Recap - we raised money and we rode some miles!

Hello again!

I want to provide a detailed report of Saturday’s ride to my generous donors and dedicated readers. It’s the least I can do, and I apologize for the delay. I was a little tired yesterday – surprising, I know! I think I actually burned off at least 8 pounds of weight during the ride. I tried to eat it all back, but did not succeed … yet!

Ok. My alarm rang at 4:35AM and I log rolled out of bed to double check that it was, in fact, 4:35AM and it was Saturday, October 2nd. Check! It was finally time to ride 100 miles for Kids! I jumped in my car around 5AM and headed South to Foxborough. Lady Gaga and Christina Aguilera both made an appearance on my radio station to calm any morning nerves. When I arrived around 5:50, the sun was still not up! I might have been the fourth or fifth rider to arrive. I left my stuff in the car and headed to the ‘check – in’ area. The staff was well prepared – they handed me by bib #1100 and I was on my way.

Now, the magic happens – I make friends. The success of my ride rests on my ability to secure a riding partner. How would I navigate all those funny directional arrows all by myself? When my legs started talking to me, I was certain that I would need someone to yell back at them with me, right? I especially needed someone to guide me back onto my bike after the rest stops. I also was very sure I needed a partner to hold my pace back (ha! Did you see that? I made you think that I’m fast…) Other concerns were mentioned by my various coaches, I need a friend to “draft behind.” Drafting was the absolute last place I wanted to ride on a rainy century ride. My white sleeves and my eye contacts were spotted anytime I had to sit on my tires of my partner. But at the start of my century, I did not realize this so I wanted a riding partner to “draft” behind. And most importantly, I needed someone to talk to for 100 miles of biking! So it is much less about my confidence and more about understanding the reality of the situation.

I had no plan for this goal. Honestly, I usually develop quick acquaintances very easily, but if you see the above paragraph – this was to be more than an acquaintance. Oh well, I barely remember how it happened, but my anxiety level jumped a couple notches during the time (again because of the above mentioned reasons) and the time seemed to be ticking away very quickly. The 100 mile riders were all gearing up and their intensity scared me. How could I be riding 100 mile today? I didn’t have a fancy green jacket that matched everyone else in my car? I didn’t look as serious as any of the other riders. Anyway, I finally spotted someone with a tire pump and made my request for friendship/ to borrow the bike pump. He (Justin) quickly came to the rescue.

This is where the story becomes fuzzy - any/all of the possible things happened…

 Did I ask to ride with him?
 Intimated by the riders next to my car
 Make sure not to lock keys, helmet, shoes in my car
 Enters Justin’s team member – Jamal
 Did he offer to ride with me?
 Ready to go?

The three musketeers (Katie, Justin and Jamal) rode off to find the starting line! First big success of the day – I had secured a couple riding partners! And find it,
we did! By a matter of urgency and stupidity, we found the starting line before anyone else. We are in the papers all over Foxborough county because of it. “Ooops!” is more like it. We did not have the speed, desire or skill to be at the front of the crowd. However, we did have some great picture opportunities AND I got to enjoy my favorite part of any and every sporting event – the singing of our national anthem!

The Rodman Ride for Kids is by far my favorite event to date. Little cherries were sprinkled all over this event.
The national anthem was sung by Melinda and Joey.


-Two young kids benefiting from the ride. It’s a great song and a very nice touch to have some young kids sing it too.

With that, the field was off and riding at 7:05AM. The course was well marked with arrows providing directions at each and every turn. They even provided additional arrows to offer reinforcement if the road continued for a couple miles, which was very nice and comforting. At about mile 2.5, we started to feel some rain drops! It was not a surprise – but I was not prepared. Why prepare for something you don’t want to happen? It was a driving rain with big heavy drops. But it turns out… I did not melt! In fact, I felt like the most hardcore fundraiser ever! And looking back now, it was helpful to have rain – it was a good distraction for the first 20 miles. I always struggle with the first 20 miles of any ride because I am still finding my rhythm and more importantly, still getting comfortable on the bike. With the rain, I quickly became focused.

During the beginning miles, I share the story and key phrase for the ride with Justin and Jamal. They love it and we continuously YELL – SHUT UP LEGS. Thanks roommate Tim and Jens Voigt!

We had stops at mile 21, 48, 66, 86 and 100! I rode the ride from point to point. It was too much to wrap my head around 79 miles to go… I knew I was out for 100 miles, but my mental health liked moving from point to point. Not that it was all that mentally challenging because the scenery, my riding partners and the volunteers were UNBELIEVEBALE!

The volunteers were perfectly placed around the course with COWBELLS.

My Cowbell Trophy!

Each time, Justin, Jamal and I came riding around a corner – the volunteers would cheer in delight. I would offer a fist pump, high five, and cheers of Thanks in return. Whenever we crossed a main intersection, a police detail would stop all cars so we could ride through without stopping. I would then wave at all the cars – was this viewed as obnoxious? I, very much, hope not! Although, I felt like a pure celebrity and professional, it was more of a “Thank you and look you’re stopping for real reason!”

At mile 39, I was in a desperate state. My Dunkin Donuts coffee and numerous gulps of water were ready to leave… According to my calculations, the next stop was only 5 miles away. My calculations were following along with my distant recollections of a mention of a mile 44 stop. At mile 41, I took off and left Justin and Jamal in the dust. I started to crank up hills and pushed the pace. I figured I would arrive at the stop first and then have more time for resting, eating and visiting with Eleni Kalafatis! Turns out, the mile marker was correctly positioning at mile 48. Justin caught up to me and proceeded to laugh at my eagerness to arrive at the next stop. It was the most glorious site to see a group of volunteers at the top of the mile 48 hill.

Yes, that is correct. You read that. Eleni Kalafatis volunteered at mile 48.

Eleni and I celebrating the first half.

Eleni and I attended UMass together a couple years ago – and it was nice to see a familiar face on my journey! We took a couple pictures. I met her colleagues from the Key Program. We laughed and briefly reminisced about UMass! And then, Justin reminded me that we need to move along for the second part of our journey!

This next section was tough. We rode through some very beautiful areas - through a a lake in Lakeville! The rode divided an entire lake - it was the most beautiful sight, but I only took a picture of the proof that Rochester exists...

Rochester Massachusetts really exists!

And that’s actually all I remember from it. The next stop at mile 66, I remember following the lead of Justin and Jamal and dropping my bike and falling to the ground to enjoy some needed stretching. I took a spider ring for the road and we were off and moving again before the green team could even see us.

Spider ring – It was October 1st – the Halloween decorations were in full Gloom and Doom! It was, as if, everyone knew we were coming out for ride along their streets. The decorations were highly entertaining!

The green team. These individuals caused my anxiety level to increase at the beginning of the day because of their matching outfits and aggressive biking strategy language. After mile 48, I proposed to my group that we beat the green team. I felt confident with this proposal mostly because we’d already had a 10 minute lead on them, so it was not much of a competition. I’ve also heard in numerous settings, that it is important to set achievable goals. I felt it was imperative to set a race goal against a team that had absolutely no idea they were racing us. It would be a win win situation! Disclaimer, I’m sure they were very delightful people. I have an irrational fear of people that match and it happens with every new sport that I take up

Mile 72 approaches and passes. I am now riding farther than I ever have in my entire life and everyone within 5 miles of me knows this. This stretch of the ride is also pretty tough. Justin and I ride along at a very decent pace – staying between 16 – 20mph and coast around 21-24mph. Jamal decides to take it easy because his legs are yelling at him.

