blood cancer survivors - they are alive today because of research done by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. We listened to their stories, ate some of the best burritos in the world and headed home.
6:30 - Arrive at home sweet home for a hot shower.
7:00 - realize we are too late to attend my friend Carey's fund-raising event.
8:00 - Pass out on the couch.
9:00 - Head to bed for a well deserved night of sleep.

Sunday
7:00 - Wake up... still tired (physically) but no longer able to keep eyes closed. Tummy is grumbling. Wonder where I should go for breakfast & 30 mile recovery ride.
8:00 - Coffee & Noah's bagel enjoyed while reading the paper. Still wondering what to do for the 30 mile recovery ride.
12Noon - Head to the gym to ride the stationary bike - 1 hour, 18 miles are all I can handle.
1:30 - Time for another fund-raiser. My former running team-mate, Belinda is training for an Iron Man. I spend the afternoon in the park playing kick-ball, drinking beers, eating hot-dogs, chatting with friends.
8:00 - Pass out on the couch, from exhaustion not from the beers.

What did you do with your weekend?

 

Here's the latest bike mark

Woops.

 Apparently it's a "rookie move" to end up with gear grease & chain marks on your legs. FYI - That stuff is hard to get off. I've take 3 showers since that shot & there is still a faint mark.

Riding in Honor of...

Malana
This picture is clipped to the front of my bike so she can enjoy the scenery as I ride for her and the many living with and fighting blood cancer.

Here's her short story as we were introduced to her by her great-aunt who is one of my TEAM-mates.

She was diagnosed with leukemia just a couple of months before her second birthday. What started as bruises and bumps became a series of tests, including bone marrow, then the leukemia (ALL) diagnosis. I was very relieved to hear that ALL is the most treatable kind of leukemia. (Thanks LLS!!). Malana has been in treatment now for about 18 months. For some aspects, her reaction to the treatment has been better than expected, but she continues to have significantly elevated ANC and ALT-phosphorus levels, and her doctors have not been able to explain.

She seems to be taking all of her treatments in stride. She's even willing to show her third nipple (her port) to anyone who asks about it. She has the greatest smile and loves to hug and be hugged (but don't we all?)

Would you like to help find a cure for Malana? Click here to:Make a tax-deductible donation to LLS

A Busy & Quiet Week

During the climb of Papa Bear on Saturday Coach Mark told me this ride was the "come to Jesus" moment in training. It's during this ride that participants realize that the mid-week workouts are the important part of training. Yes, I found Jesus that day. This week has been filled with workouts.

On Monday I went to the gym for some cardio (eliptical) and strength (circuit weights). It was good to get the blood flowing through the muscles after the hard weekend ride.

Tuesday night I rode 15 miles around Alameda. I practiced clipping in & out of the pedals, changing hand positions on the handle bars, pedaling one legged, fighting the winds off the bay.

Thursday night I put in 20 miles along the East Shore of the San Francisco Bay Trail. We rode from Emeryville (Davenport Mini Park) to Point Richmond (Lucrita Edwards Park)

As we finished up the ride last night I realized how lucky I am. Riding along the shore past tidal flats and marsh lands, watching herons fly, dogs playing, listening to the wind, watching the sun set over San Francisco. It was a great reminder to not take my blessings for granted. Here was the view at the end of our ride:

Fundraising news: It's been a very quiet week. Please make some noise & drop some cash in my account. Help me fund a researcher, help me fund the aid to patient families, help me find a cure. Donations of any amount help. Contribute now

Up next: Sunday will include a 35-40 mile ride called Paradise Loop

Triple Crowner & 1/2 Iron Man

My friend, Phil, earned his TNT triple crown and became a 1/2 Iron Man this past weekend. Too many honorees on his shirt, including my dad (see pic below).

Help us find a cure for blood cancer, make a donation today.



Thanks Phil! You are an inspiration. Go take a rest.

Grrrr-rrrr-rrrr-rah

Tell the whole damn world I finished bear territory.

To those who know local bike rides I finished the Three Bears! Don't I look happy? (that's me on the left)
This was my 3rd ride with the team. It was my first time being clipped into pedals. It was my first time climbing hills. I'm pretty darn proud of myself.

