Shelby Madden

CAF's Million Dollar Challenge...Pure Mudness!

2010-10-31T18:33:00.000-07:00

"Does it feel a little like coming home from summer camp? Try as you might to explain, no one understands the magnitude of what just happened to you." My friend Laura posted that comment on my Facebook wall and she pretty much summed up my frustration with trying to put together a blog post. I'm still not even sure what just happened to me or to us as a group for that matter-the impact comes in waves of memorable moments, feelings, and impressions. Without exaggeration, the entire adventure from fundraising to training to seven days of riding, has been, for lack of a better word and at the risk of sounding like a character in a surf documentary, EPIC.

Honestly, I think I was completely delirious for Days 2-7 of the ride. I've had to dig deep to accomplish a lot of physical activities but I've never had to dig THAT deep. There were many days where my sole focus was to make it to the next hotel and complete the miles before sunset. I wouldn't even let myself think about how I was going to pull off the next day or any consecutive days, it was irrelevant in the moment I was in. Now, I know I was not finding the solution to world peace by completing this ride but I had set a goal and I was completely determined and hell bent on accomplishing it. And because I'm such a fan of living in the moment, we had an awesome time and a ton of great, gut laughs despite the rain, terrain and pain the first 5 days handed us. This ride was, at many times, the most fun I've ever had.

I may not be able to articulate what "happened" but I do know my life is forever enriched by this unique and powerful experience and I know I am not alone in this sentiment. It's one of those chapters in a person's life that becomes more meaningful with time and reflection. I got to ride with some of my favorite training buddies who were patient and supportive when my legs just couldn't motor any faster than what they were giving, and I was fortunate enough to meet new friends from other parts of the country, many of which were challenged athletes who define heart, perseverance and soul. From the riders, to the organizers, to the incredible support staff working their tails off at all hours of the day and night, I have walked away with a deep affection for many off these players. As far as I'm concerned, it just doesn't get any better than that. Furthermore, I believe our year of fundraising was a record breaking year for the Million Dollar Challenge, as we raised well over 1,300,000.00 for the Challenged Athletes Foundation! Cool, huh?! With that, I'll let pictures tell a bit more of the story (and there are a TON of them)...

Pure muddness is right. With several days of rain and riding in rural farm towns, this picture pretty much sums it up. I was a muddy S.M. for much of this ride; we were ALL muddy. But honestly, that was the fun part. I felt like an 8 year old kid whose mom said, "Hey, go outside and ride your bike in the rain and mud with all your buddies for as long as you like!"

Um, OKAY!!!

The first night was spent in San Francisco and the energy was all very exciting. We were going to begin a very long ride, early the next morning, and we were all eagerly meeting new friends and getting last minute details settled. It will probably come as no surprise to anyone who knows me, but I lost my room key and got locked out of my room within the first 30 minutes of arriving.

During our orientation meeting, I looked over and noticed a man sitting down who looked a lot like Robin Williams, only shorter :) It turned out that it actually was him and he had stopped by for a visit to support the event. Robin Williams has been involved with CAF over the years and just decided to pop into our orientation and say a few words that night. He didn't disappoint in the comedy department.

So, here we are, all geared up and ready for the big roll out from San Francisco!

My two buddies and huge cheerleaders, Fred Liebel and David Lee. I've spent a lot of time with them over the last year and a half- time I will never get back, HA! These two guys did all 620 miles on handcycles! They are ridiculously tough.

All lined up for last minute announcements and a beautiful rendition of the "Star Spangled Banner" by a fellow challenged athlete, Samuel. He doesn't need a last name. He's like Cher. Notice Mark Johnson, the photographer, behind us. That guy was EVERYWHERE on this ride and took some of the best photos ever.

Here I am riding along with my little buddy, Bill Walton (unlike Samuel, Bill's name is one of those that is usually said first and last), and I think that looks like one of his besties, Dan. I love Dan. We spent many training rides together and not only is he a sweet man, he taught me a few things about riding in wet conditions which ended up paying off on this trip! If it's not Dan then it's definitely Kevin, and he's cool too.

Dr. Jeff, Richard and I climbing up a hill after lunch on Day 1. There always seemed to be food BEFORE a climb which added an element of cruelty and giggles to the ride.

This is what the world looked like for most of the days...

