As March wanes into April and the number of weeks until our Lake Tahoe adventure dwindle to single digits and we rachet up our training regimen, I stopped to remind myself the other day why we train so hard for Team In Training. Of course it is the ride. The opportunity to challenge our bodies and minds (and bikes) and push them to new heights, figuratively and literally. Without pushing our personal envelopes beyond their limits the 100 miles through and over the Sierra peaks around Lake Tahoe could prove to be beyond our abilities to overcome.
A little over two months ago I sat in a runners store with dozens of other extreme athletes who wanted to learn more about Team In Training. We heard about the accomplishments of alumni at various marathons, tri's and centuries. We heard about the friendships that develop as runners, swimmers and cyclists work as a team to prepare themselves. And then we got down to business.
Team In Training is afterall a fundraising activity of the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. Team In Training participants pledge to raise funds to fight Blood Cancers and help LLS provide services to patients, survivors and the families of those who have contracted these cancers. Each participant is asked make 2 commitments. To complete a training plan that will prepare them for the event they have chosen, and to raise money for LLS. Each competitor is required to reach a minimum amount of money by a certain date to remain on the team and then to reach a goal amount as the event approaches. As all of this was explained to us I could feel the energy levels ebbing in the room. I saw looks of concern on the faces of some people as it was explained that we each need to personally guarantee some of these funds. And then I saw my teammates. Those marathoners, triathletes and cyclists who listened to the details and picked up thier paperwork as they reached for thier credit cards. To thse people the financial aspect was just one more challenge they expected to overcome!
As we head into the second half of our training I am proud to say that the teammates we started off with on that cold morning in early February are still all together. We have all met our 'recommitment' amounts. Just as the pace line has grown tighter, the gaps between riders have gotten smaller and the hills seem to be getting a little easier because of the shared determination of our group, the Leukemia Lymphoma Society is being provided the funds it needs to continue its mission of helping blood cancer patients and thier families cope with these illnesses and providing researchers with additional funds to help us find a way to Cure Blood Cancer!
As a team we face challenges ahead, but can look back already on those we have overcome. And we are reminded each step along the way that no matter how tall our challenges seem to be, no matter how difficult that next climb is, no matter how far it is to the finish, our journey is far easier than the one faced by those who have heard the words"You have a blood cancer".
Click to Visit My TNT Fundraising Page
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Ups and Downs
Its been a busy and eventful two weeks since I last posted here. This time last week I was in the Smokey Mountains of western North Carolina on an unexpected trip. A wonderful woman who touched many lives in many ways left us. My Step Mother was 77 years young and suffered a massive cerebral aneurysm. Our families gathered to celebrate her life and all she gave to us. She will be missed, but as Father John said at her mass, she is probably already sitting with the Saints telling them what each one of us needs the most! We will miss her but each of us who had the pleasure to know her came away with something special.
Expecting the usual hurry up and wait of this type of gathering I made sure that my Felt was atop the car for the trip. The twelve hour drive is normally tedious, but still we arrived in early afternoon and the weather graced us with brightening clouds and barely a mist. As my kids settled into their rooms and located Aunts Uncles and cousins I slipped on my bike pants, grabbed my rain jacket and headed out for the 7 mile ride to my father's house.
Hendersonville is at the top of the Eastern Continental Divide, about 2700 feet above the fabled golf courses of the eastern North Carolina shore. I checked bikely.com for posted rides and the flattest one listed was a 30 mile loop with a mere 2900 total ascent! Even my short jaunt across town involved 2 climbs totalling more than 500 feet!
My training must be paying off. As I set out my son also set out, by car. He passed me as I spun up the first hill but I caught him at the light. Turning downhill I kept pace with the 35 mph traffic and even passed them at 2 succeeding stop lights. I was nearly half the way there when the tail lights disappeared from view. Two climbs and mile and half ride on an impossibly narrow shoulder and I pulled into Dad's driveway, less than 10 minutes behind my kids. And more surprising, not winded! After visiting a bit with family I headed out again. I had decided that as long as I was in the mountains it was time to ride!
