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.

 

I am finding out that the more I push beyond what I think my comfort zone might be, or what I perceive my limits to be, or to tip-toe outside of my box -whichever catch phrase floats the boat – the more activities and experiences begin to become part of my life that have never been considered to be in the repertoire, so to speak.  Who would have thought I would ever ride my bike across the country?  Who would have thought I would voluntarily agree to have my picture taken (horrors!)?  Who would have thought I would even have stayed home to raise my children?  Not me, I can tell you that.

Committing to racing RAAM is a big leap for all of us.  We four who are ordinary mortal women with, perhaps, a big lust for life.  Coming with that commitment is many new and thrilling experiences that I didn’t anticipate. Case in point, our video, or soon to be released, multiple videos.

Jim Harper, of Jim Harper Photography, has agreed to become a sponsor for our team, by providing us with video footage and still photos that we can use to promote our ride and our cause, LiveWell Colorado. Jim is a soft spoken, tall, lanky guy who is meticulous in his creativity and vision for promoting our message.  He is pushing us to think about our reasons for doing RAAM and to think about many other aspects of our lives that will be affected by RAAM.  Not that we haven’t thought about it. Sure, I have thought about it, I mean I think about it on occasion – like 23 hours of the day – but to put it all into words is scary.

Honestly, I would rather go careening down a mountain pass on my bike at 50 mph than have my picture taken much less be on video with actual words coming out of my mouth that are supposed to be semi-articulate, semi-entertaining, and somehow interesting all at the same time.  Uh . . .no. A teensy bit past my comfort zone, my limits, my box, as it were.  But there is Jim.  Gently prodding, asking questions that he would like to know the answer to and imagines most would as well.  Trying to find the correct lighting to illuminate my “best side” (this would be the side that doesn’t have a nose on it) while quietly suggesting that it will be of benefit to actually think about what I am planning on doing before I race out the door to Oceanside with one shoe on and one shoe off.  That is not in my box either.  Generally speaking, I am not a planner.  I do.

Jim doesn’t accept that excuse.  He considers every shot, spends countless hours editing, arranging, voice – overing, all that fancy photography stuff, trying to make sure our message is conveyed to all who might be interested in our challenge and commitment to LiveWell Colorado.  He is serious about his work and serious about Rocky Mountain RAAM.  Suddenly, I realized that this is important not only to Amy, Ann, Rainey, and me, but potentially important to many, many others who will be touched either by our spirit or actually touched by the good that will come to their neighborhoods and communities through LiveWell.

So take a peak at our first short video.  There is more to come in the very near future.  In the meantime know that making something like this was, for me, almost as big of a leap as riding my bike across the country will be.

My box  is looking pretty good from the outside.

Hot town, summer in the city
Back of my neck getting dirty and gritty.
Been down, isn’t it a pity,
Doesn’t seem to be a shadow in the city.

Ok, now that you have The Lovin’ Spoonful stuck in your head, it is a reminder that summer has, at long last, arrived.  Along with summers arrival is the 30^th anniversary of RAAM.  The 2011 race starts today.  Solo Women on June 14^th, Solo Men on June 15^th, and Teams on June 18^th.  In exactly 12 months, we will be toeing the start line in Oceanside.  We will be trained, we will be prepped, and we will be shaking with anticipation of what could be one of the greatest adventures of our lives.  I, for one, cannot wait.

I am being careful, however, not to wish away an entire year.  I am enjoying all that summer has to offer.  The long-awaited warmth, the longer days, swimming and watching the sunrise as I alternate between watching the black line on the bottom of the pool and the dawn creeping across the sky and illuminating the mountains, and – you guessed it – getting on my bike.  I do my best thinking while riding, which probably says a lot about the level and depth of my thought process. Thoughts can only be deep enough so as not to take my mind totally off the road and can only last long enough to blot out the sound of my labored breathing and pain of straining muscles.  So, short and shallow.  Huh.  I am pretty short . . . .YIKES!

Today I was thinking about RAAM.  I had just received a call from Marie, one of our stupendous crew members from The Denver Spokes 2010 edition and soon to be just as stupendous in 2012, even though she doesn’t know it yet, who was at the start line in Oceanside.  I could feel the excitement mounting in the background from her call and I began remembering and fantasizing about what 2012 will be like for all of us on RMR.  My first thought is that we definitely need better speakers for our van.  Oh yeah.  Some big, thumping, gigantic speakers, so we can actually hear the directions being shouted at us from the crew watching our derrieres.  We are all over 50 – ok, average age is over 50 – ok I’M over 50 and I need to hear directions.  Sorry about that.  But I also really want to pump some tunes through those big, thumping, gigantic speakers so I can feel cool.  There it is.  Short and shallow.