For the stretch in between stop 66 and 86, Justin and I are amazed with our abilities. We actually voice our disbelief about how are legs feel really great. I am also shocked, but attribute my stamina to the GOOs inside my water.

Over the course of the entire ride, I consumed:
 12 Goos in 6 bottles of water
 2 Peanut Butter Jellies
 2 bananas
 .5 cliff bar
 3 twizzlers with salt


We were cranking up (18 mph) and down and mostly up slight hills for the last couple miles. At one point, Justin pointed out that we could slow down because we were actually drafting for an entire pack behind us! Hmm maybe 18mph is not “cranking”, but it was for me after 80 miles of biking.

With the final stop at mile 88, the other riders offered insight for the miles to come. One said, “it’s all up hill from here”. Yes, I had the same exact reaction that you did as you read that…. No Thank You – I’m not listening – you’re a Debbie Downer! Who cares if it’s true, I don’t need to be told the bad news! Justin and I jumped on our bikes and beat everyone out of the water stop. When those hills approached, Justin turned to me and said, “Nope, those don’t look like hills to me – keep pedaling and Legs Shut Up!”

Did I mention the sun came out?! It did – it surely did, and I sang in my head – The sun’ll come out tomorrow, bet your …” and moved along with a big smile on my face. Each tick of my odometer to the next mile mark, I would let out a big announcement of the new number. As we turned into a rotary around mile 97.6, I powered up a little by standing up off my seat. This was added additional pressure on of my weak knee, but the ride was almost over! I spotted Mike Wasserman in this rotary and cheered in delight to see another familiar face. Mike is the Associate Director of Bottom Line and an eager volunteer. If I know him, he’ll be riding next year too! He announced and cheered – “You’re almost there! Go Go Go!”. It was very true, we were very close.

Can you believe it – the rest of the way was up hill? Justin and I moved back and forth each taking the lead after different points. It was not a race – from my perspective, it was more of a great desire to finish! We finally were pulled down the entrance path to the parking lot for the finish line. We zoomed over the line and high fived everyone that would bother with us!

101! I made it!

I cannot say it enough, the Rodman team put on a great event and we raised a total of 3 million 738,790.84 so far! I know the wording is not correct with that statement, but I like emphasizing the million part. I had an absolute blast. Thank you to all my friends, family, colleagues, the Paint Bar, Kelly’s and Sacco’s for your generous donations. Thank you for recognizing the importance of giving.

Celebration after the miles with "new guy", Jamal, Me and Justin!

PS - Thanks for visiting from the Bottom Line newsletter - the traffic is overwhelming for my little blog, but it is very exciting and appreciated.

Thanks again!

Thank You

Thank You to everyone for volunteering, donating, and cheering me on through tweets, texts and emails.

I had a secret mission today. I tried to win the "Most Enthusiastic Rider" on the course. I won... my award should be coming in the mail! I must have fist pumped 50 or 60 times. I think I heard someone else - that's Lance Armstrong! I cheered for everyone, and waved at everyone. My arms hurt more than my legs.

I had an absolute blast. The Rodman Ride for Kids is the best race. It was run flawlessly and was absolutely beautiful!

Made it!

I feel accomplished.  Sun,  thanks for coming out for the sweet party!

86 done!

Wow.  Feeling really good!!

Eleni on the course! Feeling great!50 miles complete!

Oops

Front of the pack by mistake!  Here we goooooo!

Mobile uploadf 1

I've met 3 very intimidating people and 2 nice people.  Everyone seems very intense.  I seem to look like a rookie as I update my blog...... awkward!   Game face on!

Good morning TJ? You're right, it is early!

Pillow pants on. Pink socks check. Water filled up. Edge of glory on repeat. Ignoring sounds of cars pasingthrough "puddles".

It's going to be a GREAT day! I love an excuse to see the sunrise!

I'm off to run on Dunkin and to my VIP parking spot!

Look for mobile updates and as I wait for water at the rest stops!

Jens Voigt - Shut Up Legs

When your body is hurting and starts talking to you, follow the advice of pro cyclist, Jens Voigt. - "shut up legs.". My great roommate Tim forwarded along this You Tube video for inspiration.. hilarious short video and insight to exactly what I will be saying and doing tomorrow.

100 miles. Oh my gosh, here I come!

Psych Myself Up!

From the moment, my little alarm clock rang... I've been pumping myself up to avoid being too nervous. I am actually... very nervous and making myself a little sick.

Jessica Toohill has been helping to keep the party up in the office in preparation for tomorrow. We've been dancing to "Move like Jagger" and "Edge of Glory" all day. Not sure if it's helping or provoking unnecessary energy.

As my old coach always said, your body knows something big is coming tomorrow so it rests and feels lethargic to prepare!

Check out the directions that I finally decided to download. - not all of them, but look how tricky they are......

Up early! Not as early as tomorrow, but hopefully I will be super tired around 7pm to prepare for tomorrow's early morning rise!

Today looks like a fine day this morning... let's have another one tomorrow, please!

My boss offered to rig up our elevator for my Monday return. I don't view this as a joke, not sure why she was laughing?

Other ways to prep today.
Water - 6 - 8 bottles
More Pasta - need to cook some!
In bed around 7pm - at least with a book, maybe sleeping too!
Pack up bike
Pack up party bag
Pack up Goos
Sunscreen?

ok! Off to work. Happy Friday everyone!

Goo!

Goos Goos and More Goos.

I am all fueld up. I poured over the calculations for weeks and determined that 16 GOOS, 1 banana, and 1 trail crunch bar will provide the optimum fuel levels for 100 miles. I will be riding for approximately 7 hours. If I follow the history of my goo experience, I "eat" (eat is a fluffy term when dealing with Goos because it's an absolute lie - they are not food) 1 packet of goo every 30 minutes. I will consume 14 goos in 7 hours if I keep a pace of every 30 minutes. Instead, I took up 16 packets because I plan to combine my water bottles with the Goos. I will empty two packets into one bottle. My bike can carry two bottles - THANKS FOR MIKE KEOUGH!! (He had the foresight that I would need a 2nd holder last summer! What a guy!) For each 25 miles, I will have 2 Goos within each water bottles (4 total for 25 miles) so this figures to 16 goos inside of me for 100 miles. Yikes! The calculations add up, but it sounds like a lot of nothing (or too much) to me. And, that reminds me - I need to bring/buy some salt for the journey. My stomach usually gets funny with too many Goos - but how else is someone suppose to avoid bonking. I know...with Goos, Salt, and Cookies.


I absolutely hit the jack pot when I stopped by Sports Authority on my way home from work. Lots of places offer Goos, but I need variety. My prayers were answered.
SO MANY CHOICES


With all this fuel, I might just bike home from Foxborough!

Nerves are starting a little more now, although, I am much more confident than last week. Also, I did not check the weather report until today and it keeps getting worse and worse each time. Either way, I am rolling out at 7AM on Saturday morn! It will be clear for me - I know it!