Riding along I began to note some distinct differences from riding in my usual areas. Obviously there was NO Flat land! The shoulders were narrow and most of the time I was forced to ride on the left side of the white shoulder marker. In New Jersey that would be an invitation to horn honking, balled fists, hurled epithets and the occasional raised proclamation of an especially irate driver's IQ (Yeah Buddy, you're number one with me too!). I have had my share of right side mirror near misses and once cleaned a shoulder height streak along the side of a landscaper's box trailer. And all this on wider roads. As I made my way along NC-191 toward Asheville I glanced into my mirror and saw three or four cars pacing me but waiting to pass. I eased over and waved them by but they still hesitated until they could pass with room. The drivers weren't cursing or honking, they simply accepted the fact they were stuck behind a guy on a bike moving along about as fast as a John Deere tractor. When they got the chance to pass they did so, even waving and saying encouraging things as they went by! Maybe those Share the Road signs work!
I finished a 12 mile ride in about an hour. I had ascended a total of 1500 feet of the gorgeous Smokey Mountains. I had ridden awestruck at the scenery, and the blue tinged mountains that appeared around each new curve or over the next rise, and with the exception of one brutal section of aptly named Mountain Road, I came back to the house feeling like I might actually come to like hills! No don't get me wrong, I still hold to my previously espoused dictum, hill IS a four letter word. but as our training regimen moves forward and my leg strength and lung capacity increase they just don't seem as tall. Or was it my Step Mom, calling me by my full name, whispering encouragement in my ear?
My return home was in time to join the rest of my team Saturday for our weekly ride. Our coach Frank once again led us through hill technique and a series of drills meant to add options to our riding tool kit. The leg burn was back as we circled the same hill and even tried some 'cycle-cross' riding our skinny tires up a grassy sledding hill. The Southern NJ/Shore TNT Cycle team is such a great group of people. They are positive, friendly and determined. We encourage each other in both training and fundraising. We are what a team should be, and I am very lucky to be part of this awesome group of people!
This week is Recommitment Week. This is the point of no return. Team In Training is based on fundraising. A small part of our fundraising comes back to the team to underwrite our expenses. It is LLS's way of saying thank you and obviously goal oriented campaigns are more successful than just asking for a donation. This week is the first step. This week members will be asked to make up the difference between the minimum amount expected by this date or leave the team. I have been fortunate that my colleagues are among the most generous group of people ever. I sent in my order forms, reservation papers and waivers knowing I will be going to Tahoe. As we came back to the park it was my turn to whisper. I asked my Step Mom, "Help these great people stick together with the team Maureen!". I know she heard me, I hope my team mates hear her. I look forward to riding that last mile on June 7th with all of the great people I have come to know!
Expecting the usual hurry up and wait of this type of gathering I made sure that my Felt was atop the car for the trip. The twelve hour drive is normally tedious, but still we arrived in early afternoon and the weather graced us with brightening clouds and barely a mist. As my kids settled into their rooms and located Aunts Uncles and cousins I slipped on my bike pants, grabbed my rain jacket and headed out for the 7 mile ride to my father's house.
Hendersonville is at the top of the Eastern Continental Divide, about 2700 feet above the fabled golf courses of the eastern North Carolina shore. I checked bikely.com for posted rides and the flattest one listed was a 30 mile loop with a mere 2900 total ascent! Even my short jaunt across town involved 2 climbs totalling more than 500 feet!
My training must be paying off. As I set out my son also set out, by car. He passed me as I spun up the first hill but I caught him at the light. Turning downhill I kept pace with the 35 mph traffic and even passed them at 2 succeeding stop lights. I was nearly half the way there when the tail lights disappeared from view. Two climbs and mile and half ride on an impossibly narrow shoulder and I pulled into Dad's driveway, less than 10 minutes behind my kids. And more surprising, not winded! After visiting a bit with family I headed out again. I had decided that as long as I was in the mountains it was time to ride!
