A Lovely Life

Today, I went to a new dentist and my hygienist and I struck up a conversation when I noticed her Ironman and Bike MS medals in the office. She's a pretty cool woman: a smoker for over 30 years who turned to triathlon and now competes all over the country. When she said she's doing Marine Corps Marathon later this month, my eyes lit up while my mouth was full of whatever torturous instrument was in it. I later told her how much I loved that race and that I went on to do this ride with Hank a couple of months ago. She was sweet, said kind words about the cool things I'm doing and asked, "What's next?". Initially, after my ride with Hank, I had no desire for a "what's next". I wanted time to think and process. I say that every time (as you endurance athletes understand), but every other time I've said it, I've had an idea of what the following year will bring. This year, I don't. And I feel so LOST. Leaving the cycling i...

I'm always incredibly reflective this time of year.  I love being able to look back on each year to enjoy the things that made them wonderful and take lessons from the things that made them difficult. This year, quite frankly, felt like it had more difficult moments than wonderful. I know. I know. What a negative way to look at a year of growth, but it's true. 2018 was HARD.  It has been a year of stark contrast. I've experienced my highest, most incredible highs... Helen & Noah's Big Bike Adventure and Helen & Hank's Marine Corps Marathon . In between those high, amazing times, though, I saw my darkest days. I lost everything that gave me purpose. To the point where this world almost lost me. I was ready to give it all up because almost everything and everyone I loved and wrapped myself in was gone. Almost everything. Funny what seeing a photo of someone you love at just the right time will do to literally save you. One day, I'll tel...

This will be a long one.  Mostly, for me. I want to savor every moment of what was the biggest physical (and emotional) challenge I've taken on. I want to relish this great accomplishment. If you're into small novels, sit back, grab a cup of coffee (or wine depending on the time of day) and come with me back through Helen & Noah's BIG Adventure. First, I have to say that our team of people was INCREDIBLE. I couldn't have asked for a better, more perfect group of humans. They played every "role" perfectly. I'll name them and give a general description of what they were around to do. However, I cannot possibly describe them or what they gave me any further. Simply put: I wouldn't have gotten through this without each of them. Naomi - Noah's Mom Stacy - my coach Peter - mechanic/sherpa/human compass Josh & Nic - our film crew Day 1: The Intro We got Noah into the trailer and learned quickly that zip ties would be our friends during...

We have 30 days. I can't believe it. This journey has been so eye opening on every front. The training has been the easiest (cannot believe I'm saying that). The mental part the toughest (that's not surprising in the least). And the financial part harder than I thought. We are halfway to our $10,000 goal and that scares me since we are so close. It's easy for people to like, love and share things on social media for us, which I so appreciate. We live in a time when "good deed" and cute animal videos are shared all over the place as palette cleansers for what's going on in this sometimes scary world we live in. The issue that I'm finding since I'm living it, is that there is no genuine connection. Watch this video for 2 mins. Get teary, LOVE it, share it, go drink coffee. Repeat.  I'm guilty of this myself. It's easy to glaze over it. And when I say "it" in this particular instance, I mean our story and our goal: to help pr...

Sunday was a massive training day. A few weeks ago, Cindy Snyder reached out to me via Facebook offering me the chance to train with her son, P.J. P.J. is 32 and has Angelman Syndrome and an incredibly accomplished athlete. We were connected through Dennis with Athletes in Tandem here in Colorado. Dennis is the guy who sparked this entire adventure idea. We made plans to have a training ride with P.J. and to invite the local community to come ride with in hopes of promoting inclusion, showing how it's done and gaining donations to Helen & Noah's Big Adventure.  It would be the most I'd hauled at 104 pounds. The trailer is 32lbs, P.J. weighs 72lbs. I was scared sh*tless. My training leading up to this had been with a max of 45lbs. There were a few rides where I was climbing when I was like, "How in the HELL am I going to do this with even more weight. I'm going to embarrass myself in front of a group of people who are there to support us." So, I took...

51 Days... Training has really amped up and has been good overall. I've been feeling stronger and more capable every time I get on the bike. I've been struggling with some dizziness and feeling light headed on a daily basis. I've had some training rides that have really kicked my ass and not in the good, physical way. In the, holy shit, I feel terrible and out of it and drained, way. Part of it has been my nutrition or lack there of.  Here's what I've figured out so far... Problem #1: I have to force myself to eat in the morning before a ride. I do my best, but it's typically not been enough. Solution #1: Pre-making Biju's Oatmeal from the Feedzone Portables Cookbook and making myself eat it pre-ride. Problem #2: I apparently don't eat when I'm actively riding and hunger hits within an hour. Every single time. No matter what I eat beforehand. If I DO eat on the bike, there isn't a ton I can stomach. Favorites so far: pickles and fru...