Most Productive Day of the Week.

Today! Today was the Most Productive Day of the Week - and my eye lids are falling as I type this. I crossed most everything off my To-Do list even though I have a couple days left in the week because it's best to be tired today than on Saturday!

I took some soap, tshirts, Qtips, toothbrushes to my bike for the 2011 Rodman Ride for Kids cleaning this evening. And now, the grease is all on me instead of the bike. Please, if you see me in the next few days, don't make eye contact with all the spots - just smile and wish me luck.

I rolled my bike into my driveway ... after completing a couple minutes of Leadership reading. Cleaning my bike was the reward for the evening. Cleaning a bike is a tough tough job, but also very nice to receive a great sense of satisfaction. I wish my bike looked like this now, but it's still rather black...

Reels of Dirt

These components are hard to clean around. I know you can take it all apart, but that's the advanced bike technician abilities that I haven't yet learned. I am happy to report that the use of Qtips, as suggested by Rick Muhr worked! I pulled a lot of dirt off the reels. I might even take some time out later in the week to clean more off.

Sped off to the gym for a short workout. I did my usually rowing workout and decided to chill out on that end since it was aggrevating my knee.

My grocery list for the carbo load and ride essentials included:

Honey Nut Cheerios - Wheaties are ... awful!
The Greenest Bananas - I want them for Saturday! but I also only like green bananas!
I splurged with "Focaccia Bread Loaded Signature"
Dried Cranberries
Prince Bow Ties
Pineapple - natural anti inflammatory!
Potateos
Okra
Milk
Cottage Cheese
Chicken

I still need to buy the actually GOOS and COOKIES. I gazed around the bakery area of the grocery store, contemplating what could travel with me. Nothing seemed to fit. I rationalized that the ride support will have tons of great snacks so I dont need to bring anything, but that woman from my first long ride keeps popping into my head saying..." in the last 20 miles, you're going to want THAT COOKIE." I don't doubt her, I often want cookies?

Anyway, all of this went through my head and I left eventually realizing, I would eat it before Saturday and the whole 10 minutes was a very ineffective use of time during my super productive day.

Eat up and Good night!

PS. "Every man's life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another." - Ernest Hemingway. I picked up a piece of "trash" this evening outside my house, and it turned out to be the Order of Service for a young 24 year old marine that died last week. It's definitely easy to rush through the day and forget to remember the importance of it all, but this slowed me down so I thought I would include it too.

Am I really riding 100 miles on Saturday?

Will the day ever come? It's been weeks in the making... planning, biking, meeting new friends, eating, wondering if this is possible, icing, and biking so more.

I'm back to a very similar spot to where I was a week ago... except this week is clear of internal audits, massive amount of homework, and a potential deluge of rain. I anticiapte a very clear and restful week.

My Sunday was much busier than I expected, which left no time for lasagna prep or laundry, but don't worry, I accomplished the important things! I wish blogger authorized the use of bullets because I prefer those when offering a list to readers. We're not allowed, so please stay with me.

I finished a (excellent- I'm grading myself for now) paper in the morning.
Had a work revelation as a result.
I met up with an old friend, Nicole from Somervile Road Runners and biked 50 miles around Concord, Lexington and Carslie. We hadn't seen each other in over 6 months so we might have spent more time talking than riding, but it was 52 mile in 3 hours and 27 minutes so that's not far off my week's previous ride. Nicole is a tour guide for the bike company Trek so she spent the last 6 months traveling around Europe and India leading tours. What. an. AMAZING. Job! I know!

Nicole was also able to offer her expert opinion on my bike brakes, cleaning my bike, and if all goes well, maybe I will be traveling around Europe as a tour guide next summer. I have experience... I gave campus tours back in the summer of 2006!

I also met with long time fundraising support Melissa Branzburg for a restful night sleep away from Somerville. Turns out, the ville is lately a place of loud parties, crime, greed, and well... sleepless nights! The success of my ride depends on restful nights so I am taking some drastic measures to meet my needs.


Back to focusing on the upcoming ride,

Congratulations everyone!

We made it! Congratulations everyone! We made it! We made it to $1527 for Bottom Line!

Visit my pretty fundraising site to view the little bike man at the top of the fundraising hill... I'm at the library and can't copy and paste images!

To properly celebrate the victory for the ride, I jumped in the swimming pool with a big cannon ball. It was so warm today and I had a lot of energy from sitting in one small room at work. The swimming was a great workout. I only squealed in pain a couple times from my knee, and I felt perfectly exhausted when I finished. I was under the impression that my knee was improving until this evening. It's back to icing, pineapple, tylenols, and some compression therapy for me.

High Five! We made it! Thanks so much for your support everyone!

Thank Goodness! It's Delayed!

The Rodman Ride is delayed until October 1st! Put your hands together and say, Thank Goodness!

What an absolute relief. I've had a week. I am too tired to ride 100 miles this week...but October 1st in the sunshine will be a beautiful thing.

I could cry I am so happy... or just feel much more confident and productive for the evening. I didn't want to admit exactly how scared I was for the upcoming ride with the rain... but now it's okay to say, I was so scared!

And now I even know where I'll be for the after party ... the Howland house!

AND NOW, I can cheer on my school and band at the UMass beats BC game! yay!

What day is it?

The hours are flying by... and the anticipation is killing me!

And Thank you for Katie Stomski Wilson for the donation this evening. It made all my emails worth it!

I have absolute no idea what to expect with this large group ride. Days leading up to the Boston Marathon were nerve racking, I found myself waking up in panic weeks leading up to the event. I am not nearly on edge as much for this event... oddly enough, but I am still very much concerned.

Ways that I am combating my concerns.

I bought my first bike jersey last weekend. It's incredible. I wore it on my ride with Rick, and I felt like an All-Star. It's a lemon color so it speaks to my Lance Armstrong roots, but doesn't yell as much as the official yellow jersey because, quite frankly, I am in no position to yell at someone or something with my bike shirt.

Since it is the middle of September in New England, I have the potential to ride in 45 - 80 degree weather. What is a new young biker to do? Buy a short sleve bike shirt and fancy SL Arm Warmers for quick release of heat.

For some reason, I bought the white ones... everything white near my bike turns black

The sales rep that I spoke with pushed me over the edge when he said, "The professional roll them down when they get hot." 1. He showed me how best to use them. 2. He connected it to professional - my ultimate goal! Oh, and I also love an excuse to buy new fancy gear. Kara Goucher, the famous US marathoner was sporting these back at the 2009 Boston marathon so I've held out for a long time. They are now actually necessary... maybe?
The package told me that I will ride better, and I did!

Ok. I have the gear. Now, I need to make myself look even more like a professional. I emailed a company to jazz up my jersey for the ride. If plan A doesn't work out, I will be attempting the iron on venture... in between online class discussion posts.

That's all I have for my ideas for now.

Also, the counts are in - I'm almost there!

Almost there!

The Week Prep

The prepartion for the big ride started months ago. The support has been vast, huge and very appreciated.

Today, I started the one week countdown prep to the big ride. I slept in as much as possible because that is priority number 1 for the week behind work and homework. I wish they could be 2nd and 3rd, but that wouldn't fly!