Riding along I began to note some distinct differences from riding in my usual areas. Obviously there was NO Flat land! The shoulders were narrow and most of the time I was forced to ride on the left side of the white shoulder marker. In New Jersey that would be an invitation to horn honking, balled fists, hurled epithets and the occasional raised proclamation of an especially irate driver's IQ (Yeah Buddy, you're number one with me too!). I have had my share of right side mirror near misses and once cleaned a shoulder height streak along the side of a landscaper's box trailer. And all this on wider roads. As I made my way along NC-191 toward Asheville I glanced into my mirror and saw three or four cars pacing me but waiting to pass. I eased over and waved them by but they still hesitated until they could pass with room. The drivers weren't cursing or honking, they simply accepted the fact they were stuck behind a guy on a bike moving along about as fast as a John Deere tractor. When they got the chance to pass they did so, even waving and saying encouraging things as they went by! Maybe those Share the Road signs work!
I finished a 12 mile ride in about an hour. I had ascended a total of 1500 feet of the gorgeous Smokey Mountains. I had ridden awestruck at the scenery, and the blue tinged mountains that appeared around each new curve or over the next rise, and with the exception of one brutal section of aptly named Mountain Road, I came back to the house feeling like I might actually come to like hills! No don't get me wrong, I still hold to my previously espoused dictum, hill IS a four letter word. but as our training regimen moves forward and my leg strength and lung capacity increase they just don't seem as tall. Or was it my Step Mom, calling me by my full name, whispering encouragement in my ear?
My return home was in time to join the rest of my team Saturday for our weekly ride. Our coach Frank once again led us through hill technique and a series of drills meant to add options to our riding tool kit. The leg burn was back as we circled the same hill and even tried some 'cycle-cross' riding our skinny tires up a grassy sledding hill. The Southern NJ/Shore TNT Cycle team is such a great group of people. They are positive, friendly and determined. We encourage each other in both training and fundraising. We are what a team should be, and I am very lucky to be part of this awesome group of people!
This week is Recommitment Week. This is the point of no return. Team In Training is based on fundraising. A small part of our fundraising comes back to the team to underwrite our expenses. It is LLS's way of saying thank you and obviously goal oriented campaigns are more successful than just asking for a donation. This week is the first step. This week members will be asked to make up the difference between the minimum amount expected by this date or leave the team. I have been fortunate that my colleagues are among the most generous group of people ever. I sent in my order forms, reservation papers and waivers knowing I will be going to Tahoe. As we came back to the park it was my turn to whisper. I asked my Step Mom, "Help these great people stick together with the team Maureen!". I know she heard me, I hope my team mates hear her. I look forward to riding that last mile on June 7th with all of the great people I have come to know!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Hill is a Four Letter Word
In some of my earlier posts I think I may have given my followers the indication that I am not all that fond of riding UP hills. Lets clarify that point then. I am neither fond, enthralled nor excited by hills. Despite that fact that I love feeling the wind rushing by as I reach for my drops and watch my speed climb, I do not look forward to the effort it takes to get to the top. I have often thought a rope tow or T-Bar for bikes would be a fantastic idea! But alas such is not the state of affairs in cycling. Hell, hills are the reason I do not ski cross-country. Put simply, HILLS SUCK!
Seriously, hills are just another challenge we all face whether we are casual riders on a weekend ride, or a pro team rider scaling les Alpes. They require technique, training and determination. As my teammates and I prepare for our Lake Tahoe adventure the prospect of over 4000 feet of ascents looms large. As does the need to train!
Although I live on the Jersey Shore and for the most part the dunes along Sandy Hook are the biggest climbs, you do not have to wander far inland to find a few short but steep hills. OK, compared to the Sierra they are mere speed bumps in elevation, but the grades are up there with some of the steepest Tahoe offers.
Beginning this afternoon I plan to take advantage of the added hour of evening daylight. Within a few rpms of my home are several 100-150 ft hills. Not the 7100 of Spooner Junction with its 9 mile ascent but some small steep hills. I have put together a series of loops that will take me up and down them 6 times in a 10 mile circle. I plan to start with 2 loops and add 1 a week until I can do them without burn and without losing cadence. I know the coaches have plans for some of the major ascents in the nearby mountains of north west New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania which i both look forward to and dread, but I plan to be prepared when we get to them.