And here are my people, sans Diane who is taking the picture. Chris, a.k.a "Sister Christian," Kristie Nation one of my new favorites all the way out from Utah, and Richard Whittington- Vikki Whittington's husband (I now know who the real boss in that family is and I love her!) Diane saved the day by giving me her trash bag, Kristie gave me her shower cap. We were having a gay old time in the rain and mud and I was SO stinkin' toasty it was like a mini sauna in there until the winds picked up and the temperatures seemed to drop. Poor Diane was a popsicle by the time we made it to lunch. She sacrificed her own ride to keep me warm since my rain jacket was in my day bag which never actually made it to the lunch stop. All along I thought she was wearing a rain jacket of her own but it turned out to be nothing more than a windbreaker; with no meat on her bones, she was soaked and flash frozen. Diane truly is a ride leader extraordinaire!

I love this next picture of Kristie and I. There's just so much about it that makes me smile. At some point during this day, an MDC rider, Joe W. rode by and yelled, "OH MAN! Someone threw away a perfectly good Shelby!" I'm sure there are some who would beg to differ...

Okay, I have GOT to take a moment to tell you about Ms. Michelle Nation, Kristie's sister and SUPER FAN to us all. She was amazing. Michelle came along for the sole purpose of cheering her sister on and she quickly became the best thing that ever happened to our group (after Tina's PB&J SAG sandwiches, of course). In the pouring rain, and I mean pouring, she would show up with a Starbucks order made just right for each of us. She followed us along the entire route, cheering us on as we made our way up some slow grinding hills and even went so far as to dress like a complete foolio to make us smile. She honked, she waved, she snapped pictures, she smiled, she laughed, she supported....see, she truly earned her name. She was SUPER FAN and we loved her for it. I am so lucky to have met these two crazies!

Two other great ladies I had the pleasure of spending time with, Kelley Fox (Kelley raised over $30,000 for CAF!) and Muffy Davis. Both ladies endured crazy conditions on this ride and I don't think I ever saw them without a smile. If you could only have seen what we were riding through, you could appreciate the amount of mud that was flying in their faces with each rotation of their hand cycles. I loved their humorous take on all of it. After a day of riding through the muddy farm roads, Muffy said, "Oh, there's no question that I have E.coli at this point, I'm just hoping my body is strong enough to fight it!" As soon as Muffy said it, I paused as my brain processed the fact that it wasn't "mud" we were eating and getting plastered with all day...it was farmland mud which can only mean one thing. Sometimes I'm a little slow on the uptake but when I get it, I get it and...BLECK! We all ate a lot of "dirt" that day but our hand cyclist buddies experienced it on a whole different level and lived to tell about it.

Kelley Fox

Muffy Davis

Steven Peace, one of our CAF athletes from Operation Rebound. Steven got stuck with me for a few legs of the ride. Boy, does he talk a lot.

Gil Magallanes and Chris Self. Two more members of Operation Rebound. I loved riding near these guys because they always sounded like an old married couple. I could never hang with them for long because they were obviously strong but they definitely gave me reason to smile when I saw them. Their wives, Sherry and Dana, were equally as tough and just as much fun as their husbands. I heard a rumor that as soon as Gil and Chris laid their bike down in La Jolla, Gil immediately announced, "I want a divorce!" HA!

I don't know why this is here. Another "action" shot?

After 114 miles from Big Sur to Pismo Beach, I made it in just in time to see this sunset. I'd say this was the view from my room but all of these pictures have been ripped off again so I can say with confidence that it's not. But the view from my room looked EXACTLY like this and I am so glad I was encouraged by my buddy Jojo, to slow down and just take it in (being one of the last riders in every day, it was always a mad dash to shower and get to dinner). I think this was when I decided I was going to make Jojo be my friend; she didn't have much of a say in the matter,I'm pushy, HA! I'm old enough to know now that friends who slow each other down and help each other stay present in their moments are always the best ones to keep (...and the funny ones, too. Don't ever lose touch with a friend that makes you laugh! If you have a friend that meets both criteria, JACKPOT!) I think a lot of us had the sense to pause for this Pismo sunset - I had a hard time deciding whose picture I should steal off of Facebook.