We rode 23+ miles (climbed 1060ft, decended 1096ft) in 95+ heat. I finished in just under 3 hours. My top speed (coasting downhill) was approx. 25mph. My slow speed (climbing Papa Bear) was about 2mph. I learned that I don't like going faster than 20mph on the downs.

It was hard. It was awesome. I'm exhausted but not too sore.

Fundraising update: To date I have 62 donations for a total of $3,995.55 (an average of $64 per donor) - I'm 53% of the way to my personal fundraising goal. Would you like to add to the total? Please make a donation.

Here's the map of our route:

Who Knew?

Upper body strength is important in cycling. I had no idea how weak I was until this past weekend's ride. We did another 20 miler but this time hills were part of the fun.

Let me confirm what I've always expected - I've got legs. My strength has always been my lower body. I can squat a lot of weight. My legs felt fine up & down all 20 miles.

My arms wanted to detach and run for the hills. At about mile 16 I wanted to pull over & rest - I could barely hold myself up to steer. It was a struggle to lift my recovery drink (ice cold beer) to my lips. I had to ask for help to take the cap off my Chap-stick, seriously.

So I need to talk to the coaches about what to do to build up my arms. I'm also switching from a mountain bike frame to a road bike in hopes that the "fit" will ease the pressure on my spindly little limbs.

Fundraising Update: I am now at 49% of my personal fundraising goal. Please help me reach the $7,500 finish line with a donation today.

What's the Difference?

Pizza and beer are allowed during the training for a century! I hoped there would be something to love about this sport.

The run team coaches are wonderful people and they want the best for their athletes. So they strongly encourage a healthy diet while training. They are so good at their job that most team members are afraid to indulge in a treat that includes processed white flour or fermented fruits or grains.

The cycle team on the other hand... WOW what a difference. After our first 20 mile team ride nobody batted an eye when the table was served multiple beers and cheeseburgers. Last night we had a social at a pizza joint.

I think I can get used to this.

In fundraising news... As of this morning I'm at 40% of my $7,500 goal. Want to help? Please make a donation

He Would Have Had Fun

This weekend I missed the second coached ride because I was camping at Malakoff Diggins. I'm sad to have missed a ride with the TEAM but this weekend was a great way to remember the fun I had with my dad. One of my favorite birthday parties was a weekend camping in Malakoff with him and a few of my friends. He spent a weekend in the wilderness with 10 pre-teens!

Here are a few pictures from our last trip to Malakoff together circa 2004. You'll notice my dad doesn't skimp on supplies or luxury while camping. He can pack more stuff into a station wagaon than anyone I know. Camping with him was not really "roughing it".

First Ride

Here's a picture of me and Kieran following my first team ride. Actually it's my first ride in almost 15 years. Don't I look pretty happy after finishing 20 miles? Things I learned:
1) I need to eat more than 2 scrambled eggs to fuel my body for a ride of that length
2) A cheeseburger & beer is a great reward for 20 miles.
3) A certain body part hurts after sitting for 20 miles.
4) You never forget how to ride a bike.

... and now back to our regularly scheduled charity

I spent the past 10 days in the hot LA sun, painting a house - no shade in sight. I wore sunscreen, I wore a hat, I protected my delicate skin. On the drive home we camped in Big Sur - it was foggy - typical of the CA coast. In one 2hour nap on the overcast beach my face ended up burned to a crisp. I even have little spots of burn on my feet, in the pattern of my Keens. Great! Anyway the work we did in LA was good and we all had a fantastic time.

Now I'm home and ready to focus on this bike riding thing. I missed the first team orientation and ride. This weekend I'm joining a 20 mile buddy ride in SF - I assume along the Great Hwy. I'm nervous and excited to begin.

