From the Blog...

(Pictured Above: Natalie, Chris, Mike, Gerald, Ed, me, Wyatt & Steve)

As Gerald’s summary of the day states simply, yet quite eloquently… WE DID IT!

A quick recap of the day…

Sunday started at 4:45am after a restless sleep. I probably woke up about 15 times during the middle of the night both out of anticipation & excitement for the coming day as well as paranoia that I didn’t set my alarm correctly. Nevertheless, the alarm went off on time and I was up immediately into my standard Saturday morning training routine. I crashed at my friend Drew’s place in Schwenksville located about 20 minutes from the start line. This gave me the chance to have my standard breakfast of bacon and eggs and prep almost as if I was home on just another training ride. (Very important for me from a mental perspective.) I quickly packed up my things, loaded my bike back onto my car, and made my way to Montgomery County Community College to meet the rest of Team Wannabe Riders Against Cancer by about 6:15am.

As the MCCC campus continued to wake up with the sunrise, our team took advantage of the free refreshments, snapped a few pre-race photos and then made our way to the staging area for the 70 mile riders. Initially I was quite surprised to see the area so empty but as word came that the start time would be delayed 30 minutes until 8am, I turned around to see the throngs of people still making their way from the parking lot into the staging area. I was anxious to get on the course so the delay was frustrating but after a brief opening ceremony, we made our way into the starting chute and finally the ride was underway.

The course was a bit more challenging than we expected. Our initial read of the course information led us to believe that over the 70 miles, we would tackle about 2600 feet of elevation climb. That’s what most of the team trained for, and that’s what Mike and I tackled on our final training ride. Following that ride I was feeling pretty good about things. However the actual elevation climb for the course when all was said and done turned out to be 5200 feet! More than double the anticipated amount.

Course Map Comprehension FAIL

As the day wore on we found ourselves tackling hill after seemingly endless hill. Some were long & gradual, some were short & steep and we even had one or two thrown in that were long & pretty steep. I never spent so much time in those bike gears all the way on the left but I was able to summit every hill without having to get off and walk. The downhills were fun but seemingly few and far between. Weather on the day was pretty hot with highs hitting the mid-80s and fairly oppressive humidity. It certainly could have been worse, but when we stopped to take breaks, you could feel the heat.

Despite the challenging course & conditions, the team took it all in stride and really stuck together to make it through. Throughout the course were five “power stops” filled with water, Gatorade, goo, Powerbars, PB&J sandwiches, bananas, grapes, etc… just about any source of energy you could think of. While some members of the team would break away between stops, we made sure to leave each one as a team.

The best part of the day was certainly the finish. We left the final power stop with the goal of riding the final 10 miles as a team so that we could cross the finish line together. That stretch was a gradual uphill climb back to the MCCC campus but once the college was in sight, everyone seemed to forget about how hard the day had been. We made our way into the last quarter mile where the path was split into two chutes with cancer survivors on the right and “regular” riders on the left. Cheering and clapping supporters surrounded us as we hit the final 100 meters, and as each one of us crossed the finish line, our names were read aloud to all in attendance. The team came through to the end and celebrated with handshakes and hugs. Despite the near exhaustion, the photo above taken almost immediately after we finished shows the smiles and just how great we still felt. (Okay, maybe we look a little tired.)

Unfortunately along the way we did lose one team member, Mike, around mile 50 to some left knee problems that made it impossible for him to pedal. I was really impressed with how well he handled the situation. Despite the disappointment, Mike was one of our loudest supporters when we eventually made it to the finish line.

All-in-all an amazing experience. 6500 total participants, about 2500 of which were bikers. Nearly $15,000 raised by our team, almost $8000 of that by Gerald alone. $3.2 million dollars raised by all LIVESTRONG Philadelphia participants. 70 miles biked and nearly 5200 feet of elevation gain!

Gerald continues to talk up the 100 mile ride next year. While I’m hesitant and intimidated by an even longer ride on such a challenging course, I don’t see how I can say “no” to him if he asks.

If you get a chance, take the time to read Gerald’s account of the day. As a cancer survivor, this day had special meaning to him. It’s definitely worth your time.