Here's Stitch with his little buddy, Cody, one of CAF's spokespersons. Stitch has participated in the ride in years past and came on this year to support the challenged athletes. A little story about Stitch and I, he came to me very apologetically one morning because he didn't feel like he was giving me enough attention and support as one of the challenged athletes he was "charged" with assisting. I was FINE and told him he didn't ever have to worry about me because I had an awesome crew I was riding with. Well, as luck would have it, a nice rain started just as we were getting ready to roll out on our 119 mile day. Panic set in for me. I knew how long the previous day of 114 miles had taken me to do in the rain, I barely made it in as the sun was setting! I was worried that if we had more rain on this day, there wouldn't be enough daylight for me to complete the miles. I immediately ran back to Stitch and told him there was one thing he could do for me and it would be to not let them pull me or my people off the course when the sun went down, even if it meant following us in a van. I just really, really, wanted to complete every mile and knew the day was going to be tough. It would have been frustrating to get pulled off with less than 15 miles to go after working through the day I knew it was going to be . He said he wasn't supposed to do it but agreed and said I had to keep it a secret- I only told 4 people. Maybe 5.

Sure enough, it was completely windy, rainy and getting dark with about 15 miles left. Every time one of the support vans came rolling by, I was sure they were going to pull us off the course. Diane had a rear view mirror and would give me a report whenever she saw one of our vans coming upon us. I told her, " Pretend they're kidnappers, ride as hard as you can and whatever you do, don't make eye contact!" So for the rest of the ride, whenever Diane saw them coming, she would yell out, "Stranger Danger! Stranger Danger!" and she and I would start sprinting with a surge of energy that even I was impressed by after 11 hours of riding. I usually fell apart pretty quickly though because I was laughing so hard and the van didn't so much as slow down for us.

As it turned out, I wasn't the only one making my way in after dark that day. Day 4 ended up being what Diane coined the "Planes, Trains and Automobiles," day. If you've seen the movie you'll understand what that means. It was one of those days where just when you thought things were bad, something else would happen to such a degree, it was comical. It was one of those days where we were so tried in our will to finish that we found ourselves laughing hysterically, a lot.

One of the problems that impacted everyone, including the entire support staff, was the record number of flats that people had. I know there were well over 100 flats that day. Almost everyone I talked to had more than one, some had as many as four. At one point, as we were heading inland toward Solvang, it looked as if someone was sitting out in the prairie with a beebee gun, taking riders down one by one. People were sidelined everywhere and the second a flat was fixed, another one would happen. No one seemed to be able to move without one member of their group having to change a flat. It was remarkable, really. My plan worked out perfectly and I'd like to thank those sweet, toothless teenagers I met for their help in slowing this pelaton down for me. Here are some of the remnants...

Pictured here are two more friends that came in after dark. Roselynn on the left, my roommate for two of the nights, and Kelly on the right. Kelly and her husband actually rode in with Diane and I, while one of the vans lead us in with their headlights. It was a frickin' blast! There were four of us riding as fast as we could, in the rain and dark, to make it to the hotel before some higher up finally called it a day for us. I was loving it- it felt a little like we were trying to get E.T. back to the spaceship! We were pretty elated when we pulled into the hotel in Santa Barbara sometime around 7pm.

The next day, I was so tired and so sore, Diane decided to give me a ride to the bike rack. I know it looks like my eyes are closed in this picture, but if you look carefully, they're not. I'm THAT puffy! Notice the Coke in my hand at 7 am. Another indication I'm delirious.

Here is a great picture of the OnSupport team that worked day and night to keep our bikes clean and running. When they weren't servicing our bikes in the evening, they were driving around in vans during the day to give roadside assistance to whomever needed it. These were some quality guys and I regret that I didn't get to spend more time with them. It just seemed they were ALWAYS working (or maybe I was just always riding).

Their office.

The "office" parking lot. Can you imagine servicing all of these bikes, every night?

One of my best friends, Zabelle, met me in Santa Monica and we don't have a single picture to prove it. It was such a nice treat to have her there and share some of the experience with her. So dumb not to get the picture! Zabelle has written a few chapters with me over the years so it was great to have her company on this trip. Scout also met us in Santa Monica so it was a double treat. Just before we rolled-out the following day, we grabbed a shot for Bill Holland. Three happy customers!

Paul and I leaving Santa Monica. It appears I only hang out with tall people now.

From Santa Monica, we rode into Newport Beach where my family met me for the night. Here's Lorenzo and my dad just as my group rolled in. Looks like they were having a sucky time.

