Race to Anyplace

Our TNT friends put together this huge fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. This is the second year, and I believe they raised over $25,000 for the LLS. Also, our coach and best buddy Kui is on the board for the event. Congratulations on a successful event!

Check out the video from the local news. (Click Here)

Rumor is that instead of tokens to ding other teams next year, they will be giving additional miles/kilometers based on the amount of money raised by each team over the minimum. This seems like a much better incentive to raise more money, without negatively impacting other teams.

Elevation Gains

I wanted to share with you the elevation chart for the Tahoe ride on June 3rd. I'm calling it right now, mile 87 is going to be the longest one.

Click Here for the Big Chart

Map

Second Group Ride

This past Sunday afternoon we went out for our second team ride, the Boiling Springs loop. Normally the team rides occur on Saturdays, but this Saturday it was in the 30's with wind gusts near 50 mph...luckily for us our coaches decided that it would be best to move the ride to Sunday instead.

Just like last week, we started at the Mechanicsburg High School and rode through Boiling Springs farm country. The main difference this week was mileage. This loop was a beautiful 25 miles through plowed fields, dairy farms, and for a time followed one of the world's best trout streams, the Yellow Breeches. I wish I could stop and take pictures, but with the group moving at an average of 15 mph, I'd get left behind in a hurry.

I learned the importance of drafting during this ride. It's something you hear about in cycling all the time, but until you try to ride in front of the pack, you don't realize how nice it is to tucked behind the person in front of you and let them push the air for you. There were a couple times that I drifted back off the lead pack, and I really had to fight my way back.

We only had a few mishaps on this ride, Jenelle is still working out her favorite way to come to a complete stop. She managed to have a low speed crash, caused by the fact that she un-clipped her left foot before coming to a complete stop (as you should), but then leaned to the right side where her foot was still clipped in the pedal. I would blame it on nerves and the fact that she's still getting used to the whole stopping procedure. It sounds simple, but when your feet are clipped into the pedals and you can't touch the ground when seated, it's a bit like walking and texting with your shoelaces tied together.

On another note (and the reason for all the training and rides), we are looking forward to sending out our fundraising letters this week. Because of you we can say that we only need to raise $4,100 more to reach our fundraising goal for the LLS. This is our way of giving back to the community and helping those who struggle with a life threatening diagnosis everyday. We know by raising funds for the LLS we are directly contributing to research that will one day find cures for blood cancers.

The stats are a little off for this ride, due to the fact that I forgot to turn on the app until a mile into the ride. Click here to see the route!

Ride Stats
Total distance: 38.00 km (23.6 mi)
Moving time: 1:32:50
Average moving speed: 24.56 km/h (15.3 mi/h)
Max speed: 48.00 km/h (29.8 mi/h)
Elevation gain: 543 m (1780 ft)

First Group Ride

We just finished with the first group ride! It was a beautiful day to ride the "Churchtown Loop" with the Central PA LLS TNT. With the temperature hovering near 50 degrees and the warm afternoon sun, we only needed a few layers to keep warm. The ride was a mild 19 mile loop through local farm country that started at the Mechanicsburg High School.

Jenelle did extremely well (for the record I'm not surprised at all). She even got some compliments on how strong of a rider she looked for being her first time out on the road. I'm not counting the ealier ride since that was on a bike path in the park. At first she was a bit nervous on the road, dealing with traffic and the elements, but by the midpoint she felt much more comfortable in the saddle.

We stayed with the fast group for most of the ride, and Jenelle got to ride alongside Pete, who is a cancer survivor himself. Luckily he knew the route, because I think I got lost about three quarters of the way in.

I recorded the ride on my Android with Google's app "My Tracks". Click here to see the route!

Ride Stats
Total distance: 30.73 km (19.1 mi)
Moving time: 1:25:04
Average moving speed: 21.67 km/h (13.5 mi/h)
Max speed: 48.00 km/h (29.8 mi/h)
Min elevation: 82 m (269 ft)
Max elevation: 138 m (452 ft)
Elevation gain: 594 m (1950 ft)
Max grade: 22 %
Min grade: -22 %

What TNT is All About

Team In Training (TNT) is the world's largest endurance sports training program. The program provides training to run or walk a whole or half marathon or to participate in a triathlon, century (100-mile) bike ride or an all day adventure hike. Participants raise funds for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma research and patient services in exchange for training, support, lodging, and airfare to the event of their choice. Since TNT's inception in 1988, 500,000 participants have raised over $1 billion.

TNT Team Spin Class

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society helps fund research to find new treatments and cures for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, and provide critical education, services and support to patients and families battling these cancers. Their mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and to improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

In exchange for raising funds, participants receive: personalized fitness training by certified coaches for a period of four to five months; training clinics; and a supportive group of teammates. Participants can choose from more than 60 accredited events in the United States and abroad, including: The Nike Women's Marathon: A race to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society; the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in San Diego, CA; The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon; Marine Corps Marathon in Washington D.C.; the Honolulu Marathon; St. Anthony's Triathlon in St. Petersburg, FL.; Triathlon at Pacific Grove in Pacific Grove, CA; America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride in Lake Tahoe, NV; EI Tour De Tucson; and many others

Milestones

I know we will have a number of milestones to report over the course of the next few months, but today I'd like to talk to you about two milestones we reached this week.

This first one might not sound like a milestone to some, but for me it was the official start to completing our 100 bike ride in June... I took my bike out for its first ride :).  Jer and I met our friend Shelly for a chilly 12 mile ride around City Island and along Front Street. 

Jer and I before the ride.. there is a smile under there. :)

I was definitely nervous, and even though I had a little bit of a rocky start, 12 miles flew by and was much easier than I thought it would be.  I know there's a huge difference between 12 miles and 100, but you have to start somewhere. :)

Biker chics

Now, for our second, and much more exciting, milestone... we are officially HALFWAY to our fundraising goal!  Thanks to some very unexpected and generous donations we were able to reach the halfway point today.  I am so very grateful for the support we have been given already.  Only $4,200 to go! 

Kick Off Meeting

We had our Team in Training kick off meeting this week in Harrisburg. During the meeting, we took the opportunity to meet our Capital area mentors (Cary, Chris and Trevor), coaching staff (Tom and Kui), and fellow team members. We also received our fundraising packets and picked out our official purple event jersey. 

My favorite part of the night was finding out who our honored teammates would be during this journey. These local blood cancer patients and survivors, cheer the participants along from training to completion. My teammate is Brian Bucher.

Luckily, Brian was at the kick off meeting and was able to share with us his uplifting and emotional story.  In 2005, he was diagnosed with Primary Mediastinal Large B Cell Non-Hodgin's Lymphoma. When the doctors at Hershey Medical Center discovered the tumor next to his heart, it was the size of a grapefruit. Seven years and countless chemotherapy treatments later, it's roughly the size of a grape. 

Support and research efforts, made possible by the LLS, allowed Brian to share his story. I hope to tell more of his story in a future post (if he'll let me).

Our honored teammates will be our greatest inspiration and motivation. We must always be thinking of their battles on the front-line.