When the going gets tough I will just have to remind myself of why I joined Team In Training. No matter how high the hill, 0r how much my legs burn or lungs ache, this is a far easier course than life with blood cancer. I know that one too, and while I was lucky with my leukemia, too many can not say the same. And many are so young they can not even express if for themselves or even comprehend what is going on. When my legs burn on those hills I will think of them and that thought will get me over the top, just as your support will get us closer to the top of the fight against Leukemia, Lymphoma and other blood cancers.
Seriously, hills are just another challenge we all face whether we are casual riders on a weekend ride, or a pro team rider scaling les Alpes. They require technique, training and determination. As my teammates and I prepare for our Lake Tahoe adventure the prospect of over 4000 feet of ascents looms large. As does the need to train!
Although I live on the Jersey Shore and for the most part the dunes along Sandy Hook are the biggest climbs, you do not have to wander far inland to find a few short but steep hills. OK, compared to the Sierra they are mere speed bumps in elevation, but the grades are up there with some of the steepest Tahoe offers.
Beginning this afternoon I plan to take advantage of the added hour of evening daylight. Within a few rpms of my home are several 100-150 ft hills. Not the 7100 of Spooner Junction with its 9 mile ascent but some small steep hills. I have put together a series of loops that will take me up and down them 6 times in a 10 mile circle. I plan to start with 2 loops and add 1 a week until I can do them without burn and without losing cadence. I know the coaches have plans for some of the major ascents in the nearby mountains of north west New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania which i both look forward to and dread, but I plan to be prepared when we get to them.
When the going gets tough I will just have to remind myself of why I joined Team In Training. No matter how high the hill, 0r how much my legs burn or lungs ache, this is a far easier course than life with blood cancer. I know that one too, and while I was lucky with my leukemia, too many can not say the same. And many are so young they can not even express if for themselves or even comprehend what is going on. When my legs burn on those hills I will think of them and that thought will get me over the top, just as your support will get us closer to the top of the fight against Leukemia, Lymphoma and other blood cancers.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Warmer Weather + Brighter Skies = More Miles
March is a such cruel month. Flip the calendar and there are the notations. "Daylight Savings Begins" "First Day of Spring" sometimes even "Easter Sunday".
The harbingers of spring! The new year really begins in March. Then of course you look out the window, snow flakes falling heavily. Turn on the tv and the smiling blonde says "wind chills in the single digits"! So much for springtime! And then it all changes. The pendulum swings and we have turned the corner.
Sunday morning we stole an hour from morning and tacked it on to the evening for the next seven months. For early risers it means flicking the headlights on after a 2 or 3 week tease of early morning sunlight. For Team In Training cyclists it is worth the sacrifice. The trainer gets packed away in favor of after work rides.
I have taken a few post work rides on warmer (not as cold??)afternoons. It feels great to be out, instead of spinning in front of a movie or late afternoon talk show. But it’s scary. Riding streets are always a challenge. Despite reflective clothing and multiple blinking lights, the cars just never seem to see you. Any cyclist can tell you about a near miss on virtually every ride, but in winter they seem to get more numerous.. and closer! Perhaps it’s the waning sunlight or maybe it’s the fact most drivers don't expect to see a cyclist when the thermometer says hot cocoa in front of a fireplace. What ever the reason, that extra hour of sunlight hopefully means I will be far more visible to those cellphone wielding, lead footed commuters who don't seem to notice the guy in the bright yellow, reflective striped jacket or the bicycle with the LED flashers fore and aft.
This weekend though, warmth and daylight all came together! Saturdaydawned bright and glorious with the temperature already around 50. For the first time in 6 months I was forced not to decide how many layers towear, but instead how few! I actually debated shorts or tights, and took a 2nd water bottle!
The Team rode 40 miles together. The time flew by. My teammates are a determined group of people. Not everyone is a strong or experienced rider, but we all have two things in common: We are going to Conquer Lake Tahoe and Fight Blood Cancer! With the help of Frank and Brian, our awesome coaches, the Southern New Jersey/Shore Region Team In Training Cycling Team will come into that last mile in a tight coordinated paceline on June 7th!
