35 miles, BAABBY!

What a lovely afternoon ride!!  I rode from my house to the B&O trail and back.  I admit, it was an abbreviated 25 mile B&O ride ... hey, I had to make sure my legs had enough juice to get home!

This is PERFECT weather!! I absolutely love it.  The wind was blowing harder than I realized ... so parts of the ride were more intense ... I was going for a low key sort of ride today.

It was great fun and I passed by these 2 little girls who have a lemonade stand.  They are trying to raise money to help the animals affected by the Gulf oil spill.  How freakin sweet.  I went back after I cleaned up and wrote a story on them -- pictures, video and all!  I hope to have the story published in the Flyer and the Indy Star. (I'll keep you posted on that!)  Also ... if you are near Tilden and Jefferson Streets in Brownsburg, help the girls out!

Saturday's CIBA ride

I was on my bike by 7:15am Saturday, a nice relaxing 6 mile ride to the Major Taylor Velodrome; not much traffic and a good hill up 30th St. to get the legs moving. Met up with Tony, Kevin G & Mark and heard that Dan was on his way. As soon as they said start, Tony was off, never saw him again. There was a guy with two dogs in a carrier attached to the back of his bike and the dogs were making all kinds of noise.  Thank goodness we were able to ride faster than him and soon left him and the dogs in our dust.  We wound our way northeast, to some roads we had ridden before, including 79th St. over 465. We had hooked up with a few other folks which was nice, especially when we hit the hills, including Fishback (remember that one Heather). Back on Lafayette we had to stop to help a gentleman who had fallen at the stoplight. Lots of scrapes but nothing too bad and having stopped for the accident, Dan was able to catch up with us. We headed to Zionsville and the first rest stop.  Mark had met two guys who came from Minnesota for the Nite Ride. They were staying at the Gateway hotel on 38th St. (a bit sketchy). Then we headed further west and north to the exciting village of Whitestown, then turned back east and a little further north. Our next stop was at 126th & Towne road.  The wind had picked up and was coming from the south (of course it was because we were heading south). Fortunately there were a few turns east for a break from the wind. Dan left us at 64th St., Mark got a ahead of us in a group, but Kevin & I weren't too far behind and completed the 52 miles before noon.  I then made my way back downtown, a bit more traffic this time, but I got to test out a bit of the new Cultural Trail, which had no traffic on it.  Thanks for the ride guys!
Alex

Knee high by the fourth of July?

Apparently it's a good year for corn in Indiana!

I was unable to make it to Southwestway or Nebo this week, but I did find a trainer on craigslist for those days when my crazy family schedule or weather woes keep me from the road. Still, road miles are ever so much better. So, this morning I sneaked away at daybreak for a nice solo ride to Lebanon and back. It was gorgeous, the stifling heat hadn't made its appearance yet. Just the right temperature, birds singing, blue skies. I'm experimenting with some new routes, getting tired of the same old thing. It's fun to see some different sights. :)

Happy riding, everyone!

What rain Kevin Garner?

What a beautiful night for a ride.  Not a rain drop fell, although there was plenty of water in the river, in fact potentially too much - looked like Brooklyn was bracing for a flooding river.  We missed you Kevin G., next time trust the radar.

Okay, I have to brag a little bit

I'm sorry, I know it's kind of unsightly, but I'm so darn proud of myself -- I just can't keep from telling every single person (including 2 strangers at Target) that I won an EMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, that's right.  It's the same trophy actors and actresses win ... except mine was for journalism.  During my time at WISH-TV I won an Emmy for best breaking news.  I just found out Saturday!  YAY ME :)

Click HERE if you want to learn more.

Networking, JDRF style

Heather beat me to the blog (figures...lol), but I wanted to tell you about something fun that happened last week. :) I met the fabulous Jill Deak because her son Isaac is a youth ambassador too, and she does all sorts of amazing volunteer work with the JDRF walk and gala. We've run into each other in various JDRF situations. When she found out I was branching out from being 'mother of youth ambassador' to 'JDRF rider', she offered to do a fundraiser for me. Jill also happens to be a Mary Kay consultant. We tried a few times through the winter to line something up, but illness and weather weren't kind to us, so just last week we managed to get some friends together for a spa pampering morning. Jill helped everyone relax and enjoy themselves, and the end result was $109 raised for my JDRF ride instead of the usual free products for the hostess of a Mary Kay party. If you're looking for ways to raise funds, or just need some Mary Kay products yourself, you might want to consider contacting Jill. Guys, you should think about it too! Some of your wives or girlfriends might enjoy a little girl time.

Thanks, Jill, for a fun morning. And for your continued dedication to JDRF in all sorts of ways. You are the best!

Jill's contact info is jdeak@marykay.com if any of you want to find her.

Its a Horse of course, of course!

What a great night for a ride, no worries about rain.  Kate E., Tony, Dan and I headed east with the wind, we were hitting 19-20 mph.  A few miles in we look up the road and there are two runaway horses.  We slowed our bikes because in bike vs. horse, I'm pretty sure horse wins.  There was another rider on the other side of the horses and fortunately the owners were there as well putting on the bridles.  After a minute or two it was all under control and we continued on our ride.  After 10 miles we turned around and headed into the wind.  Thanks to Kate & Tony we made great progress, over 16 mph.  It was a great ride and you don't run into a horse very often. 
Alex

Raising money while beautifying? I LOVE multi-tasking!

