It is amazing to me how much can be learned at any age and how much of our lives are in our control and then, conversely, how much happens despite our best efforts to remain in charge.  I have learned how to build a website, how to communicate via Facebook and Twitter (my daughter tells me that Pintrest is the new black and I just can’t bring myself to go there, to be honest.  Overload!), how to train on a bike with more intensity than I even knew I had.  All of these things are relatively minor when I think about what has happened in the last three years.  You will notice I didn’t say three SHORT years because they haven’t been all that short.

When we raced RAW in 2010, Ann and I were novices to endurance cycling, or team racing for that matter. In fact, we really didn’t even know each other. We were taken under the wing of a couple of experienced racers who gently guided us through the joys of doing something exceptionally glorious on a bike.  However, the moment we crossed the finished line in Durango, I looked at my new-found friend and saw a look that mirrored my own.  We were not done.  We had more to achieve.  I think at that moment neither of us understood what achievement(s) we were thinking about.  On the surface, we wanted to complete the entire race.  To do RAAM.  We began talking, planning, talking some more and, ultimately began to learn.  A lot.  We decided that doing RAAM was not enough, we wanted to make a mark and leave something of a legacy for all women (or people, really) who never envisioned themselves as athletes, or active, or reaching for something completely, seemingly, off the charts.  At that instant, we realized that racing RAW was for ourselves but racing RAAM would go way beyond “just us”.  We found a non-profit that we believed in, we assembled a crew (rookies mostly), we found a team, we began the arduous task of fund-raising, and the even harder task to find some exposure to get our message out there.  Our goals were to win the women’s team division (which we did), to set a new course record (which we did not), do some good for our community via our non-profit (which we think we did), and open the eyes of the masses to what can be done at any age with a bit of determination.  When we reached Annapolis in 2012, unbeknown to us in advance, there were people, women and men whom we did not know but had followed our progress on social media (go figure) and through the RAAM website (also, go figure) who wanted to see us finish.  We received emails from around the country talking about us as “inspiring”. Inspiring? Really?  Perspiring, perhaps.  When I looked at Ann at that moment, once again I saw a look that I was familiar with.  We were not done.  Not even yet.  This had gone beyond what we had anticipated.

So, in keeping with the learning theme, and I should mention that even though learning happens, it is not always an easy or quick process. For example,  I am still working on conversational Spanish.  So, in keeping with the learning theme, we debriefed and wondered where we should go from there.  What Ann and I realized is that we would like to encourage everyone, EVERYONE to get on their bikes.  Is it necessary to ride across the country?  No.  Is riding across the country possible with the right mindset?  You bet your A . . . . er . . . . tush.   Realistically, we would like to see everyone with the OPPORTUNITY to ride their bikes wherever and whenever they would like.  To the grocery store.  To the park. To the beach. To school.  And yes, across the country.

How to do that? Well,  Love, Sweat, & Gears is now a non-profit, and let me tell you – riding across the country is so much easier than filling out the monumental paperwork for the IRS– Holy Cow do they have red tape.   Our mission is to educate and encourage people of all ages to embrace cycling as a means to excellent health. Women, men, children, no age cutoff. Ultimately we would like to sponsor and support participants in RAAM or another distance ride, annually. We are partnering with another non-profit this for this years ride.  Bikes for Kids whose mission is to do exactly what the name implies, which is to get bikes in the hands of or on the backsides of as many children as possible, which they can do for a mere $100.00/child.  We take this part of our learning and our mission very seriously.

Do we want a course record?  Same bet on that same tush as before.  Just take a look at the racers on team Love, Sweat, & Gears 2013, no secret there what we are after.  But more importantly, we want to kindle the spark of interest into the flame of a movement.  Joyous riding on a bike, anywhere, anytime, with anyone.

See you in Oceanside!

I can’t give you a good reason as to why it has taken me six months to write another post about our unbelievable adventure. Was it extraordinary? Yes, Was it everything we hoped for? Yes. Was it beyond – like really beyond? Yes. Would we do it again? In a heartbeat. I cannot describe what it is like to see the country unfold before your very eyes while in the saddle of a bike, with 14 of your closest, and I mean that in a literal sense, friends. Seeing the footage that Jim shot last summer brought it all back to me in a very real, gut touching, heart rendering way. Although, to be honest, there are some parts I don’t have a completely unobstructed memory of, I am putting it all together piece by piece, pedal stroke by pedal stroke, day by day, night by night, moment by moment, hope by hope. I have done many, many challenging things in my life, not the least of which was raising a couple of pretty spectacular women in conjunction with the hunk, but never something as all-encompassing as RAAM. The amount of planning and strategizing that went into a nearly flawless execution was in and of itself a Mt. Everest. The riding was almost easy in comparison. Rallying together a crew who, heaven bless them, were as committed to our goal as we were, dotting all the “i’s”, crossing the “t’s”, learning not to worry when worry might as well be my middle name was, well, was.

