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29.4.10

Party to Pardee, WIldflower, & Hincapie







The weeks seem to be flying by right now! When we started this journey to RAAM it seemed like it was so far way. Not anymore...with only 6 weeks between now and the starting line, the rubber is meeting the road. Nerves are starting to set in, last minute details are causing a little stress, and the training is more and more vital to a successful finish.


At the beginning of the month the team was able to ride together for a metric century in the Party to Pardee ride not too far from Sacramento. We did the Pardee ride one week after our 24-hour training ride.

As we posted earlier, the team (excluding Mike - couldn't make it) were able to participate in the Wildflower event in Chico, CA this past weekend. Although I personally set out to ride the entire century, I changed my goal at mile 33 and began to follow the Mildflower route, finishing 70 miles on Sunday. Kyle rode 65 and John completed the extent of the course, finishing with 104 miles for the day. The course was beautiful for the first half, but mostly flat and boring the second half. Although the sun was shining all day, it wasn't terribly hot. Overall, the day was great for all of us...although we realized even more areas that we need to continue focusing on and improving in.
One highlight of the day - we were able to connect with FLUID muscle recovery. http://www.livefluid.com/
This vendor was setup at the finish line and Kyle & I were able to talk with one of the founding partners and share a lot about TeamFARA and RAAM. Before our conversation was over, Richard donated enough containers to supply the team for the 9 days of RAAM! We are grateful for this form of sponsorship and are looking forward to a great friendship and partnership with FLUID.

And finally....meeting George Hincapie:

Mike and I were able to attend a Sponsor's Reception in Davis, CA for the AMGEN Tour of California! My employer, Nugget Markets, is a sponsor for the Davis stage of the Tour and were generous and kind to think of me for possible attendance to the event. We were able to visit with other local sponsors, admire the history and exhibitions contained in the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame in Davis, and enjoy great food and wine! The main draw - George Hincapie. Hincapie is a professional cyclist and will be racing the AMGEN Tour in just a few weeks! You can read more about him and his illustrious career at http://www.georgehincapie.com/










24.4.10

Less Than 7

We are one day shy of being 7 weeks away from our starting line in Oceanside, CA.
Its crazy how time flies.

About 3 weeks ago, your RAAM cyclists from TeamFARA participated in a metric century, Party To Pardee, riding approximately 63 miles. All four of us were able to ride in this event, along with John's wife Stephanie, her Dad, stepmom, and another friend of the team, Brandon. The ride was challenging and fun for all of us (most parts anyway), and we all finished strong! The weather was chilly and the sun didn't show its face at all. Thankfully we didn't have rain! The course was very hilly, with approximately 4,000 vertical feet of climbing.

Now...we are in Chico, CA., riding the Chico Wildflower tomorrow. This is a very popular northern California course, with over 4,000 cyclists participating. The Wildflower course covers 100 miles of varied terrain. We've had beautiful weather the past few days in the area and tomorrow should be a great day for riding! Maybe this time I can get a little sun on these white legs!

We will post more updates very soon...with pictures from the Party to Pardee ride and tomorrow's Wildflower ride! Also...I will post pictures and share a little story about mine & Michael's opportunity to attend the Sponsor's Reception for the AMGEN Tour of California (Stage 2) earlier today and how we were able to meet George Hincapie!

Thank you for your continued support and loud cheers along this journey! RAAM will be here before you know it.
Tomorrow we will be closer to finding a cure.

22.4.10

Everything Has Its Place - Gearing Up

"Everything has its place." We heard this statement a few times at the RAAM Crew Orientation in January. Most notably, I remember Lee "Fuzzy" Mitchell say it in reference to gear, parts, accessories, etc. for the riders in RAAM. He was talking about making sure everything from sunglasses, helmets, shoes, and water bottles always return to their designated places after the cyclist dismounts his bike. It saves time and stress when everything is in its plae and nobody is panicking looking for it when it's needed!

This statement is one that has stuck with me since that orientation. I've been more conscious of its basic principle and intentionally applying it to all of life - from my gear bag to my garage, from my bedroom to my car, from home to work - everything has its place, and if we take the time and effort to exercise consistency with this principle, it makes life so much easier, manageable, and less stressful. Think about it...how many times are you hunting for your keys? Those sunglasses? Your phone? Or how often are you drowning in a stack of mail and paperwork that just needs to be organized and put away? Maybe its a messy room, with "stuff" just cluttering the edges and the corners, which undoubtedly has a negative effect on the psyche and tends to "clutter" the mental and perhaps emotional capacities of our lives. I know for me, when stuff is out of place or left unfinished, it can be overwhelming, stressful, and sometimes depressing.

I've done pretty well over the last few months to remember and exercise this principle. I do so to a fault right now, just trying to get into the habit and practice of taking the time and effort to put things in their place at the appropriate time. Unfortunately, a few days ago I went out for a ride that I knew would keep me out for several hours and I left home without one of the essential components for riding in the dark. Oh, I had my lights, both headlamp and rear, I just didn't have anyway of mounting my headlamp! Two weeks prior, my TeamFARA RAAM teammates and I participated in an organized metric century event about an hour outside of Sacramento. I removed my headlamp mount that day to utilize and test some aero bars. I was careful to place the mount in my gear bag at that time, but when it came time to ride the other night, my mount remained comfortably cozy in that side pocket as I only remembered to grab the light - and not the mount!

So...a reminder and a lesson for us all...not only do things have their place so that you can always find them and stay organized, but we have to remember to put those things to use when necessary!

If you are crewing for RAAM or another FARA/RideAtaxia event...thank you in advance for keeping this principle in the forefront of your mind, and thank you for helping us keep things in their places!