Mom and Dad and Delia Kay.

My little brother and his sweet little family, Andrea and Delia. I'm so glad everyone made the trip out to Newport. My mom even convinced my Uncle Don to come and it made for a great evening of family and celebration.

This is one of my best friends from high school. Ms. Kristi Recchia. Kristi was a huge help and mastermind behind the tiki bar fundraiser I did. We were also joined by another childhood friend, Melissa Fontes and her family (again, picture failure).

Here is a group shot of the 13 challenged athletes that participated in this year's ride. I'm in there somewhere, completely honored and inspired by the company I keep.

The last mile of our ride included a climb up Torrey Pines. I was not looking forward to that last hill but I was happily greeted by my friend and coach, Brian Maiorano. He came with a bag full of candy and fed my face the whole way up. It was just what I needed-I'm looking a little spent here at mile 618ish and I can thank Mark Johnson for being there, once again, to photo document the moment.

I sent Brian the picture and he sent it back with a note that said, "I took the 'red eye' out." My biking equivalent of a limp turned into a head-to-head race between Ironman champions, Macca and Wellington. My friends are funny.

Speaking of Ironman champion, Macca, he too joined us on the ride down the coast. Truth be told, I didn't see him much as he hangs with a fast crowd but I did manage to steal a couple of photo ops with him, this one being the most entertaining. When I told Phaedra he was riding with us, she reminded me of a picture she had taken with him a couple of years ago in Kona. Not to be outdone, I made sure I got the same picture just before we rode into La Jolla.

HA! Nailed it.

The ride into La Jolla Shores was really an unexpected treat. There were so many people there to cheer their friends and family in and I was fortunate enough to have some of my favorites show up to meet me as well. Once again, I didn't get pictures of everyone and my cousin Macie (and roommate, no less!) and her boyfriend, Kevin, are totally unrepresented here. How did they escape the cameras?! They were everywhere?! arg.

Here are Scott Rhodes and Dean Roeper, Co-Chairs for the MDC event but more importantly, two great guys that I have loved getting to know over the past few months.

Me riding in and trying not to eat it in the wet grass.

An unflattering picture of me hugging Liz but a reflection of an honest sentiment, nonetheless. She has been another huge supporter of this journey and always seems to have just the right things to say at all the right moments. Between Liz, her husband Danny and their two daughters, I have to say, the Pappas/Simonellis, SHOW UP!

Liz, Linda, Sally, Pearl and Liana. Sally has also been at every event leading up to this day so it was super cool to share it with her. Linda is a dear friend from work that completely surprised me and made it an extra fun greeting!

Kyle and, long-time friend, Lynn Howard. Kyle was a volunteer who had the glorious job of loading and unloading luggage everyday and making sure it all made its way from point A to point B. He still never answered some of my burning questions about people and their luggage. But he's not off the hook yet.

Lynn was my master teacher about 17 years ago and we've been friends ever since. I have yet to meet anyone that can top her sense of adventure so it's always fun to share this kind of stuff with her! (she also took a lot of these pictures)

I just think this is a sweet picture of my dad meeting Scott Rhodes, both great men.

My mom and I :) I don't know, maybe it's the flowers and my short stature but I'm kind of getting a "jockey in the Winner's Circle" vibe off this picture. I missed my calling, for sure.

I love any picture that captures someone laughing really hard.

I also need to thank those friends that were not able to physically make it to California but whose words of encrouagement still met me via text and phone calls. I'm not kidding, they made a HUGE difference. You were present. I felt it!

Below are probably my three favorite shots taken during the ride:

We couldn't resist the cabbage patch picture, even though it cost us about 45 minutes to clean up afterward.

Inspired by the famous Tour de France photo...Chris, Kristie, Diane, Me and Mike...so ridiculous.

And from Mark Johnson of Ironstring Photography, another favorite. Me and Bill Walton solving the worlds problems ...or just sharing a laugh but it's a start anyway.

The Magic Makers:

This entire entry would not even have been written because there would be no tale to tell if it weren't for the hard work of the following people. I was so impressed, from start to finish, with the amount of commitment, enthusiasm and fun that came from the volunteers and CAF employees. Many of the volunteers used their vacation days to follow us on this trip and support us with SAG stops, medical, technical, and personal needs. They were so incredibly dedicated, patient and encouraging in tough conditions; I think they may be the true inspirations on this ride. Here are some of the key magicians who wormed their way into my heart. I LOVE these people!

