From the Inside Out

The training has begun. I am committed. I’m going to do it. It’s overwhelming, but I think it’s possible. At least, I hope it is possible. I keep reminding myself of what the “Little Engine That Could” said, “I think I can, I think I can.” It worked for him, and hopefully, it’ll work for me because I recently signed up to participate in the MS 150 ride on April 30 - May 1, 2011. It’s a 2-day event where cyclists ride 75 miles a day for a grand total of 150 miles. Yikes!

It’s scary, but it’s also invigorating. I love a challenge, and it will be a huge accomplishment if I’m able to complete it. To date, my longest ride has been 33 miles, so I have a long road ahead of me if I want to ride 150 miles in two days. Thus, the reason for the training. I need to be on my bike daily to improve my strength, speed, and stamina. The only problem is that it is the middle of winter, and I happen to be a complete wimp in cold weather. If it’s under 50 degrees outside or if it’s raining, I’m not going out on my bike.

One of my Christmas presents solved the problem for me. I received a CycleOps trainer which lets me cycle indoors on my road bike. I love it; the trainer is fantastic! I simply set my bike on the trainer, and it comes very close to simulating an authentic road-like experience because of the progressive resistance that it offers. When the weather warms up and I want to ride outdoors, I simply take the bike off the trainer, switch out the back wheel, and I’m ready to go. Brilliant!

My Cannondale Women’s Synapse Carbon 4 with CycleOps Fluid 2 Trainer

I have been using the trainer for three days now, and so far, so good! I have a long way to go, but I’m excited about the trainer and the opportunity to participate in the ride. It will be fun to see how far I’m able to progress over the next four months. Stay tuned for more updates, and to learn more about the MS 150 or to sponsor my ride, click here .

After work on Friday, Gary and I traveled to Ft. Worth to begin our “Tour de Cure” weekend. Tour de Cure is a series of cycling events held in 43 states nationwide to benefit the American Diabetes Association. The North Texas cycling event was being held this year at the Texas Motor Speedway. We decided to spend the night nearby at the Marriott Hotel & Golf Club at Champions Circle so we wouldn’t have a long drive early in the morning. Tour de Cure registration started at 6 am, and our ride was scheduled to begin at 7 am.

After getting a few hours of sleep, we got up around 5:30 am and made our way to the track a few minutes after 6:00. Riders were already there getting prepped for their journey. We joined them and met up with the rest of our group in the “Team Cisco” tent near the starting line. Team Cisco was comprised of 18 riders — each riding various distances. Routes ranged from a minimum of 5 miles and a maximum of 100 miles. I rode the 32-mile course, and Gary rode the 64-mile course.

At 7 am, our team lined up at the start of the course. All riders began with a lap on the Texas Motor Speedway track with a pace car leading the way. It was a blast being able to ride on the actual Speedway track. Below is a picture of the starting line.

Ready for the ride to start!

The first rest stop was at the 10-mile mark. It’s a great place to take a quick break and stock up on snacks or water/gatorade.

A look back at the route we traveled to arrive at the first rest stop. After leaving the speedway, most of the course was comprised of small country roads.

A quick picture of me and Gary before starting the next leg of the course.

We came across the second rest stop about six miles later. It was a nice, shady area with more water, healthy snacks, and mechanics (in case you needed assistance with your bike). This was the turn around point for riders following the 32-mile route.

Gary got ready to depart for the 60-mile course as I turned back to follow the 32-mile path.

I finished the 32-mile course a little after 10 am. Volunteers were cheering for everyone at the finish line. It felt great to be done! At the end of the ride, I joined back up with other Team Cisco riders at the tent to share ride stories and get some much needed rest. Also, because Cisco raised over 13K, we were eligible for free massages. After resting, I journeyed over to the massage tent and took advantage of a nice chair massage — just what my aching muscles needed after a long ride!

The Tour de Cure event also had a number of other fun activities at the finish line — live band, free pizza, sponsor tents with give aways, free GMC test drives, Humane Society exhibit, and various snacks/drinks. It was a fun, festive atmosphere. It also provided some good entertainment while I was waiting for Gary to finish his long ride.