I am all geared up and in process of preparing my Carbo loading engine - lasagna!

Dinner all week long!, maybe lunch too!

From what I've read, Carbo loading is best if done throughout the week leading up instead of one large pasta feast.

I also bought into some decades of marketing today. I bought my Wheaties! I don't think I've ever bought them so the reviews will be in later this week. On the box this week is IronMan Chris McCormack so it seemed very fitting.

She ate her Wheaties

THINGS TO DO THIS WEEK:
Clean my bike
Buy more Goos
Print out the directions
Print out the instructions
Make a Name Label for my Bike - Rick has one and it presents him as a professional athlete. I need that! :)
Pack up snacks for the ride
Pack up post race outfit!
Send a couple emails!
SLEEP!

Half IronMan?!!?

When the Half Ironman starts to follow your tweets... does that mean you need to compete in a Half Ironman?

Tracked!

Something to consider... maybe I will follow them too and see what they have to offer.

For now, I will carbo load and tackle some biking. Have a great weekend everyone!

8 days left! - 7 days on the Auction!

Good evening Friends!

I am camped out at the local library for a night of discussion postings, but hopefully will escape for a short gym visit.

After completing one post, I checked my email to receive a delightful email from the development fundraising team at Bottom Line. They are hosting an online auction to benefit their mentoring and students. The auction has 15 hot items, from Whole Foods gift cards, Bruins tickets, PATRIOTS tickets, wine expos, kindle and even 10 pints of Ben & Jerry's ice cream! I placed a couple bids because you know what is right around the corner - Christmas! And, I don't know about you, but I have some incredible family that deserves great gifts conveniently available at this auction.

Pros about this Auction.
1. The Money goes to Charity!
2. Christmas shopping done early
3. It's a competitive game!
4. You win something and feel great!

I might need to get back on the site. And perhaps provide you all with the link - Bottom Line 2011 Auction!

Focus.

Last Saturday, it became glaringly clear that I have fallen out of shape. I was tired after 40 miles. I have 10 days till the ride. Ok, so maybe out of shape is a bit dramatic...but something serious needed to be amended.

Despite waking up with a sore throat, runny nose, and nausea, I crammed in a short visit to the gym this evening. I am proud of the visit. I completed a 4 round circuit of rowing, sit ups and pull ups annnd some intense foam rolling. I know the extra visits to work on my core muscles will help in the ride even if it is 10 days away.

I really took the knee injury as a way out of my schedule... but maybe with good reason? I do a lot of squats, lunges, and knee necessary exercises that it seemed pointless... to try and on top of it, my little elbow pain restricted arm workouts too! Obviously not, pointless though, and I'm happy to report that my arm pain doesn't exist anymore and my knee pain is not so bad.

Oh, and you noticed the report that I'm a little sick. Yes, lesson learned and reported to you - do not finish up a 3 year olds half eaten bread after she completes her first days at pre-school days earlier. Pre-schoolers are sick and dirty by nature. What was I thinking you ask - Who doesn't know that? Well, I was thnking, I buttered that tasty piece of bread and didn't want to waste it! Well, it's water, Vitamin C rich items, no coffee, no alcohol, soup, throat drops, and benadryl until the race!

I like this part of preparing for distance events. It's the part that I pretend to be a real live important, sponsored, focused, professional athlete. Don't stop me, I'm focused on the prize! Well, that part is not pretend. I become very focused!

Although, now it's time to re-focus on my homework! I'm currently learning How to Be an Effective Leader.

13 days to go!

My knee is feeling better! I successfully biked 65 miles yesterday with Coach Jeremy. My knee felt weak and sore in the morning, but I crossed my fingers that the clips and cleats were now correctly aligned and I would not be doing further damage. I said it first here, Paul Serafini and Robert Miceli are genius! They both helped heal me back. Paul suggested the foam roller and Mr. Miceli fixed up my alignment.

Glove in my Mouth. I'm really doing this though!


After 20 miles of riding, we took a short break for goos and treats. I stepped off my bike and walked around. My knee didn't feel horrible! Was this is a sign that I'm going to be ok? I didn't get too excited because my threshold for pain is relatively high and I'm not very good at judging pain levels.

We stopped again at Verrill Farm for lunch after completing 40 miles. I had a delicious ham sandwich, jelly beans and chocolate milk. Once we started rolling again, my legs did not want to go. I don't think it was the food that slowed me down, I think it was the amount of rest in between riding and starting. We probably rested for 20 - 30 minutes. Now, I know for the century ride to limit the breaks to 15 minute increments.

We rode all over the area above and even below Rt 2. Look we went all the way to Wayland & Sudbury yesterday!

Wayland

Sudbury

$518 to go! 15 days left!

Hello everyone!

With only 15 days until the big ride, I am more than pumped and much more sore than I thought was possible with biking.

Anyway, the Stats are in - I have completed 316 miles of training, which amounts to roughly 20 hours of riding. Together, we have raised nearly $1500, which leaves $518 to be fundraised before the big day!

September 8th updated summary

My knee is still very sore so I am being extra diligent about icing, rolling, and reducing inflamation so I can heal up! Any other tips are welcome. I am a fierce fundraiser!

Productive and Restful.

I have many great updates to fill you in on, but need to also prepare for my week back in the office.

Quick update, I biked 72 miles on Friday afternoon with Mr. And Mrs. Miceli. They were super helpful and guided me all over the Cape for a beautiful and challenging ride. I was still in some serious pain when I set out for the ride, but .... Perhaps you've met me, I don't give up easily and I like to be prepared. It happens all the time that folks bike through pain - tour de France for instance.

Anyway, the Micelis took me out to celebrate the big accomplishment. After hobbling along after the ride, I finally asked the obvious question, "do you ever have pain from biking?". Almost in unison they agreed that knee pain can occur to the best of bikers, but most commonly at the start. A usual culprit is the bike shoes and misalignment of the clips. The very next day Mr. Miceli rechecked my bike and fixed up my shoes.

I am resting some ice on my knee atbthis very moment. The agenda for the week includes lots of icing, light gym visits and walden swims.

72 miles!!! I felt really tired, but mostly because of my knee. I think with proper fueling and correct alignment, I will have a much better chance of staying on my bike ... And finishing!

Thanks for the support everyone!

MY... Stick, Foam Roller, Ice Pack. Good to be Home!

After roughly 11 hours of traveling, I am home with my own ice pack on my knee.

I am in the comfort of my nice little house with a tall glass of water.

It really was a fantastic trip. Jim guided me through his sales week and introduced me to many great customers and I had high hopes for the visit and it could not have been more productive. Well, if I had been able to run - that would have made it the best trip! I definitely packed enough exercise gear. I even packed my FUEL belt to run with since Texas was hovering around 105 degrees.

I self diagnosed my knee pain to be an overworked IT band. I grabbed my Stick and massaged it out as soon as I walked in the door. I also fell onto my foam roller and could instantly tell that was exactly the problem. It already feels worlds better ... so if I stay up and foam roll until the pain is gone!

Or, I am fading fast and will complete a few quick things before bed! Welcome Home!

uh Oh!

Hi Everyone - And sorry for the lack of updates.

I have been traveling around Texas with a sales rep from my division for the week. It has been very educational and interesting to say the least!