The harbingers of spring! The new year really begins in March. Then of course you look out the window, snow flakes falling heavily. Turn on the tv and the smiling blonde says "wind chills in the single digits"! So much for springtime! And then it all changes. The pendulum swings and we have turned the corner.
Sunday morning we stole an hour from morning and tacked it on to the evening for the next seven months. For early risers it means flicking the headlights on after a 2 or 3 week tease of early morning sunlight. For Team In Training cyclists it is worth the sacrifice. The trainer gets packed away in favor of after work rides.
I have taken a few post work rides on warmer (not as cold??)afternoons. It feels great to be out, instead of spinning in front of a movie or late afternoon talk show. But it’s scary. Riding streets are always a challenge. Despite reflective clothing and multiple blinking lights, the cars just never seem to see you. Any cyclist can tell you about a near miss on virtually every ride, but in winter they seem to get more numerous.. and closer! Perhaps it’s the waning sunlight or maybe it’s the fact most drivers don't expect to see a cyclist when the thermometer says hot cocoa in front of a fireplace. What ever the reason, that extra hour of sunlight hopefully means I will be far more visible to those cellphone wielding, lead footed commuters who don't seem to notice the guy in the bright yellow, reflective striped jacket or the bicycle with the LED flashers fore and aft.
This weekend though, warmth and daylight all came together! Saturdaydawned bright and glorious with the temperature already around 50. For the first time in 6 months I was forced not to decide how many layers towear, but instead how few! I actually debated shorts or tights, and took a 2nd water bottle!
The Team rode 40 miles together. The time flew by. My teammates are a determined group of people. Not everyone is a strong or experienced rider, but we all have two things in common: We are going to Conquer Lake Tahoe and Fight Blood Cancer! With the help of Frank and Brian, our awesome coaches, the Southern New Jersey/Shore Region Team In Training Cycling Team will come into that last mile in a tight coordinated paceline on June 7th!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Fourteen Weeks to Tahoe!
Only three pages cover that big red circle on the calendar. June 7th is now only 98 days away, 14 weeks til we clip into our pedals, mount our bikes and head out to challenge the Sierra Nevada around Lake Tahoe. In 1960 these mountains were full of Olympians competing for the honor of thier nations at the VIII Winter Games at Squaw Valley. This June the mountains will echo the words "Go Team" as 3000 Team In Training cyclists take up a different challenge... the challenge to find a cure for blood cancers while meeting thier own personal physical challenges. For me the challenge is not the distance. I have ridden 2 centuries and take long rides regularly, but I am a 'Flatlander'. The bumps around Lake Tahoe are bigger than the 300 foot hills around the Jersey Shore. My challenge is the combined 4100 feet of ascents and the altitude we will be riding at.
The team is coming together. After only 2 weeks of riding together we have begun to sort out the team. I am more than certain things will change as we move from flat land to hills, but for now we have our riding groups and the relationships that go along with riding with someone are developing. We even had a paceline working together in the wind, pulling and drafting and keeping the tempo and speed during this past weekend's ride. The road always feels shorter when you have others to ride with, the more the merrier! Perhaps the hills won't feel as long or high with a group as well. We will find out in the coming weeks. Longer and more challenging rides are in the immediate future and I for one am looking forward to it. In the mean time its to be a combination of distance, cardio and core.
The team is coming together. After only 2 weeks of riding together we have begun to sort out the team. I am more than certain things will change as we move from flat land to hills, but for now we have our riding groups and the relationships that go along with riding with someone are developing. We even had a paceline working together in the wind, pulling and drafting and keeping the tempo and speed during this past weekend's ride. The road always feels shorter when you have others to ride with, the more the merrier! Perhaps the hills won't feel as long or high with a group as well. We will find out in the coming weeks. Longer and more challenging rides are in the immediate future and I for one am looking forward to it. In the mean time its to be a combination of distance, cardio and core.
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