So, what do you do with this type of experience so that it will become a foundation for something learned, something used, something to take into the future? I think that is one reason for the delayed post. I could write about how many reps we did, what our studly training looked like, how many miles we rode, what fabulous athletes we all are to conquer wind, heat, rain, equipment malfunction, personality collapses, and a myriad of other stuff that I read on blogs ad nauseum. Or how about a race recap? Day one we did this, day two we did more of this, day three, yep, we did it again . . . yawn. Or how about posting pictures of all the meals we had and the load of training fuel we sipped . . . gag. No, the reality is, and I want to make certain everybody knows this, we are not all that amazing. We did what most could do if their minds were set. And that is the point. Find a goal, find a dream, go for it. Simple as that. The work that goes into meeting a goal will be huge and should be expected, so why talk about that? How many times have I said to the aforementioned spectacular women in my life (who, coincidentally share the same last name as me and my hunk) “Of course it is hard. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it”? You’d have to ask them but I think it is bordering in the millions. You know your mother always told you that there would come a time that your words come back to haunt. There it is. The haunting phrase – “Of course it is hard”. That was one mantra rolling through that vast open space between my ears on many, many occasions during RAAM. That, and “WHO GETS TO DO THIS? MEEEEEEEEEEE!” and, of course “What, another dead frog (or toad, was never really certain which was which) in the road?” Pretty simple, actually.

In the end, Ann and I took our experience, both cognitive and physical, and have started our own non-profit. Love, Sweat & Gears is now an official non-profit corporation with the mission to involve and educate the universe (ok, maybe not the space aliens) to the joy and health benefits of endurance cycling. That is a bit of an embellishment but is the general idea. We intend to provide training and structure for anyone interested in any sort of endurance experience from bicycle touring to racing an endurance event. Our goal is to field a RAAM team annually. Will we be riding ourselves? Just wait and see . . . . . .

RAAM race start for team riders is 20 days from today. We have been so busy training, haven’t even had the time to blog. It is hard to believe that in less than three weeks we will be at the start in Oceanside. Something Ann and I have been planning for 2 years and have been hard at work with Amy and Dina for the past year.

I look at my teammates and I see lean, fit, hardworking athletes. I think all of us have reached a level of fitness beyond what we have ever achieved before. We have ridden at dawn, we have ridden at night, we have ridden in the heat, we have ridden in the cold (not without lots of complaining from yours truly – yes, I am a wee bit wimpy on the cold thing), we have ridden indoors, outdoors, with watts, without watts. We have raced and raced and raced some more. We have trained on very little sleep and we have rested. We are physically ready to accept this challenge.

However, as ready as we are there are so many unknowns out there. The weather is completely out of our control. The prediction in the Farmers Almanac is not a pretty one. Of course as soon as I Googled the Farmers Almanac, I Googled how accurate the weather predictions really are in the Farmers Almanac. One source said it was 2% better than guessing. I am ok with that, actually. We are all guessing throughout this entire race. Another huge unknown is navigating 3000 miles without getting lost. We have assembled a crack crew who are so dedicated to us and our success it is a little bit scary. They have researched maps, poured over Google earth, talked to past crew chiefs and members and explored every angle and scenario that could take place during the race. And yet, there still is the scenario we haven’t counted on. That is the one that is sure to happen, right?

This sort of thing can teach a self a lot about that same self. I like all my ducks in a row. Checked and rechecked. Dotted I’s and crossed T’s – all that stuff. Well, guess what? I can’t do that in RAAM. I have to be, heaven help me, flexible. Might as well make me pedal over Wolf Creek Pass blindfolded. I don’t do flexible. I do perfect planning much better. So, am I waking up a 2 am most days pondering details and feeling I should be on my bike instead of in bed? Oh yes. In fact, I bought a new pillow today hoping maybe that will help the tossing and turning. I also bought a new purse at the same time which has separate compartments for everything in an organized and compulsive way. The yin and the yang are always available at TJMaxx, if you are wondering.