The oddest thing happened on Monday morning. I felt some pain in my left knee and by the end of the day, I had a balloon instead of a knee. The pain is down, but it is still very stiff and swollen. The odd part about the whole knee is I did not twist, fall or cause direct damage to it. Not sure where this started...

I ressted - no running or biking for the last couple days - I did swim in the hotel pool though!

I iced A LOT - The perks of an ice machine always fit nicely to the extremely necessary moments in life.

I compressed - I did not bring my knee brace so I walked down to CVS. I tried on several braces in the aisle. I wore my fancy new brace religiously.

I elevated - while I slept, in the car, at lunch and at dinner.

Recruitment

Today has been an absolute delight and seriously motivating! Today, I was recruited. Yes, dreams come true.

I have been recruited to a team with sponsors, full uniforms, training schedules, beer miles, Sunday morning brunches, and wednesday socials. Did I mention sponsorships?! If anyone of you have been tracking my twitter (k8tdubs) posts for the last year, you know my deep desire for sponsorship. If you fall down, an ice pack is available in seconds... Although sponsored athletes don't fall as much from what I've seen. If you hurt your knee, trainers are at your beck and call to bring you back to life. If grease covers the entire outfit, they give you new bright clean clothing that is magically sweat proof. I might be describing professional athletes that have personal coaches and are younger than 23, but either way sponsorship is a necessary and enjoyable step.

Do I suffer from a rare form of hyperbole excitement? Yes, I do. Keep reading, I will come clean and explain.

This morning, I beat Tropical Storm Irene as I joined up for a ride at 7AM with the Landrys Crew at their Norwood MA store. First off, this was by far the friendliest group of riders thus far. Secondly, I was very Surprised with the large group willing to ride through a potential hurricane. For all we knew, the storm could be arriving while we were 20 miles from the home base. Anyway, we were bonded together by our biking addiction and on our way through the streets of Norwood, Sharon, and Foxborough!

I rode along with Aaron as the leader. Jim was my instant friend - I always make sure to make a "bond" within the first seconds of arriving so someone has ownership in case I fall in the first seconds of the ride. Tony was the recruiter. DaveMac is the great friend of Tony and now my friend too. The ride was 48.25 miles in length and about 2hours and 43 minutes in ride time. For the first 27 miles, we rode as a whole group. At a little intersection, Tony inquired whether anyone was up for another loop? I need to do another loop, but I also need a bio break and I am starving... I shoot my hand up, smile and say "Yes please!"

Leeting area before we start... Tony is the one in the Green and Jim is in the red.

Not sure exactly why Tony recruited me to the Boston Triathlon team. It might have been because I introduced myself before he said hello, maybe it's because I slightly caused an accident and avoided falling myself, maybe its because my shirt was greasy when I arrived, maybe because I voted no for a bio break in the woods with 5 houses in view, maybe because I joined up for an additional 20 miles and kept up with the faster pace? He might be impressed with my dedication to my first century ride, but I think it has more to do with the fact that I mentioned starting as a runner and living very close to all the other members.

And as for the hyperbole, the team roster is determined by an application process. And when I said recruitment, he actually invited me to the free public events. I am not selling it short, in fact, I am very pleased - its an offer to apply, right?! I am an all star and on my way!

Also thanks to DaveMac and Tony! They donated to my charity ride as well! Nicest group!

Almost to Texas... one more flight away!

Thank You Paint Bar!!!!

The Paint Bar fundraiser was a huge success.

The check!

I am still in awe of the generosity and pure goodwill of near strangers. I held a fundraiser last night at the Paint Bar of Newton. I painted for the first time with the Paint Bar about a month ago. We had a delightful conversation about my ride and the deal was made. They agreed to host, but they did more than just host and deliver hours of fun - they donated above and beyond! In attendance for my group, Alana Ritter, Kristen Williams, Morgan Sawin, Karen Henry, Melissa Branzurg, and Meg Bannon... well how would I raise $500 with 6 people representated from my group?

Well, the answer is the owners of the Paint Bar are extremely generous and like to help out in any way they can. They donated 30% of their profits from the night to Bottom Line. I spoke with Jill and Jackie, the Mom and Daughter combination and they followed the same sentiments as myself. The college process was a smooth road in comparison to others, so I will do what I can to provide a resource for those that are at a clear disadvantage.

The painting, fundraising, and hours on the bike are all for a great cause and I'm hugely humbled to be able to have such good friends and be apart of a great community that supports me through this great fundraising adventures.

Signing off ... off to visit Lance Armstrong, Evan Doyle, Jen Nailos, and Jim Athans in Texas! I brought my bike gloves to Lance to sign! ha!


the Two Kdubs-s!

Alana putting her Type A away for the night!

Me, Donation Box, Karen and Mel

Bannon is a natural - best painter I know!

Hills of morning ride

"I did it!" - in the words of Elizabetty.

I woke up this morning and had a glorious hill repeat ride through, or up and down the Tufts campus. The morning is much brighter when you actually have the chance to see the sunrise. It was cold as I started out, but as the sun rose and I continuously climbed, everything and everyone warmed up! The weather is so pleasant this morning that I kept zooming back down the hill for "one more" climb. Or perhaps anything is more fun than moving forward in the work week. Nope, I really just love being outside and working out.

Check out the hill repeat...

Tufts Hill



Also another tip for new riders... Bike grease is impossible to get off. I cover myself with it on every single ride like it's a contest, costume, or new fad! Anyway, sometimes, I forget to scrub it off and then I look very peculiar and dirty! Rubbing alcohol cuts through the grease in seconds and a little soap and you're on your way! I have plenty of RA from my falling days... :)

Oh and how many repeats did I complete... 10! Is that a lot? It's a lot for running, but not sure about biking... Better than sleeping in!

Phew.. Life!

I accomplished several track workouts this week in an effort to fit in the workouts. Tonight, it was so hot outside that I actually took my sneakers off to cool off. Rookie mistake, my little toes are cut up now.

The big COUNTDOWN is On! It's less than a month until the big ride. Luckily this weekend, I have hours and hours scheduled in the airports of the East coast as I try to make it to Texas. I mean, I have hours and hours to read and plan out my full schedule and strategy for the next month.

I wish I had more time to write, but the Somerville College Ave Mansion had a big day so I think bedtime is the best option.

And hopefully, I can squeeze in a hill workout tomorrow morning! yay! :)


Get Excited for the Paint Bar tomorrow night!

A big Thank you for Shohbana Patel, Zhaheda Vegawmala, and Hoeub Thai! Yea! You're the best! :)

Lance Armstorng.

I am not so secretly attempting to arrange a bike training ride with Lance Armstorng. I am ready and will be in AUSTIN, TEXAS next week and I'm training for a century ride. It would only be the greatest experience and perfect training for me.

I read Lance's book last Spring and have been a Twitter follower, reader and supporter ever since. Last June, I had the pleasure of visiting his bike shop. Next week, I am traveling back to Austin for work. And a top concern, i need to train for this ride! I've heard Lance will put out requests when he travels to meet up for running groups. Maybe he's actually in town and would like to give me tips on how to avoid falling over? He's got a big heart!

I tried to send him a message titled Long Shot though twitter. Turns out, that's not possible since Lance is not yet following me.