Last year, as I was feeling a teensy tired, our crew chief (Lark) called my youngest daughter and put her on the loud-speaker to shout words of encouragement (minus any obscenities) to me while I was riding.  It threw me into such a tizzy that tears sprung to my eyes and I couldn’t see the road. Let it be known that my youngest daughter isn’t exactly a baby; she is nearly 23 years old.  It didn’t seem to matter.  I heard her tiny voice through those stupid, miniscule speakers and suddenly, I became aware of the enormity of the challenge and of the people I love best in my life.  Sometimes loving people the best is the biggest challenge out there.  So zooming down the highway in somewheres-ville (Mexican Hat, perhaps?) with my daughters’ voice encouraging me from behind was something I could have never, ever anticipated experiencing in my lifetime.  Ever.  Nope. And even though it was for a very short time (but not shallow), it will make a longstanding memory.  Let it be known,  Lark didn’t do that one twice.

So, I have decided to live in the moment, make sure we find some enormous speakers, and get my girls to work making enough mixes to get us across the country.  Sometimes short and shallow isn’t so bad.

We rode together for the first time yesterday.  Our first $5 Friday Ride. And though it wasn’t the first, first time together… it was, for me, the first of many rides toward RAAM 2012.

I am excited about our Friday afternoon rides, and I can’t wait for the next one on June 17th. A chance to celebrate friends, fitness and team building.  $5 Fridays are, for me, a step away from my “normal”… and that is what I love about RAAM.  As an endurance athlete, I spend all, seriously all, of my training time alone.  I put my gear on and I go.  I focus on the task at hand, do my work and then I move onto the next part of my day.  Little time for chit chat and little time, quite frankly, for distraction and “taking in the moment”.

When we finished RAW 2009, I told Julie that I wanted to prepare for RAAM, but that I wanted to do it differently.  Not that I would change my personal preparations for the event, but that the next time, I wanted to “bring along” others in the training process.  $5 Fridays are a part of that process.  We ride together as a TEAM… not just 4 women and 10 crew… but everyone who has even the smallest interest in what we are doing, is invited to come along for the ride… and to be part of our team.

In preparing for RAAM 2012, I’ve made a promise to myself that even when I am training alone, that I will never really BE alone.  THIS time, our training, our cause, our journey are bigger than each of us individually… and that is also what I love about RAAM.

One year from now Rocky Mountain RAAM will be leaving Denver and heading to San Diego.  The preparation, the training, the fundraising… will be done… and the RAAM 2012 Start Line will wait for us on the pier at Oceanside.  Maybe the “start” will be on a Friday… or maybe not… but it will for me, be another “$5 Friday Ride” shared with friends and teammates… a “first” ride toward the Finish Line in Annapolis.

It started with a Text.

I was sitting in my kitchen looking at the grey, sunless, cold, and wet day attempting to get myself motivated to go out for a run.  I could think of a million reasons NOT to go out there, most of them are already listed above.  I texted Ann about my lack of enthusiasm and her text came back “Go.  You will be glad once you do.” So, a million reasons NOT to go, and only one reason TO go.  I did what I usually do, I pulled on my shoes and I went.

Of course, Ann was right.  I was not only glad that I had done the run, I was also very glad DURING the run.  The air was more than crisp – freezing in fact, but as I huffed and puffed I noticed that the world looked grey but it smelled brand new.  I had my bestest running buddy with me, Stella, the wonder dog, and together we plugged away at something we really weren’t wild about doing at the beginning of the day.  I should say, I wasn’t wild about it.  Somehow, Stella is always wild about running.  Crazy beast.

Life is like that.  Full of opportunities that we can either use to our advantage or let them slip past for a myriad of reasons.  Often times the reasons not to take a certain path outnumbers the reasons to take that same path.  How do you choose which way to go?  Make a list?  Ruminate until the opportunity has expired?  Blindly throw caution to the wind and take the leap of faith?  I do not have an answer for that. Wish I did, I’d make a million bucks.

During my run, I thought about the ladies I have been coaching through Team CWW.  The previous day, they participated in their first attempt at a triathlon as a practice race.  It took place in Washington Park with a swim in the recreation center pool, bike ride around the park and a run around the lake.  Most of the ladies in CWW are somewhat older – like over 40 (GASP!), most do not have an athletic background, most are a bit overweight, and all are trying to learn something new.  To say they are intimidated by riding a bike in their swimming suits is an understatement.  Terror is more accurate.  But they do it.  They take the leap, they don’t weigh pro’s and con’s, they push beyond their comfort zone and they do it.  And they are glad once they do.

Preparing for RAAM will be like that.  There will be many moments during training and during the race that we will consider all of the reasons NOT to be on our bikes.  The one that will make the difference is keeping the idea that we are helping spread the message about keeping active and using your body for a lifetime.  Partnering with LiveWell Colorado has given us a sense of direction and determination.  And when we have those low moments, perhaps we should all get Ann on her cell to text.

Go.  You will be glad once you do.