Adventure is waiting. I am guessing that even more learning will take place. I am positive that the outcome will be more on the positive side than the negative. We all hope to emerge with a deeper understanding of ourselves, of each other, of human nature and of our gorgeous country as we explore the grandeur and the beauty from of all unlikely places, a bicycle.

Let’s ride!!

There comes a time when the body starts a very slow rebellion. I would say decline but decline sounds like it is a passive thing. You coast down a decline. The body tends to rebel while the spirit is still sending the signals to go, go, GO and the body says “oh yeah? Make me”. We all try and make the body go but it will only go so far, so fast, and for so long.

My body took a little longer to rebel, I think. One of my favorite things to do after a race, even into my (very) late 40’s was to hang out inconspicuously around the results print out and wait for someone to take a close look at the top 10 female finishers and invariably I would hear that someone say “Holy sh. . . ! Look how OLD this one is and she’s in the top ten!” I would smile and walk off. Ok, skip off. Day is done. Better than a medal. I am pretty certain I could still be a top 10 finisher at this age but the race would have to be a smaller one. Like say, ten people. Perhaps eleven. Very outside chance at twelve.

So, since the spirit isn’t ready, I plod along, expecting maybe a little bit less yet hoping for more but having the excuses ready when more doesn’t happen: Well, I’ve been injured. Well, she is 15 years younger than me. She is 10 years younger than me. She is five years younger than me. She is three years younger than me. She is six months younger than me. I think her birthday is the month before mine. You see where this is going, right?

Sure, I still have a few PR’s. There is the vacuuming PR – how fast can I vacuum the upstairs bedrooms without breaking a sweat? There is the car keys/glasses PR – how many days in a row can I go WITHOUT losing keys or glasses? I think my PR for that one is around a day and a half. And my personal favorite, the Heart Rate PR – how high can I get my heart rate without taking a header off the bike into the deep, dark abyss? I have PR’d that a couple of times in the last few weeks. And then, out of nowhere, a miracle happened.

You got it – a PR. A real PR. A real PR witnessed by at least one other person. Whoda thunk? It happened in, of all places, the pool. I am not going to give you details because the best thing about a PR is that it is a PERSONAL record and not a PUBLIC record, so I am not revealing the distance or the time but I can tell you this. It was real. And it felt just as good as it felt back in the day when PR’s were happening right and left. I hit the wall, heard my time called out and my head nearly exploded as my heart was racing (probably broke the Heart Rate PR at the same time – double PR!) and I started to hear “We Are The Champions” playing over and over in my head (another PR, new category – triple PR!) and I swear I saw confetti falling from the ceiling. Well maybe I was seeing stars resulting from setting a new Heart Rate PR. No matter, it looked pretty. As I was doing the internal happy dance waiting for accolades to come my way, the interval ended and it was time to swim again. Everyone pushed off as if nothing spectacular had happened. But it did. And I was there. And it felt good. Miracles always do.

It is dark. It is darker than usual because I am up earlier than usual. The sun is still several hours from rising, that’s how dark it is. I am sitting on the couch, looking at my bike on the trainer. Snow is falling, I start searching through the TV schedule to see what I can watch while I ride. My faithful companion, Stella the wonder dog, has settled into the opposite end of the couch. She doesn’t care much what we watch or listen to, she likes to keep me company whether on the trainer or out for a run. Sometimes she keeps me going when I am ready to maybe not go.

Early morning training (or late night depending on your orientation) has its perks. No one can see you so you can ride in pretty much any attire you desire. No logos, no team colors, nothing coordinates. You don’t have to wear a helmet. Your hair can do whatever it wants. You can line up your nutrition/hydration on the back of the couch just within reach. It is quiet. You are alone. You can turn the volume up on the TV full blast. You can actually watch whatever you want. You can grunt, scream, or make bodily noises. No one cares, not even the dog. It is great.

Many people like to train with a computrainer. I don’t own one of those so it is just me, Stella, my remote, and my power meter. I like to watch or listen to something rather mindless and zero in on my watt numbers as they change. Can I push 10 more watts? Ok, did that. Can I go 10 more? I picture Loveland Pass, or Wolf Creek or some unnamed hill I have yet to experience and push harder. Ten more? Twenty more? What will give out first, my legs, my heart, my will power, my Cyclops? I know it won’t be Stella. She never gets tired. Hey, didn’t Julianna Margulies used to have curly hair when she was on ER? Oops! A mind blip! Refocus, stand up for a bit and get the watts back in the zone. Sit down, spin it out and do it again. And again. And again. And . . . .well, you get the idea. Repeating, refocusing, improving. All part of the plan.