I tweeted the following and I'm hoping he happens to have some extra time in Colorado this week to click through my twitter profile to this very post.

Tweet for Lance!



By the way, Lance, I'm riding for a great organization called BottomLine. They help low income and first generational students from Boston, Worcester, and NYC through the application process of college, through college and onto GO Far in life.

JK and JF!

Thank you Jon Korhonen and Jen Fields for your Monday mid day donations! An absolute thrill to open my email at lunch. I definitely stumbled out of bed and struggled with the stairs to my office. It's not so painful when I'm reminded that I have some great friends supporting me and suppoting the cause of Bottom Line!

I'm stopping by the Bottom Line office tomorrow to grab their excellent banner for Friday's FUNdraiser at the Paint Bar. It's a sold out event, but the owner is so excited to help Bottom Line that she is extending the numbers to support the cause - call your Ma, tell ya Pa, we're painting to support Bottom Line!


I'm sitting on my porch on this beautiful summer night - writing some emails and I had to run inside for a sweatshirt.

Yikes - do you think September 24th will be a weather cold or hot day? I don't care much - just hope it's shady and BREEZE LESS! I am such a pansy when it comes to the sun - in my late 20s, I can't soak in the sun like I once could.

Is anyone taking bets on how many miles I can ride without falling? The official count is now 16 + 43 + 44 = 103, but it breaks everytime I fall over! Sounds like a fabulous fundraising idea to me, and God knows, I would never be able to guard against it and would never want to fall either!

I get such a kick out of celebrating Stayng on my Bike! Ride for Safety folks :)

Too Tired to Blog? No! But very tired!

Training Bikes Stats

Best way to replenish and be ready for the next race. Sleep! Your body has the natural ability to repair and be ready for the next challenge with Sleep. Thanks to Lisa Mikkelsen for this simplistic, but very valuable advice!

I am running the Reach the Beach relay on September 16 - 17th and want to make certain I am properly prepared and ready for the century so I checked in with Lisa, former coach and expert!

In other efforts to be prepared for this large endurance events, I joined up with the Greater Framingham Running Club crew this morning. Phyllis Lowry, The Leonards, and Jeff guided me through the Callahan state park for an 11 mile trail journey. Running on trails through Callahan is one of the greatest Sunday morning activites. Accomplishment before 10AM! Lots of jokes were thrown around about lack of fires and tires, and perhaps the run would be too easy for me and I wouldn't be crowned Warrior Queen when arriving back at my car. :P Funny Group!

As soon as I arrived home, I jumped on my bike to meet Coach Jeremy for a long ride. We planned for 40 - 50 miles. I fueled up a lot before the ride, but only felt "good" for the first 1.5 miles! I pushed hard up hills, but completely fell apart on the flat windy parts. I felt awful for poor Jeremy having to druge along as I druged along! But he's a really sweet guy and lover of biking so I try to tell myself that he's happy with his community service and likes to ride anyway! We biked all the way to Bedford and Lexington. It was mighty hot outside at 1pm so I suggested riding over to Walden for a quick swim. I already chalked the ride up to "getting the miles in" and breaks were welcome at every occasion. And we broke - we found a "watering hole" in Bedford, but it was $9 for the watering hole, but we gazed at it just the same. I broke the stares with a promise of better things at Walden Pond. And the quick dip in the pond was exceptionally awesome and re-charged me for a couple more miles - but unforunately, we had more than a couple miles back to home base. Do you remember when I mentioned I was tired at 1.5 miles? I also meant to bring a GOO on the journey, but ran out too quickly.

ICE CREAM

Ha! Jeremy had a solution for my lack of energy. We got ice cream in Lexington center. I had a big huge ice cream cone of Dinosaur Crunch. I was so delirious and tired that I didn't even scrutinize the name enough or test it to find out that Dinosaur Crunch was really just Vanilla ice cream with blue food coloring and a couple sprinkles. It was super tasty just the same, but an actual crunch might have been nice?

We made it home and I did not fall. Victory for the weekend! check plus!


Also bike computer did not work for this ride........... BOGUS!

Weekend Workouts.

This morning, I planned on joining for the Westborough Landry's group for a long ride, but I turned my alarm off my accident. In a fit of panic at 6:40am, I googled group rides for later in the morning. I met up with the Charles River Wheelman for a very pleasant ride. Check out the stats below:

8.20.2011 ride

I stayed on my bike for the entire ride. My heart jumped out of my chest several times. I do not like to ride as fast as many of the group members, but luckily, I can keep up with them despite my breaking on downhills. I catch them on the uphills!

***I am getting stronger! The hills are easier!***

This was a very amusing ride. I did not know anyone. I am not familiar enough with all the roads of Needham. I arrived at the start just in time to start. I asked on genteman his name because he declared himself a part of the 41 mile group. Bad move sir, I didn't bother introducing myself to anyone behind me because I was not going to detach from Bob! It was a great ride and I felt good at the end - ready for another 50!

This afternoon, I tackled my bike computer. I've had my bike computer for a little under year with no function other than a form of intimidation and to act as a front for my biking ignorance.

This afternoon, with the help of this You Tube video, the little bugger was finally calibrated. I highly recommend this video! Sigma computers made easy!

I am also pleased to report that the readership is strong with hits and visits spanning the globe. Here are the Massachusetts cities that pop up most frequently.

Blog Visitors

Well, I need to eat some dinner and rest up. Tomorrow, we have lots of biking and running planned.

It's not my High Five Arm!

Good morning! Bright side of the whole painful arm... that's right, it's not my High Five -ing arm. I still have full motion and strength to High Five everyone!

Thank goodness for Freebies at race events. I am using this new Arctic Ease Cryotherapy Wrap for my elbow right now. It's really nice - cooling effect, pressure application with a wrap, and it's clean without any gel mess!

Happy Friday!

Ohhhh no. I'm on the ground!

I did it or maybe my bike did. The fancy clip pedals pushed me to the ground this evening. I didn't want my blog to be consumed by this fall because a lot of other really great things happened today, but my mind and body are slightly consumed with pain. You're all here for updates on my progress so progress is reported...

I am happy to report I rode with my new coach Jeremy Sweeny. We met up in Cleveland Circle and rode the Landry's ride. Jeremy was very helpful providing traffic tips at each turn. We were 7 or 8 miles into the ride, when standing at a very quiet intersection, I fell over. I had one foot unclipped and lost my balance. I fell over and let my left hand hold all my weight. Turns out, I can't yet complete a falling push-up.

Riding Tip # 46: Do not fall onto your hand. Dear future rider, when you invest in fancy pedals - fall onto your back.

Jeremy later told me, he was very concerned since I wasn't jumping up after falling. When I fall down, I like to enjoy the ground for a couple minutes. What other time are you allowed to lie in the middle of a street? And if you're always up and riding, how can you fully enjoy it? Besides, I was stuck under my bike....

Jeremy gave me a couple options ... a couple times throughout the ride.
Turn back immediately.
Get a ride.
Shorten the ride.
Shorten the ride.
Or shorten the ride.