Race day is now just 5 days away. No longer can I say the race is in “a few weeks” or “later this month”. When people ask me when the race is, my response is simply “Sunday”. While training until this point has been a very real (and surprisingly enjoyable) experience, being less than a week away brings a certain level of excitement and anticipation that wasn’t there before.

At this point I find myself cautiously optimistic about how well I will do. Two weeks ago I biked 73.04 miles (at 15.6 avg mph pace) which got me over a huge mental hurdle. The race itself is 70 miles.

Then this past weekend, Mike and I went out for our final long training ride before ramping down this week for rest. We tackled the many hills nears Purcellville, VA and completed a 50 mile ride in just about 3 and 1/2 hours. The total elevation gain during the ride was 2,602 ft. The elevation gain for LIVESTRONG in Philly over the course of 70 miles? 2,652 ft.

Am I crazy to think that I am actually ready for this race? I don’t know but I do know that I won’t be scared Sunday morning. I’ll be ready to take on the challenge. And at the risk of sounding supremely cheesy or clichéd, I guess that’s part of what LIVESTRONG is all about.

Depending on how things go Sunday, I will be Tweeting updates during the race. You can follow me here: http://twitter.com/dascentral. Wish me luck.

Last weekend I completed the longest ride of my LIVESTRONG training to date with a 55 mile trek out to Leesburg and back on the W&OD. Rides haven’t been quite as frequent as of late due to some knee problems. About two weeks ago, I tweaked my oft-injured right knee in a soccer game. Of course this was followed by the typical paranoia about serious damage, swelling, visit to the orthopedist and an eventual MRI. Thankfully no major damage was revealed and through frequent icing and Advil, I have been able to minimize the discomfort. I was quite surprised at how good I felt after the 55 mile ride and subsequent soccer game from the weekend.

Anyone who is keeping up with my training via this blog has heard me repeatedly state my need to push past 40 miles and to find more hilly terrain in an effort to properly prepare me for the Philly course. While I am happy to have made it well past the 40 mile mark, I have yet to tackle the hilly terrain and really need to increase the frequency of my rides.

I was able to get 15 in on Tuesday, have a 25 mile ride scheduled for tonight and hope to go 60+ (maybe 70?) this Saturday. With a slightly reduced travel schedule, I think I have a good plan in place to get me ready by August 23rd.

Yesterday Mike and I completed a 35 mile ride which brings us to the half-way mark in our goal to reach 70.  I think we both could have gone longer but definitely would have struggled to get up past 45 or 50.

Much training remains to get us in proper shape for the race in August but we’ll shoot for 40 this coming Saturday and again look for more hilly terrain to get us to where we need to be.

Session Distance:  35.24 miles
Avg Speed: 14.9 mph
Top Speed:  33.1 mph

Total Training Distance: 158.54 miles

Last Thursday I picked up my bike following repairs from my crash and after a long weekend in Philadelphia playing golf, getting only slightly sun-burned, I made my way back onto the trail Sunday riding just under 30 miles.

I am really excited with how comfortable I have become on my bike as of late.  I genuinely look forward to my rides, the uphills are barely painful, and I’m rarely sore at all now that I have the padded shorts.  With 10 weeks to go until the race, I feel somewhat confident that I’ll be able to finish the race.  I know it will still be very difficult, but I am not as intimidated by the 70 miles as I was initially.

Over the next few weeks I will look to push past 40 miles in my longer rides and start looking for more challenging terrain.  While I love the W&OD, I know I need to find trails with more hills.

Thanks to the generosity of many of my friends and family, I reached my very modest fundraising goal this morning and received the following email from the LIVESTRONG people…

Congratulations on reaching your fundraising goal! We admire your determination and your commitment to the Lance Armstrong Foundation’s mission to inspire and empower people who have been impacted by cancer.

Please extend our gratitude to your donors and let them know that every dollar counts – together, we are improving the lives of people affected by cancer. Thanks again, and we look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

The LIVESTRONG Challenge Team

Thanks to all who donated!

If you are still interested in making a donation, you can do so online here:
http://philly09.livestrong.org/dascentral

Yesterday I met my buddy Mike out on Rte 28 just north of the Dulles Toll Road for our first ride together.  Mike just got his bike and gear so this was his first training ride but we still set an aggressive goal of 30 miles for the day with Mike having the option to turn around earlier if necessary.