But I am still sitting on the coach looking at my bike. That bike sure can look innocent when it is parked on the trainer. Power meter blank, towel draped over the handlebars waiting to catch the sweat that will be pouring off of me in a very short time, emergency fan strategically placed, outside door cracked just enough to circulate the cooling process, it doesn’t look like something that can cause pain. But let me tell you, it can. And lots of it. I walk around my bike, squinting. I check the tire pressure. I yawn. I stretch. I try not to think of all the sane people asleep in their beds. I give the bike one last glare. It is you and me, baby. You and me. Stella looks at me looking at the bike. Finally, I hop in the saddle. As I start my warm up, I feel the power coming to my legs and the blood pumping through my heart. I have never lost a stare down with my bike. Suddenly I wonder, does my bike see me? Oh man, too early for this kind of thinking. Better to just ride. So I do.

I am sitting at my computer listening to, well, nothing. It is quiet and it sounds pretty good right now. The holidays blew in and blew out in a burst of activity that has left me tired yet glowing with the family time spent together, the defining of goals for the upcoming year and the general sense of rebirth as a new year opens on the heels of a pretty good year overall. I know I will feel reborn as soon as I clean up the mess that was left in the house from all the great family time spent together. How do so many water glasses end up in one child’s room? How does toothpaste end up on walls? Is hanging up a towel a crime?

So, I thought I would start on the right foot and bring you up to date since I am removing my maid uniform and donning my Love, Sweat & Gears kit. First off we have a new rider joining our team. Dina Hannah, rider extraordinaire, will be our newest member. Dina attended high school in Colorado and is currently living, working, and training her ever loving brains out in Salt Lake City, UT. We are so excited to welcome her to our team and feel she will be an added boost to achieve our goal. Read all about Dina and her accomplishments under our “Meet the Team” tab.

Our co-crew chiefs, Joe and Bill, have been hard at work finalizing our crew, reviewing the route and coming up with time goals for each Time Station. The team has been training, fundraising, and chasing the many details and logistics of an adventure of this magnitude. All of us have been squeezing in jobs, family, and downtime (whatever that is) to maintain a balance (whatever that is). Balance. Hmmm. I have a feeling that is probably a topic of a blog all by itself.

In the very minute lull that is happening post-holidays and full throttle training, we are refreshing, refocusing, and rebooting to embark on the adventure of a lifetime while leaving what we hope is a legacy for not only ourselves but for the many, many people touched by the work done through LiveWell. As training and details become draining over the next several months, we will remind ourselves of the reasons we took this leap and know that every great goal entails a whole lotta effort. Effort we are ready to embrace.

We are hoping to keep our blog alive with our activities and thoughts. Get to know each of us. Send in your comments. Be our friend on Facebook. Send us fantastic mojo. Donate an RV. Wait, what? Help us smile across the miles. Most importantly, stay tuned. We are on a roll and the bells are quiet. Go TEAM!

Long time no blog. Hmmm. A busy summer perhaps? I would say so. In the last 6 weeks, we have solidified our crew chief position, formalized our training goals, and conducted weekly bike rides. Not to mention one of us sent a daughter to college, one of us competed in the World Rowing Championship in Poland, one of us competed in the World Triathlon Championship in Beijing, and one of us was living life at high-speed dealing with getting kids ready for school and the general end of summer madness. This has been on top of continuing our fundraising efforts and paying attention to our families.

So crew chief(s). We are very excited to announce that the always handy, Joe Knopinski, and the forever young, Bill Putnam, have agreed to serve as co-chiefs for our ride.

Let’s talk Joe:

Joe Knopinski is an adventurer and athlete in his own right. His experience began with crewing for RAW in 2010 and found he just was stretching his wings by Durango. Not a big enough challenge for Joe. So now he has taken the reins and is going for broke ushering us across the entire country. He told us he is hiring a fleet of helicopters to be certain we don’t get lost out there, so if you see a bunch of choppers circling, you will know where we are. Joe loves triathlon, back country ski huts, hang gilding, and wilderness. His favorite weekend activity is to venture to his and Cheri’s cabin in Park County and clean the forest. Yes, an odd obsession. And the hang gliding is on hold pending stabilization of two questionable rotator cuffs. In real life, Joe is a consultant to land owners and special districts through his own firm, Land and Districts, LLC. He has developed residential communities and has served as a city manager and as the manager of special districts. We think he is analytical enough to get us there.