Kyle, Kristine, Nurse Sharon, and Dr. Mike

Linda and Momo!

Momo, Jojo, and Ally

And of course, Diane and Tina!

And I think this is the sweetest picture of all. Vikki Indermuehle is the organizer for the Million Dollar Challenge and she faced days of her own challenges with the rain adding layers of complexity and logistics to an already tough event. She did such an amazing job; I think Kristine's face says it all. We are all so stinkin' proud of her! She' definitely earned her event planner crown for this one!

So that's it. Officially the longest blog post ever to cap off the longest ride ever. I have loved every minute of this year-long journey and I so appreciate all of my friends and family for their support and encouragement along the way. I have formed some of my most treasured relationships out of my involvement with CAF and I'm looking forward to continuing to get the word out about this foundation. The impact it has had on my own life is imeasureable; my hope is that I may be able to, in some small way, continue to return the favor.

I have no idea what's on the agenda for future goals but I'm sure I'll come up with something that scares me just enough to excite and motivate me. I always do...When asked if I plan to participate in the Million Dollar Challenge next year, my internal response looks and feels something like this:

Yet another incidation, I may still be a bit delirious.

Gearing Up!

2010-10-12T19:18:00.000-07:00

Let me preface this post by saying I ripped every single one of these pictures off. Most of them were stolen off of Diane's blog, Duck Off, and I think I got a couple others from Facebook. I'm a thief but I'm an honest thief. I just can't seem to coordinate the camera thing. I think I'm always hanging on for dear life, barely able to slow down for a drink, let alone capture an image. So these picture moments would be left to the photographic memory if not for Diane.

An entire year has already gone by and in just two days we'll be rolling down the coast. I can't imagine the destination beating the experience I've had on the journey but I'm incredibly excited, nonetheless. Collectively, we have raised well over a million dollars for the Challenged Athletes Foundation and my own personal fundraising goal was far surpassed thanks to the help of my friends and family. It really has been a phenomenal experience. So, before I leave, I thought I'd share some of the pictures I hijacked:

Million Dollar Challenge Training

This is a picture from our very first ride together. You can tell by my expression that I'm digging the new guy with the goggles. I KNEW I was going to like that guy.

This is me seeing the SAG princess, Tina, for the first time in months. She works so hard for us and gives up her entire weekend doing it; you just can't help but love her!

Some pictures of our many SAG stops:

Below is Dr. Jeff. He's a dentist and I love going to the dentist so we get along just great. He's responsible for convincing Emilio DeSoto to help me problem solve a bike short issue I was having. I've never been able to find a pair of bike shorts that actually fit me. I've been wearing tri shorts for most of the training rides until we came up with a MUCH needed solution.

Because of my friend Chris' special head gear to keep the sun off of his neck, I spent many a ride with the song, "Sister Christian" by Night Ranger, stuck in my head. And when I was getting dropped it was, "Don't Be Tardy for the Party," probably the most annoying song ever but I can thank Diane for dropping both of those earworms into my head.

There is simply no privacy on these rides!

Here is my buddy Fred sharing his story and the impact CAF has had on his life. Fred is a great guy and an incredible hand cyclist!

Me and David Lee. One of my favorite riding buddies over the past year and a half. We hang out until we get to a descent and then he hits mach-whatever and we don't see him again until the next climb

OH, Lorenzo! This was halfway through an 80 mile day and Lorenzo hears from our seasoned ride leaders that the hot dogs at the Sev are the sole purpose for riding. With the exception of my brother, I don't know anyone who actually eats any of the food cooking at a 7-11, and I swear my brother only does it 'cuz he knows it makes me ill to watch him mow on it. This is Lorenzo finishing off his hot dog. He SO regretted it 5 miles later. We had 35 more to go :)

Badass

Twice we were treated to a post-ride brunch at the La Valencia hotel in Del Mar. It was awesome! The grounds were beautiful and the buffet was delicious. These people don't mess around.

Back to Back Century Training Ride

Here we are getting ready to roll out for our back to back century weekend, the last big ride before the BIG ride. We did 210 miles in two days, up to Palos Verdes and back. I barely made it home. For real. Some people felt more assured about the 620 miles after this ride; it made me more nervous. This will be a challenge, no doubt.