You have all been great support as I begin this adventure. Lots of cheers and even more generous with the donations. THANK YOU for all the donations that arrived during my travels:
-Abernethys
-Kapplers
-Henleys
-Suttons
-Smiths
-Stephensons
-McNabbs
-Oxleys
-Vanderveen/Bawolskis
-Stephens
-Blessings
-Zadows
-Lanes
-Ortas
-McKees
-Frys
-Crawfords
-McDonalds
-Needhams
-DeGuzman
-Louch

Want your name in lights? It's easy to make a secure online donation

My Other Charitable Work

Each summer, and sometimes in the winter I participate in a mission trip with the teens from my church. This year we are doing an "urban plunge" - working closer to home. I won't be posting any cycle training updates for about 10 days. Wonder where I am? I'm here

For the next 10 days I'll be traveling with, hanging out, working hard and laughing alongside 20 teenagers. I know you are jealous.

More to come when I return.

Also... Team Support Sarah continues to grow. The newest member is Lori L. Welcome to the team!

Would you like to join? Membership is easy!

More THANKS

Welcome to the Putnams, Schropfers, Pete S, Lydia N & Donna P to team Support Sarah".

Do you want to be part of my team? JOIN NOW

Today I'm at 8% of my fundraising goal.

Off To An Early Lead

Donations already? Yes! THANK YOU to
Phil, Sharyn, Rudy, Leslie, Ping, Sarah A, Lori & Linda for kick-starting my fundraising efforts.

I have yet to don a helmet, clip into pedals, touch a bike and you have given early and generously.

Donations of any amount will help me reach my goal of $7,500 and support The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society fund research and provide patient care to many in need.

Thank you for your support. I can't wait to get started on the bum-aching training.

and now we are TEAM-mates

I just found out that my TNT running coach, Mama Lisa, will be my team mate for the cycle season. So fun!

Kick-Off is on Saturday morning. We'll meet our whole team, our small groups, our coaches, mentors, honorees. We'll get inspired to ride & raise money. I'm so looking forward to this new callenge.

I joined 24Hour Gym to help my mid-week training. Hopefully I'll get my muscles strong, my cardio up to snuff & meet the time required for my event.

Keep me in your thoughts... I'm going to need all the support I can get.

Now Accepting Donations

Give a little it means a lot

A Century = 100 miles in one day... on a bike!

Yes, I'm crazy. Yes, I signed up to train for a 100 mile bike ride. Between Aug - Nov I'll be riding between 40-100+ miles per week. Why? To raise money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

The event I plan to participate in is Solvang's Finest Century Apparently this is a timed event so not only do I have to learn how to ride a bike, I have to ride it fast so I can finish before they close the course.

Wish me luck! If you would like to take up the challenge yourself attend an info meeting with Team In Training

My fundraising information will be posted soon.

Absentee Blogger

I apologize for not posting more frequently. I'm in the off season and not much is going on. Next week I will attend the informational meeting on the Solvang Century (100 mile) Bike Ride. Kick-off for the fall cycle season will be Aug 2. I'm sure I'll have lots of new posts in a month.

What am I thinking?

Feel The Burn

The elliptical machine is my new friend. The first time I tried this machine it felt so awkward but last night I felt in balance & at home.

I started the workout session with 20 minutes on the bike, got bored. I dared to try the elliptical again. I finished 30 minutes on the elliptical (2 min. sections going forward & then reverse, increasing incline & resistance every 4 mins). By the end I had a great sweat going and a bit of muscle ache. I know why people dig that contraption. The workout finished in the weight room doing a few machines of arms & legs and a stretch.

I only have 45 day free pass and I feel like I'm not going to get the most out of the freebies. Life is busy but I'll get to the gym as often as possible. Unfortunately that might be only 1x/week. Better than nothing I guess. It's not that I'm not working out on the other six days. We continue to have the 3.2 mile run around Lake Merritt on Tuesdays. I've also got time to play soccer again and I scheduled a few hikes with the dogs.

So summer will be a mish/mash of exercise. Apparently the cycle season begins on Aug 2. Soon I will be sharing stories of that crazy adventure.

Back to work!

What is....?

The large plasma screens set up in front of the bikes at the gym help to pass the time. Last night I finished my workout while watching an episode of Jeopardy! Is it poor gym etiquette to blurt the answers out loud? Too bad. This gym isn't high class. I've only been twice but let me tell you these gym rats are low on work-out manners.