 

Now for Bill:

Bill Putnam also was an integral part of the crew for The Denver Spokes team when they completed the Race Across The West in 2010, and had such a great time he was anxious for the opportunity to crew the Love, Sweat & Gears team for Race Across America in 2012. According to Bill, the pleasure of participating in RAW came from being a member of a team that worked together to overcome the challenges of a multi-day, 24 hour-a-day bike race, and kept smiling. Although RAW represents just a taste of RAAM, he is hopeful the longer event will bring even greater pleasure. You can see that Bill is an eternal optimist and that is exactly what we need to shine the light in the dark, both literally and figuratively. When not crewing bike races, Bill is an avid bike rider himself and also swims, enjoys rock climbing, and snowboards. Not only does he snowboard, he competes and is the current World Champion in his age group, a title he will be working to defend this winter. He has been married for over 40 years to his high school sweetheart and has two grown sons. So he is organized, passionate, and an optimist. Who could ask for more?

And our training, featuring Bob Seebohar:

We have one of the best coaches and sports dietician in the country on our team. All rolled into one fast talking, ball of energy who doesn’t consider “I’m tired” or “you want me to do what?” to be part of our vocabularies. Bob Seebohar, partner in Elite Mutisport Coaching (www.teamemc.com) and owner of Fuel4mance (www.fuel4mance.com) has gotten our plan developed and is whipping up our dietary goals. No more dark chocolate M&M’s for me. Well maybe a couple. Shhhhhhh – don’t tell my coach. Bob is not only an experienced endurance athlete, completing a multitude of triathlons at all distances including 6 Ironman races, competing in several Leadville 100 Trail Run events and earning the coveted “Leadman” belt buckle, he has coached numerous Olympic and elite athletes as well as managed their nutrition. This was a stretch for us but we think Bob can handle four determined women. Or else.

So this is just the basics. We will add to our postings with race details from Amy and Julie and experiences from Ann and Rainey.

The ball is rolling and so must we. Roll on!

I have come to discover that I do not like asking for things. When I am feeling overwhelmed, overworked, and passed over, my hunk of burning love will look at me and ask “Why didn’t you ask for help?” That always gives me pause and I wonder well, why didn’t I ask? Generally, I think it is because I have always been a doer – someone who relies on herself to take care of business. Who needs help? Who needs advice? Who needs items or money for a fundraiser? Not me.

Yes, me. Don’t get me wrong, we had a fantastically wonderful evening at our wine tasting and silent auction fundraiser at Water 2 Wine but it couldn’t have happened without a lot of asking and, in some cases, straight out cajoling to get auction items and partiers to attend. Big partiers. I found out that asking for things can be a whole lot less painful if there is a bunch of fun involved. So, we had wine, we had humus, we had music, we auctioned off a ton of stuff ranging from an official RAAM cap to a week in Vail at a private home that is truly a dream, to a Feng Shui package. Most folks ended up winning an item, so at the end of two hours there were many, many happy people. We raised more than we anticipated on behalf of LiveWell Colorado, our friends got to meet us and each other, people made off like bandits with unbelievable bargains and our ball is officially rolling.

As the evening went on, even more offers to help poured in. Tim Dwyer, offered to provide music at another event, Dr. Steve Visentin of Care Chiropractic  (http://carechiropractic.com  ) not only was a great emcee for the evening but gave our friends a little bit of insight to our commitment and our challenge, offered his continuing support, Erin and Derek from Water 2 Wine and the greatest hosts ever, would be happy to have another party, and Jim Harper – well, what he is able to say in one 4 min 37 second video is beyond. Just beyond. To think he is not yet done with us, wow. This is not mentioning the friends who started sentences with “if there is anything you need . . .” or “if I can be of help in any way. . .” or “can I have your wine if you’re not going to drink it . . . ?” There is always one in every crowd, right? SO happy for that one.

FUNdraising. Maybe it is possible. Maybe asking for help isn’t such a bad thing. Maybe this momentum will continue to rock on as we gather the support and help from the friends we have and the ones we have yet to meet. There is a great, big, wonderful, warm and very helpful world out there. Thanks to all of you who are in it.

And watch for the next FUNdraiser. Coming soon. Promise.