Lisa held a fundraiser at her home today with a Mary Kay consultant who also has a child with Type 1 diabetes.

What a great way to spend the day -- manicures and pedicures, pizza, make-up and fun!  It sounds like Lisa is well on her way toward her goal ... now if others of us could just be so lucky :(

I hope all your fundraising efforts are going well!

Concessions at SPICE on June 19th (10-4)

Hello everyone -
We have an opportunity to staff a concession stand this Saturday at the SPICE challenge course.  There will be a group of 80 coming in 15 person intervals throughout the day.

I know that Lisa B is interested in helping and I can contribute as well.  Would anyone else like to participate in this opportunity to raise funds?

There may be more up front work this time to make this happen, but I will try to finalize that with Laura today/tomorrow.

Thanks!
Kate  319-4743

A perfect night for a ride...

Thursday evening turned out to be a perfect evening for the Nebo Ridge ride. I had the privilege of hosting a work colleague from the UK who is also training for a JDRF ride there http://www.cyclegb.co.uk/ -- and the Lilly UK team http://www.justgiving.com/ErlyWheelers2010. His ride (81 miles) is this Sunday (June 13) back in the UK, and he wanted to get at least one training ride in while he was traveling for work.

Since it just wouldn't be right to leave a fellow cyclist without a ride, he borrowed my back-up bike (he didn't have cleats to match my regular pedals), and a helmet. We got a bit of a late start from my house due to an unexpected flat and tube change, so we didn't make it to the start before the normal rides set out. We jumped on the course at 126th St. and rode ahead of the fastest group until they caught us just before the S.R. 32 crossing.

He is a few inches taller than I am and so the bike was slightly too short for him from crank to saddle. In spite of the strange borrowed bike (we learned that the brake levers are on opposite sides compared to those in the UK... yikes!), decreased leg extension and the fact that we were riding on the wrong side of the road for him, he did great! We managed to average about 17 mph for 30 miles. With comfortable temps and light winds, the ride seemed to go very fast for both of us. Though he bicycle commutes 30 miles to/from work, it was his first experience riding amidst such large groups of cyclists. That said, the Nebo Ridge numbers pale in comparison to the 1500 cyclists he is expecting to ride on Sunday... wow!

After we got back to my house, we enjoyed a beer and grilled pork chops on the screened porch before I returned him to his hotel.

A great ride... and I appreciated all the shouts of support from my fellow JDRF riders as you passed!

We didn't melt

In spite of a couple of hours of rain before ride time, Tony and I decided we needed our road miles tonight. There didn't seem to be much chance of lightning or severe storms, and the rain wasn't heavy. It was one of those times where our diligence was rewarded, because the skies cleared just as we arrived to head out, and it ended up being the most lovely of nights for a ride. We didn't even get wet! Simply 26 miles of breezy happy riding. We ended up pleased with our pace, pretty quick considering the hills and the crosswind. It was a great ride altogether.

I love riding with Tony, because he's stronger and faster than I am, and that pushes me to be a little better too. Also, we're in similar stages of training, having both gone from non-cyclists to fanatics in a little over a year. Because of this, he's my biggest competition for the 'most improved cyclist' status I'm gunning for. I'm sure in a few months it will be Heather, but for now I think Tony and I are neck and neck. (Shhhh, don't tell him I'm going to kick his butt for that status, or he might start working even harder.) And yeah, I might have said he was stronger and faster than I am.....but I'm thinking I might have a little edge because of the fact that I started out soooo much a rookie, with a lot more rookie mistakes. That's got to count for something as far as improvement goes, right? All in fun of course, but seriously......the Indiana Cure Chasers are the best group of people I could have found, and I'm very glad there's always a friend with whom I can ride.

I left my heart in a cabin on a lake

I've heard parenting described as walking around with your heart outside of your chest. When you're the parent of a diabetic child, your heart might be outside your chest, but it's also locked up tight in a protective box with waterproof tape strapping it tightly in place. Perhaps it lives on your sleeve, perhaps tucked under your shirt in some inconspicuous place. You can feel it beating there at all times, but you have to be ever so careful to make sure nothing happens to it. You spend all of your days, whether consciously or unconsciously, doing the right things to keep your heart safe and healthy.

Sunday I cut the waterproof tape, opened the box, and left my heart at a YMCA camp three hours away. Yep. It's her first trip to diabetes camp. 180 lucky kiddos cut loose from the ties that bind them for an entire week, getting to know each other and bonding through the frustrations they share. I left her there, with broken casted wrist and non-functioning pancreas, to capable and amazing staffers who know just what she needs. I'm sure my heart will leap with joy all week, and touch the hearts of others in ways I can only imagine. But I'll likely feel a bit hollow until she returns.