I jumped back on the bike! Well, that's a flat out lie. I actually lied on the side of the road - don't tell my Mom this - she's too scared about this whole thing. I lied on the side of the road, and let my little heart settle back into my chest, let the nausea subside, dusted off my handy bike gloves, drank some more water, wished I carried BioFreeze with me, and then made the decision to finish the ride. I almost started crying at one point, but than I would have two problems to deal with... foggy vision and a weak arm.

Achieving success is about daily goals. I had a goal to complete a long ride this evening. I couldn't turn back after a couple miles and we did it! We completed 24 miles this evening. The mentors of Bottom line help the students find resources at their campuses so they ... don't crash and complete their small daily goals of homework. If falling and finishing the ride doesn't earn me a small donation... than I'm switching back to my Lance Armstrong sneakers. :) Ride for Safety!

Helmets are a fashion statement.

Tonight, I hiked around Somerville and Cambridge passing the good word about Bottom Line.  I'm a little tired from carrying my heavy bag, but in very good spirits.  Everyone was excited to help offer support and I have a lot of managers and offices to follow up with in the next couple days.  I know the anticipation is a lot.  As soon as I know which stores and companies are supporting my ride, I will be sure to post their

Name - hushes and whispers of delight whenever your name is mentioned
Location - rush to your place of business
Menu - Screams of recognition and anticipation ... everyone loves your food.
Product catalog - I need to have it.

annnd YOU can support them in return... Because we like to support good business! Just in case, the business owners are unsure of the benefits of supporting Bottom Line, I wanted to highlight the exact reactions and obvious future benefits coming their way!

I love telling everyone about the ride and the mission of Bottom Line.  Most managers are impressed and I'm not quite certain if it's the organization, it's mission, the 100mile ride, or a combination of the whole deal.  Either way, it was a productive walk to the gym and back! I passed out 15 requests.  Keep your fingers crossed.

This afternoon, I rode 7 miles with Mark Anderson (left to right) and Brian Kimball.  They are two expert software engineers at I work with.  Do you see the houses in the background? ha! It's true, I work in a really weird part of Everett... it's an office building surrounded by a neighborhood. We are really good neighbors!

Wow, Uh... no one looks good in helmets, but I love them still... cause I would look horrible if I didn't wear one! :-) Thanks Bell!


And it turns out, they are also pro riders. Brian fixed up my noisy front brake and gave me a little lesson on its flexibility. Mark introduced me to the wonders of one foot pedaling if the occassion every comes around.... They ride all the time during lunch and I am officially part of the lunch time riders.
1. It's fun!
2 its healthy to break away from the office.  
3. I need to squeeze in miles everywhere I can.  


Wednesday was more of a success than I ever expected! 

I feel sick...

But with biking, I feel better!

I woke up very early this morning for my airport taxi service and as a result, felt quite tired after work. I actually took a nap when I got home! I could barely move and I really wanted to be ready for my SRR Track workout.

After waking up, the sun was shining and calling me outside. I grabbed my bike and jetted off to bike in the prettier parts of the state.

Sun setting over fields

I went out biking today mostly to familiarize myself with my shoes and clips. Out of respect for my future riding companions and group riders, I want to be comfortable and safe enough to ride among them. Why should others have to deal with my unsafe immature riding? Nope! I am better than that. I take responsibility every once in a while!

Speaking of responsibility, check out my biking gloves.

Johnny Mellow Biking GLoves

I bought these gloves while visiting Jen Nailos in Austin, Texas at the Lance Armstrong bike shop. I had the pleasure of reading Lance's book last Spring and I honestly don't think he's a drug user. Maybe I'm naive and maybe I want to believe in someone. Either way, I feel as strong and confident as Lance with my fancy Lance Armstrong biking gloves. And they absolutely saved the day as much as my helmet did back during my awful fall. My hands would have been destroyed if not for these tough gloves. I'm not sure I've ever seen a biker wear full bike gloves. I picked these full gloves because I wanted the fancy STAR on my palm so when I wave I project my huge pridge for the state of Texas with their gold star. Whatever the case, they project a lot of things - protection, safety and (professionalism?)and ALL STAR!

paralyzed diaphragm

Hi everyone!
Happy raining Monday!

Quick Update for You: Two critical point toward the Rodman Ride for Kids.

39 days - less than 6 weeks until the big ride
3 weeks until classes start at most colleges and universities - Bottom Line will be in full gear!

ook at all the ways Bottom Line helps their students while they're away at school. But don't take my word for it, Bottom Line also has a blog so you can follow exactly how your donations are helping the students through college. I find it enjoyable to read - wish I had it back in 2002!




The biking part of this challenge is really starting to worry me. As if it wasn't always Worry #1, but I have some good news to report. Thanks to Leighton Paris of Teleflex, I might be okay. Leighton recommended his friend and it appears I have now a new biking coach! In his first emails, he used terms like converse (switching up the route), interval training (short hills followed by flats and decents), and paralyzed diaphragm ( pain from biking and breathing.. not too sure about this one, but it sounds very intense). My new coach also mentioned ice cream as a refueling routine. Sounds like a perfect idea to me!

I am also delighted to invite YOU to PAINT with me and donate some funds to Bottom Line at the first Paint Bar Bottom Line event. Come on out for Friday, August 26th at 6:30PM for painting, relaxing, eating French desserts, and drinking .. well French wine!

If you know anyone looking to ride long distances, please don't hesitate to pass their name along! And thank you very much for support as well! Follow my blog at katiebikes100miles.blogspot.com or Donate at Katies FUNdraising page

For some reason, when you become a support to others, you become bigger than you are. - Susan Jeffers

8 stitches story.

I am committed to safety. And thoroughly disappointed as a result. I had a big ride scheduled for this morning and woke up to rain drops falling. I hesitated in both directions ... but ultimately determined that everyone that donates to my cause wants to me survive all of my training.

Besides believing in the great cause of Bottom Line and wanting to achieve the fantastic goal of completing a century ride, I signed up for the Rodman Ride to overcome a fear. I want to be able to ride my bike again without my stomach hurting.

At the end of June, I raced an incredible run called the !Warrior Dash AND I WON! HA! A ton of my great friends were celebrating the "Dirty Thirty" birthday of Karen Henry. Our race was the 8am Wave on Saturday morning - first group to start the entire race. My race advised me to jump to the head of the wave, which is ultimately the reason for my triumph. Check out the amazing pictures below.

Fire?

It rained - did I mention it poured?



Anyway, I was the warrior queen - on the top of the world. Never have I ever won an entire race. Well, maybe the Charlton Old Home Day Bed race? The next day, I grab my bike because I have a triathlon in a month and figure I am in much better shape than I previously thought. I also do not have much time in my day since I had a statistics exam later in the week to prepare for, so a short ride will be good enough. Besides, I operate on the "Quality not Quantity" training plan.

I rode out to the Minuteman Biking Path in Somerville. I made it out to near Lexington and turned around - somewhere around an Arlington park, I flew over my handle bars. I had my helmet properly fit on my head so I am fine. The roads were not wet. From my memory, my gears locked up. It was very scary event, but it was also a great way to learn a couple lessons. I did not break anything and I experienced my first Ambulance ride and ER trip. Mt. Auburn is a fabulously efficient and friendly facility. They cleaned up my many road rashes and stitched up my chin in a couple hours.

Lessons learned.