I have NO idea what Diane and I are talking about but it appears to be a full body conversation. I'm most amused by Bill Walton sizing me up. He immediately referred to me as one of the CAF "angels." I didn't have the heart...They all find out soon enough.

He did it AGAIN! Here we were, 15 miles away from the end of a 105 mile day in 100 degree heat and Lorenzo sits down to a creamy ice cream bar! To top it off, the last 15 miles involved climbing. I couldn't imagine having a Dove bar in my stomach for that last climb to our hotel but Lorenzo couldn't help himself. At 72, the man is a machine and he never ceases to entertain me.

Jeff Krebs and I after our dinner in Palos Verdes. As one of the top fundraisers, Jeff has raised over $26,000 for CAF. I was trying to capture sweet and innocent in this picture (probably to overcompensate for an inappropriate comment made moments before). I think I just look suspicious.

Rolling out for Day 2. I was REALLY sore and it hurt to walk but I will say, the second we started rolling I felt a million times better. I think I was just meant to ride a bike. Walking is stupid. :)

The tallest dog I've ever gotten to stand next to.

We had a full-service, mobile bike mechanic, Stu, following us around for two days. Not only was he pulling over to cheer us on, he was fixing people up, left and right.

This is our head coach, Pat Jak. (always said as "Peyt Jeyk" in my well rehearsed Kiwi accent. Not because he's a Kiwi but because a name like Pat Jak begs to be said in an accent.) Pat is going the extra mile, cleaning chain grease off my leg because he is planning on riding the last few miles of the back to back with the slow group and will not have me looking like a goober in his presence. Actually, he's one of the nicest guys I know and I think he just couldn't resist out nicing himself.

Tina, not to be outdone, stepped in to fill my water bottle up. They went big on spoiling me at this SAG!

This is what we missed while we were out riding to L.A. I was really bummed as this sign was up for weeks and I thought it sounded like a good time. I was especially curious to see what the Lima Bean Faire had to offer in terms of talent and follies. I can only hope for a second annual.

Vikki and Tina. Without Vikki's coordination of this event and Tina's dedication to the riders, there just wouldn't be the MDC that I have grown to love! These two ladies work so hard for us and have done an incredible job keeping a lot of people happy, riding, and fundraising. Thank you, Vikki and Tina!

And last, but absolutely not least the two best ride leaders in the whole darn lot, Diane and Hooter. They have the patience of saints, the wits of devils, and the wisdom of two people who have done this ride five times. There is NO way I could have completed the training rides without them (nor would I have a single picture to prove that I even did them). I feel exceptionally lucky to have had them pull me and encourage me throughout this journey.

So that's it! If you've made it this far, you probably have voyeuristic tendencies (or you're my parents). Now it's time to go play Frogger on the 101 and meet the riders who have been training in other parts of the U.S. I can't wait to see what those kids bring...we've got Sister Christian to offer in our group!

Peaks & Valleys

2010-08-04T15:01:00.000-07:00

My dad has always given the best advice and lately he's synthesized it all into the WD40 of advice statements. It sounds something like this, "Huh...(me talking)..hmmm...(more of me talking).....ya,well, like I've been saying,...it's all about peaks and valleys..." The advice is pretty solid when you think about it. I could tell him about my most successful ride to date or my crummiest ride and he can cover his response with one succinct statement. Genius. Well, it's genius until I tell him about something random like what I ate for breakfast and he still responds with the same comment, then it leaves me to believe he can't hear a word I'm saying which is probably in his best interest since I tend to talk a lot.

I can honestly say the training, to date, has mostly been "peaks" from my perspective and I'm enjoying a lot of it. I've ventured out on some Christopher Columbus rides that take me to I don't know where and then lately I've ended by heading west to the coast once I get tired (my coach would be horrified to learn this. His philosophy is, "friends don't let friends ride the coast."). This "I'm just gonna go where my bike takes me" attitude had me finishing my first ever 100 miles last week all by myself. I threw in an extra mile for insurance to make it 101. I'm not going to lie, it was super tough and definitely puts the October ride into perspective. I say it all the time but I really do love riding my bike- I love the challenge it presents both physically and mentally, the positive affects it has had on my body, and most importantly, the people I've met as a result of the wheels and spandex. Having the goal of the Million Dollar Challenge definitely gets me out the door when I'd rather stay home and call it a day but after the first 20 miles of any ride, it's all me and I'm appreciating the crazy gift I've been given. So, here are some much belated pictures of a couple of things I've been up to:

The San Diego Century with the CAF Crew

(we did the 35 mile option and spent some quality time catching up and taking in the sights)

Travis and I before the ride. Not being much of a morning person, I'm still looking a little puffy. He was in the same boat only he was smart enough to keep his sunglasses on.