The ride started out nice and easy as we headed west towards Ashburn.  Not sure if it was the bacon and eggs I had in the morning or if this section of the trail was particularly flat, but I had tons of energy at the start.  This also was a new section of the W&OD for me so I was excited to have some new scenery for the ride.  I let Mike start out in the lead so he could set a pace that he was comfortable with.  I didn’t want to hop in front and wear him out too quick.  This is actually easier for me since Mike takes the brunt of the wind and I get to draft like a NASCAR driver.  We decided to take turns leading and agreed on switching at 5 mile intervals.

As we neared the end of our first 5 mile interval, Mike and I approached a rare juntion on the trail where a small path coming from a nearby parking lot on our left met with the main trail.  As we neared the junction, 5 or 6 riders were coming onto the main trail and heading in the opposite direction causing Mike and I to slow down a bit.  On the path ahead of us at this point was a solo rider moving at a fairly leisurely pace.  As soon as the group of 5/6 passed, Mike and I moved out to the left to pass the rider ahead of us.  Mike passes without problem but before I can enter this guy’s peripheral vision, he makes a sharp left turn to head down the side trail and to the parking lot.  The horrible timing of his turn left me with no option but to plow into him.  I didn’t have time to hit my brakes, swerve left, fall over… anything.  I smashed right into him, our bikes tangled and we went down.

I know I’m still a bit of a rookie at this point but do know that first and foremost when geting into a crash, check to make sure everyone’s okay.  We checked each other out and thankfully the worst of it was a scrape on my knee and elbow.  No broken bones.  Plenty of broken pride.  The guy rightfully chastises both Mike and I for not announcing our pass with a standard “On the left” notice and rides away.

As I recovered from the shock and embarrassment of the crash, I checked out my bike to find a busted wheel and some damage done to the front fork.  Fast forward a couple hours to Revolution Cycles in Clarendon and I find out that both the wheel and fork will need to be replaced.  After tax and installation fees, I’m looking at repair costs that equal about 1/3 of the cost of the bike.  A very sad Saturday for me and my wallet.

As I’ve told this story to several friends already since the crash, I realize and acknowledge that I am primarily at fault.  Sure, Mike should have said “on the left” or even better “2 riders on the left” before passing and sure, the guy should have a) signaled a left turn and b) looked over his shoulder, but ultimately it is on me to also announce “on the left”.  I think the rules are the same as if I was snowboarding.  On the mountain it’s up to me to stay under control and afford the right of way to anyone ahead of me.  If I plow into them, it’s my fault regardless of what ridiculous turn they may have made.  I think it’s the same on the bike trail.

So for any new riders out there, learn from my very expensive lesson and always announce when you need to pass.

My bike is in the shop for a week so it looks like it’s into the gym to get acquainted with the stationary bike.

Last weekend I went on training ride #2. Yes, #2. That makes two weeks between my first and second training rides.

Completely unacceptable.

There’s always a reason to miss a training ride whether it be work, errands or a friend who’s come to town that you haven’t seen in ages. (All happened.)  However training doesn’t mean going out for a little bike ride when you feel like it.  It means riding on a regular basis and pushing yourself beyond your limits.  That being the case, I made an effort over Memorial Day weekend to dedicate myself to legitimate training.

On Saturday I rode 30 painful miles.  A bowl of cereal was all I had in the morning leaving me with very little energy throughout the ride.  I felt nauseous at times and struggled to recover to full strength until a few hours after finishing.

Sunday I took a break from biking but went to the gym to for a cardio and ab workout.  I’m trying to do everything I can to combat back pain so mixing in a core workout at least once a week is key.

Monday brought quite a bit of rain but I was able to find a 90 minute pocket of sunshine to complete another 20 mile ride.  Thanks to a hearty lunch and a well planned stop during the ride for Powerbar nutrition, I was able to finish this ride with ease.

Feeling a little better about my effort, I found resources on the LIVESTRONG race website offering up a 12 week training program.  I now sit 13 weeks away from race day.  Despite being quite intimidated by the course map, I have faith that I’ll be make it through if I stick to the program.

Tomorrow I look forward to some eggs and bacon before another 30 mile ride.  However this time I’ll be joined by my Northern Virginia training partner, Mike.  An old college friend of mine, he’s known Gerald since they were very young.  Looking forward to the company.