1. Bike Maintenance. Not sure this was exactly the problem because my bike is only 1 year old, but I need to know a lot more than I do... so class is on the calendar and my bike is checked out weekly!

2. Helmet Safety. Well, I also always wear my helmet, but now I proactively encourage and talk about the importance of helmet safety to all. Undoubtedly, it saved my life.

3. Don't bike alone/ or Bring your Phone. Again, I wasn't being super unsafe since I was on the bike path with many other pedestrians. However, in the future, if I am biking alone, I will have my phone. The Ambulance and ER are a lonely places!

4. The workout can wait! What's the rush? Safety First!

Although, it's a bummer because it is not raining outside now... ugh! OFF to the Gym for swimming and running!

Yippee! Evan and mike MADE my day!

Hi Katie, I talked to Mike and we would be up for donating $100 to your cause. We think what your doing is great! You can stop by any time during the day and we can write you a check. Good luck with the race!
 
Evan Fetras
Managing Partner
Flatbread Somerville
617-776-0552
www.twitter.com/FlatbreadSville
www.facebook.com/Flatbread-Somerville

Remember to eat at and support FLatbread!!! I'm headed there right now! Yippee!

Paint Bar!

Register early!

I cannot wait for this event. It will most likely be the event of the year. It reminds me of art class back in grade school except with a hilarious instructor, no glue, and a glass of wine instead of apple juice.

Register today at the Paint Bar for Friday, August 26th.

Thank you very much for your help and support.

Big Event of Fun!

A great message and a personal invite!

Kelly's best roast beef and seafood in town!

This is a throw back to the streaming blog days of the 90s.... I typed as i fundraised at kellys

Great jams playing at kelly's.  

Just heard boogie wonderland by ewf and Keep your Head Up by Andy grammar earlier this evening!  

The Fundraiser is a big success.  I've spent more time at Kelly's than at home or in my office...or on my bike.  It's a really lovely place.

A really neat story, a bus full of Teleflex employees caravanned  for lunch down the street.  The nice woman at the cash register asked how she could find out more information about Bottom Line.   She has a son in 10th grade and admitted she doesn't know how to guide him in this process but knows the importance of starting early!  

She asked how she could search the Internet for info... Luckily it's as easy as BottomLine.org, buti also had the handy info sheet and got to pass it on.  She seemed really thrilled to be closer to helping her son.  

See!  Kelly's was a success.  Spreading the word about bottom line.  Hopefully the profits from the fundraiser are good too!  

Thank you Karen, John, Monica and Uncle Howie & Aunt Sue!

Thank you for your donations today! What a thrill... I am such an emotional girl that I tear up each time I see that little "Congratulations" announcement and email about the donation. FUNdraising is lots of fun and a little overwhelming too.

Speaking of FUNdraising. Tomorrow is the big Kelly's profit share event! I am thrilled to be partnering with such a staple of MEDFORD. Their food is so tasty and variety for everyone!

Please support me by eating some Tasty Food and - Feel Great about Yourself for It!

Print out and Present on August 10th, 12 - 8pm

At the suggestion of Sue Cameron, wonderful colleague of Teleflex, I walked around to all the businesses near Kelly's. I delivered my pitch, handed out my Bottom Line material and provided some coupons. The response was very positive. Starbucks told me to come back in the morning to place more at their register! So if you forget yours, grab it over there!

My name is on a Starbucks register. I'm basically Famous! Nike and Trek will be calling me anyday about that sponsorship contract!

Off to the Somerville Track workout. Running in the rain again - it's the only safe thing to do! I will not bike in this weather. I ride for safety :)

Best News of the day........

This weekend has been very busy, productive, and historic!

This morning, I woke up at 4:00 AM and departed my house at 4:30AM for the Inaugural Providence Rock & Roll half marathon.

Yes, you are correct... it was absolutely pouring all morning long. Luckily, this was a running event and not a biking event! And also luckily, I love to run in the rain. I'm not sure there is any better weather for a red headed Katie with fair skin? Unfortunately, I am still learning. Today could definitely been a huge Personal Record (PR) day, but I didn't train especially hard because I ... took Statistics, fell off my bike and I also figured it would be 90s and sunny. Another lesson learned in my long athletic career.

The exciting biking related outcome of today involved meeting with up some of my Greater Framingham Running Club members - Karin, Katiya, Dotty and new Best Friend Jeff. He huddled, attempted to stay dry, and laughed about our luck with races. They all gasped at my large bruise. Who knew my bruise would be a segway into asking for fundraising? I should have! Anyway, I mentioned my big upcoming challenge and Jeff gave me the good news:

The Rodman 100 mile bike course is FLAT.

Everytime, I hear Jeff say the words in my head, I hear sweet bells and flashes of bright lights. I think it's the "hope" sound effects being brought it. I'm trying to creat the same effect for my blog. Anyway, Flat ... Flat will be very helpful for 100 miles. I cannot, I repeat, cannot tell you how good it was to hear... Sigh of Huge R.E.L.I.E.F. I am looking forward to the challenge of the ride, but honestly I think the distance will be tough enough without adding great heights.

Oh yes, and the race, I did well. I ran consistently and felt great for the entire race. My unofficial time is 1:43.48. And here is the official results:

1:43 - I'll take it!

Tip of the Day: I tried something new for this race. I packed cut up salt covered Twizzlers in a pouch. This is not an original recipe - Rick Muhr, my old Boston marathon coach eats these for all his races. I discovered their power and my personal need for salt during the Hyannis Half marathon last winter. My stomach starts to cramp up after eating goos or drinking water on the course so the salt is awful tasting, but perks me up nicely for the miles ahead. The course was very delightful. I would say one of the flatest and the hills were a perfect grade and length. They offered enough of a challenge that you needed to add some gas, but not unbearable. I also only recall four hills - maximum five throughout the course. I will be checking out the Cox Providence half for the Fall, the Rock & Roll is logistically too tough and not accommodating. The medals were also very intense and nice, which matches up with the entry fee.

It was a good training for the ride. 13.1 miles = 35 - 50 miles biking, right? I think I can guage these things correctly now. What do you all think?

It weighs 3 lbs!

"Dedicate Yourself to Being Someone Who Cares." - George N Parks

Today, I had the honor and pleasure of golfing in the Inaugural George N. Parks memorial golf outing. It was a beautiful day with sun and temps in the 80s. It was a tough day, but I managed a few pretty shots. It was just nice to be on the course and helping to support the GNP band scholorship for future band members. Mr Parks was my college band director, almost like a Dad during my 4 years at UMass. He passed away last Fall, but his "starred thoughts" or lessons and advice live on today through thousands of high school Drum Major Academy graduates, UMass students and me!

"It is Never Too Late to be What you Might Have Become." -GNP

"You will move in the direction of your thinking." I always thought this had more to do with marching, but it defniitely applies for life... and biking!

And Mr. Parks is one of the main reasons why I loved my college experience and why I successfully graduated. One of the reasons why I'm dedicated to helping others achieve their dreams of college graduation with Bottom Line. Mr Parks also said, "Dedicate Yourself to Being Someone Who Cares."

GNP Golf Outing - "Neverland" - Mr. Parks often referred to band as Neverland and he was Peter, especially after the the band's 1992 production of Hook