Beth Sanden is an amazing athlete and advocate for all things CAF. I met Beth at the Spring Sprint triathlon years ago and she was one of the reasons I became involved with this foundation. I'm inspired by her fundraising efforts and she's an awesome cheerleader for us all. Everybody loves Beth!

Now, everyone knows you're not supposed to try out new equipment the day of an event or race. Everyone but Travis. His new carbon foot broke before we ever got started but he decided to give it a go anyway. Somewhere deep in the Elfin Forest, the foot broke off completely so we had to call for back up. I Once Was a Blonde but Now I'm a Brunette-Torrie showed up with Travis' tried and true leg so here we are geeking the camera while he takes his sweet time. I'm starting to think he does this stuff on purpose so he can catch his breath. (I used to purposely untie my shoes when I danced in parades at Disneyland for the same reason-I'm on to you, Travis)

John Elliot, Beth Sanden, and Determin' Fermin at the finish.

Later that same week we gathered for our first training ride for the Million Dollar Challenge. It's hard to believe we're already half-way through the 20 week program! Here are the pictures from that first day but I'm determined to capture a few this weekend as I've gotten to know some of the new characters and can't wait for you to meet, LOR-EN-ZO! (that's how you have to say it, big, with a hand in the air-I do it often)

The pre-ride gathering for any last minute messages from the coaches and organizers.

Virginia Tinley, Executive Director for CAF, sharing her appreciation for the fundraisers.

Pat Jak is our Southern CA lead coach and an all around great guy. I can't help but want to say his name with my really bad New Zealand accent. "Peyt Jeyk" He's hanging out with group 4 to make sure no one kills themselves the first couple of weeks.

Post ride talk with one of our two fabulous ride leaders in Group 4, "Hooter." Slack Valley is nowhere near this group and Hooter tells it like it is- which I love and fully appreciate the wisdom behind his sarcasm. Our other ride leader, Diane, the Sonny to his Cher, was unable to make the ride that day but is back in full health and force and adding her own sprinkles of sassy along the way. She too is a big fan of,

LO-REN-ZOs!

And finally, Mr. Richard Whittington. One of the many reasons why I decided to give this challenge a go. I got to know Richard during the training rides last year and am super excited he came back for another round. He too has a wicked sense of humor (remember, to me that means he laughs at my jokes) and is a huge supporter of CAF. We're gonna have a good time if I can keep him from knowing he's too fast for

Group 4!

As always, thanks for indulging me in my narcissistic ramblings and whatever your own personal goals may be, on those tough, I'm-doubting-myself-and-feeling-like-a-man-trapped-in-cement days, just remember my dad's sage advice. ...and just keep going. Tomorrow's 80 mile day will no doubt feel like child's play compared to yesterday's crummy 20 mile day.

It's all about...

Wildflower and Other People Camping

2010-05-28T23:05:00.001-07:00

Finally, a post about Wildflower! Actually, I have about 3 or 4 posts lined up so this could be the week of short-post blogging. It took me awhile to round up pictures from the event since I'm such a lemon when it comes to taking them and had to harass my friends for theirs. I originally signed up for this race because I thought it would be a fun one to do for my first olympic distance. There are always a lot of Tri Club people heading up to the Paso Robles area for this unique weekend of camping and racing; even the Spokane people head down so it just seemed like a race not to miss.

However, upon further consideration of my Million Dollar Challenge goals, this year just doesn't seem to be the year for me and triathlon- it's really the year of the bike. So, I canceled my entry and was on my merry way with bike training when Scout mentioned, a couple weeks before the race, that her relay team for Wildflower didn't have a rider. Knowing I would have a blast riding the long distance course (56 miles) for an all women's CAF relay team and knowing I would get to stay with some of my very favorite friends from Spokane, I knew it was meant to be. I was heading to Wildflower with a new plan-one that was definitely in line with the Year of the Bike!