At the center of the gym there is a nautilus circuit where you move from machine to machine and do one minute on each. There is a sign explaining this. Each machine is numbered. So you should wait for machine "1" to be free work for 60 seconds then move to the next, until you complete the circuit. If you want to do your 5 reps at your own pace please move to the free weights room in the back. Don't jump from "1" to "4" to "8" Also, don't sit on the machine to cool down & catch your breath. Sheesh people.

But I got a good 1.5 hour workout in which was good because our team blew off the buddy run Tues. By the time I got home & showered I was starving. Funny that.

Tonight the plan is to take the doggies out on a hike since I'm leaving them unsupervised for the weekend. It's the least I can do to keep them happy.

Another post will arrive on Monday.

Pumping Up

I received a 45 day free pass to that little known gym that's open all night. Yesterday I was ready to activate the pass and get a little workout routine started. Unfortunately it was a holiday and the on-site manager wasn't authorized for passes longer than 14 days. I was allowed to utilize the gym for the day but must go back & meet with an official official, do the paperwork, listen to their spiel, blah blah blah before I get my limited time all access pass.

I found by way to the bike for a warm-up before heading to the nautilus circuit. Wow my arms are weak & my legs are strong. I could do between 20-30lb reps on the arm equipment but 150lb leg presses were no problem. I continue to be a lower body girl. My plan is to build up my core & arm strength by the end of the 45 days.

Following the weights I had my first experience with the eliptical machine. That is the weirdest most awkward sensation I've ever had in a gym. It felt so unnatural but I stuck with it for 30 minutes. I would do 2-5mins forward & 2-5mins in reverse. Going backwards felt so much easier & more natural. I really had to concentrate on that thing. But wow what a great sweat!

In addition to the weights & aerobics my goal is to be concientious about stretching. This will be the biggest challenge of them all.

The team season is winding down. We have the final two events in June and then Team "Because We Can" will disband. I hope the new participants found what they were looking for with TNT. I also hope some of them will continue to attend the Tuesday night buddy runs. It's a nice routine to have.

Hopefully this next 45 days will kick-start my weight loss.

Recovery

It's been ten days since The Ave and I still don't feel 100%. My muscles feel OK but the stupid cold refuses to leave me. I am up all night coughing so I'm short on sleep. I tried to join the buddy run around the lake on Tuesday and barely made it out one mile before turning back to the start.

I'm looking forward to feeling myself again - soon. Phlegm be gone!

The Third Time's The Charm

This is the happy face of a finisher! Last year I crossed the finish in 3:08:39, my goal was to beat that time, my dream was to finish under 3 hours. I wasn't sure my dream was possible since I spent the week before the race with a head and chest cold. I woke up on Saturday with what I feared might be the start of an ear infection.

I headed north with hopes that 5 hours in the car would scare the germs away. It seemed to work - by Saturday evening I was feeling pretty good & getting excited to return to The Ave.

With a year of running under my belt I was able to keep up with my teammates and have people to talk with through the course. Last year I ran most of the event alone. I felt good and strong. I was able to stop to take pictures, cheer on my friends and enjoy the course.

At about mile 5 I began to feel a blister forming on my left foot so I removed my Superfeet orothotic insert and ran "lopsided". It worked, no blisters!

Everything was going great. I estimated my time between 12-13 minute miles, if I kept that pace I'd kick this race in the rear. Then I got to mile 8 and realized I needed a potty break. Oh, no I broke the seal. From then to the finish I had to stop at EVERY porta-potty along the course. This will definately slow me down.

Mile 10 brought calf cramps - no! Must drink more electrolytes. Must take another Gu.

Mile 11 brought thoughts of my dad and tears. He won't be at the finish line to greet me with a jug of beer. I think I have a sense of what it feels like to have asthma. It's hard to run and breathe while crying.

Mile 12 brought Lolo! Thank God, I needed some support & distraction. She ran me to the finish line.

I completed The Ave 2008 and beat my goal and my dream came true. I crossed the finish line in 2:59:54. I beat my course record by 8 minutes 45 seconds, I beat my personal best (Nike 1/2 2007 3:00:04) and can now hang up my running shoes.

Up next... a few months of rest and then I take on the challenge of a century cycle: Solvang's Finest 100 Miles.

Albums:
My photos
Kieran's photos