I'll probably miss 30-50 blood sugar checks, several pump infusion set changes (no need to hold her hand when the needle pops in?), hundreds of carbohydrates counted, high and low blood sugars corrected, and have six consecutive nights of sleep without checking to make sure she's stable first. What will I do with myself? If I seem a little lost......you might want to distract me. Looks like I'll need lots of bike time to get me through! :)

Riding for Bailey's permanent diabetes vacation!

I dropped my youth ambassador (aka Bailey) off at diabetes camp yesterday. Bailey is my daughter who was diagnosed with diabetes at 18 months old. This is Bailey's second year going to camp. She really enjoyed it last year so I am hoping the same for her this year. Anyhow, we really learned to appreciate what camp meant for Bailey. Sure it was a typical summer camp with all the activities and such but it really is a lot more than that for Bailey. It is her "diabetes vacation" because she is well taken care of by her "med. staff" as she calls it. The med staff includes doctors, nurses, medical students, dietitians, etc. They pretty much take care of all her needs related to having diabetes which allows her freedom to enjoy normal activities. It is very comforting for us to know she is well taken care of as well!

Another thing that diabetes camp does for Bailey is it allows a very painfully shy young lady become a social butterfly. When I asked her why she was so different at camp, she said "because we already had something in common."

This year Bailey told her "med. staff" that she is willing to learn how to change her own pump sites. She learned last year that she was pretty much the only kid that didn't do it on their own. Can you imagine placing a one inch needle in your skin at a 45 degree angle and removing it leaving a cannula in it's place? These kids are as young as 7 years old! I think Bailey is behind the curve because she was diagnosed at a very young age. I told her that I am willing to change her site because the pessimistic side of me thinks she has a lifetime of doing this on her own. But thankfully we have organizations like JDRF and people like you that are fighting to put an end to a lifetime of daily monitoring. Fighting for Bailey's permanent diabetes vacation!

Ride Happy!
Sam

A beautiful day for a ride!!

Ahhh ... today is PERFECT riding weather.  Shoot, who am I kidding? Today is perfect HEATHER weather :)  Mid-70's, light breeze, bright blue sky and big puffy cumulus clouds in the sky.  Sweet serenity. 

I did the 25 mile B&O trail.  Though, I decided riding alone for that long would be boooorring!!! Fortunately, my BlackBerry has I <3 Radio and I tuned in to Top 40 with Ryan Seacrest!!!  I turned up the volume, fixed my phone so it was stuck in my shirt and pedaled away!!!  It was so beautiful and so fun!!!

About 2/3 of the way through, I go by my aunt and uncle's house.  So, I stopped by knowing my cousins would be home.  I think I freaked their freak when they saw me.  Seriously, my riding gear makes me look like Bret Michaels sister or a band member from White Snake.  Word.  The yellow sweatband is helpful for the SWEAT *as an added bonus it holds my hair whispies out of the way!* and my riding gloves are straight up Miami Vice.  It was fun chatting with my little cousins and I even got to met on of my boy cousins' friends.  Although, I think I totally freaked him out.  I was talking a million miles a minute and pretending to be gangster????  Yeah, it was weird.  I'm gonna blame that craziness on the endorphins and not that fact that I had Vodka in my water bottle.  (I kid! I kid ... or do I??? LOL)

I made it home happily.  Hey, Lisa, this ride was MUCH better than our ride last month :)  Of course this time I had on my riding shorts, and it's about 20 degrees cooler with zero humidity ... unlike last time when the humidity nearly suffocated me out in the country where I thought you took me to die ... :)

What rain?

Well Heather, you missed a great ride, some yummy cookies & good barbecue, oh yeah and some rain.  Dan & I joined a few hundred other riders in Brownsburg for the B&O Trail ride.  We stopped quickly at the first rest stop at 10 miles, just as we were pulling out of the stop we felt the first rain drops.  We contemplated taking the 25 mile route back home, but instead headed west and with us came the rain.  It rained for the next 12 miles, reminded me of the Vermont JDRF ride last year.  This portion of the ride had some good hills, will probably need to head out this way later in the year.  As we left the next rest stop the rain stopped.  We thought we would get hit again a couple times, but it held off.  Of course by this time we were wet, especially our socks, thank goodness it was warm.  Leaving the final stop for the final 10 miles we had about a mile into the wind, but the rest of the way wasn't too bad.  We had a great lunch after listening to a live band.  Sorry the rest of you couldn't join us.  See you on Tuesday.
Alex

Fair weather rider

So, okay ... maybe I'm not the cyclist that you all are ... cuz I'm not gonna ride if there's a chain of rain.

Let alone thunderstorms.  EEK!


For those of you pedaling away at B&O -- best of luck!! I'll catch ya on a day that's dry :)

Fishback!!!!

I still maintain I will never forgive Tony for making me go up this beastly hill ... but I must say with some pride that I did conquer it!!!!  It's quick, but painful :)

My gears still aren't quite doing their thing ... but Alex suggested it was user error.  I think not!! LOL  I'm sure it is ... so we'll see if I can get my gear shifting fingers to work correctly.  I still shift the wrong way first, even though I know which way I want to go.

It was a fun ride tonight!! I was sweating like crazy.  Guh-ross.