The Cisco team hung out together, cheered riders crossing the finish line and took some group pictures towards the end of the event. I’ll share those later when I get copies. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my camera. I was using my iPhone so I didn’t take a large number of pics today.

All in all, it was a fantastic day! I had a great time at the event. It was well organized and benefited a fantastic cause. I hope to be able to do it again next year. For now though, I’m recuperating — and resting my sore, tired body!

On July 24, I will be cycling in the American Diabetes Association’s Tour de Cure fundraising event at Texas Motor Speedway. More than 23.6 million Americans — including some of my own family members and friends — suffer from diabetes. During this event, I’ll be joining with riders from across North Texas to help ride for a cure.

Gary and I will be cycling the 32-mile course with the Cisco corporate team, and I need sponsors to help me reach my fundraising goal of $150. All proceeds benefit the American Diabetes Association and will help us make a difference in the fight against diabetes.

If you’d like to sponsor me, click here to visit my personal site and make a donation.

Together, we can all make a difference!

I participated in the 3rd annual JDRF “Cycling for a Cure” event this morning. It benefits the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and through this event, over $100K was raised to help find a cure for a disease that affects nearly 3 million Americans.

Cycling for a Cure is a 12-hour indoor cycling marathon. Riders can cycle for the entire 12 hours on their own bike or participate as a relay team switching out in 1-2 hour increments. I participated with colleagues from my company, and we rode as a relay team. Since I had drama rehearsal from 1-6 today, I was only able to participate for an hour, but I had a blast!

They squeezed about 50 bikes into the spinning room at LifeTime Fitness in Allen and created a really cool environment for the riders. If you’ve been to a spinning class, it’ll sound familiar. The room was dim, lively music was playing, and cycling videos were displayed on large screens at the front of the room. A spinning instructor (and event creator) kept everyone entertained and led us through some of the spinning exercises to keep the energy level high and give everyone a great workout. Volunteers walked around with water, towels, fruit, and various snacks for the riders. We never had to leave our bikes; they had everything we needed. It was really neat.

Before and after riding, you could hang out in the rider’s room where they had lots of food and amenities for the riders. You could even get free chair massages, which is a nice treat after riding for a long time on the bike. Prize drawings took place throughout the day, but the real winners were the people who unselfishly raised lots of money to help find a cure.

Even though I could only participate for a short amount of time, I thoroughly enjoyed the event, and I plan to participate again next year — hopefully for a longer time!

For more info about JDRF, check out: www.jdrf.org. Together, we can help find a cure.

That is the question I must face. The annual Richardson Corporate Challenge is underway. It’s an Olympic style competition involving 22 athletic and non-athletic events beginning in August and running through early October. Each year, employees from a wide variety of companies–both great and small–compete in events ranging from softball to volleyball and billiards to golf. All proceeds benefit Special Olympics, and they raised $120,000 last year through this event.

An appeal went out on Friday for female cyclists to participate on the Cisco 15K Bike Race team. Each team is required to have at least 2 female riders, and the ladies on the Cisco team backed out last week. The team is now frantically trying to replace those riders so they can continue to compete. The requirement is for each female to average 12-14 miles per hour for the duration of the ride.

When I was riding regularly that wasn’t too much of a problem for me. However, it’s been a few months since I’ve been able to ride. So, Gary and I hopped on our bikes today to see if I still “had it.” Surprisingly, I managed to maintain a reputable average — enough to make the team, but I really had to push myself. My speed also slows down significantly on inclines and small hills.

I think it would be fun to participate, but I’m not entirely confident in my cycling skills. I’ve never participated in a race, and I’ve only done one organized ride before. And here’s the real kicker….the ride is at 8 am on Sunday morning! I could ride and still make it to the late church service, but getting up that early to ride in a race is not an appealing thought. I’m not a morning person — not even close.

So, I’m weighing my options — a potentially fun, new experience vs sleeping in and relaxing on a Sunday morning. Hmm…what’s a girl to do?