I'm SO glad Scout encouraged me to join her for this one. We had an awesome race but more importantly, we got to connect with some CAF athletes, including those from the Northern California contingency, and had some great laughs hanging out together.

Here is Scout trying to convince Travis and I that she does in fact have some "junk" in her twirpy little "trunk." Even with GU packets packed in her pockets, we're not convinced.

Tracy and Creighton came down from the Bay area to represent CAF in the olympic distance race.

I waited all afternoon for the Spokanites to arrive! Here is Laura and Anne shortly after their landing. I'm pretty sure we killed the grass for the amount of time we spent sitting on it!

Scout, Sarah and I joining up for the finish. We had a ton of fun. Scout had a scary swim last year so she took the swim leg to conquer that beast at the longer distance (1.2 miles) and was really happy and confident coming out of the water. I, not really knowing the course, mistakenly told Sarah that I thought the ride would take me 5 hours but at the last minute told her to be ready in 4 1/2 'cuz I was really going to ride as hard as I could since that was all I had to do- I ended up coming in at about 4 hours which made for a comical end to a tough but fun ride. I found myself calling every CAF person I could think of while I was out on the course to try and let them know I was coming in early. I knew it would take time for Sarah to get ready and felt a little lame for messing up our time predictions. I did, however, get some useful advice from other riders as they passed me with the occasional, "Buy low and sell high!" while I rang but I was just hoping to get my friend from the upper camp into the transition area without losing an hour. In the end, we had a stellar T2 time of over 8 minutes thanks to me!

Torrie, Scout, Rebecca, Sarah, sassy Wildflower event coordinator and huge supporter of CAF whose name I am failing miserably at remembering but since she doesn't read this blog feeling pretty secure regardless, and comic-relief Jill. This crew from CAF made for a great weekend!

Scout and I getting our medals for first place in our division which included, well, us. I have no idea what we're laughing at and know this is a terribly unflattering picture but it makes me laugh and that's all that matters in my world!

And finally, more of my favorite humans from the 'kan: Troy, Annie, Haley and Sam. They're all exceptional people but more importantly, funny as all get out (that means hell) :)

So all in all, the weekend was a blast and I was pleasantly surprised with my own progress on the bike. I should add, one of the major draws to Wildflower and what most people spend weeks preparing for and talking about is the camping side of the experience. I, however, have decided that I am not a camper girl, preferring a hot shower and warm bed over a cold, windy, wet wake-up any day, regardless of how others try to sell me on the experience. I'm wiser now. I know what's really going on. I'll be crammed into a hotel room with ten others for years to come before I fall for that one!

Happy Riding!

P.S. My niece was born this week and she's awesome. Her name is Miss Delia Kay Madden and I'm pretty sure she's going to be fun once she gets past this newborn glow worm stage. Until then, she's sweet to hold and look at!

A World in a Word

2010-05-09T13:45:00.000-07:00

Since I took almost no pictures of the happenings at Wildflower, I'm waiting to blog about it until CAF posts some of their pictures so I can rip them off, HA! Until then, I wanted to share my friend Liz's blog with you because I love it and she has inspired me. Liz chooses one word a day that inspires her to write and reflect. It's fun to watch her at work when a word is mentioned and I see a little "Scooby Doo" look come across her face, leaving me to wonder if that will be her word for the day. Liz is a great writer and her reflections are funny, humbling, candid, inquisitive and always honest.

In the process of developing her blog, Liz also came across another person's blog that encouraged the same type of awareness through the idea of a mental picture per day. I love this idea and find myself scanning the world constantly for the image that gives me pause (or makes me laugh) and that I want to remember. What's great is I find there is almost always more than one image that sticks with me. Originally, I wanted to record this with a photo each day but I'm finding that often times the image is a collection in a field of vision that my Blackberry just can't assume or one that disappears before I can capture it. So, I probably won't be sharing my image reflections as Liz is sharing her words but that's okay. The mere introduction of the idea has given me a heightened awareness of my surroundings and the desire to be constantly present; it's really amazing how much you see when you're looking.

I would encourage you to try one of these ideas on and notice how your interaction with the world shifts slightly. It's amusing if nothing else. AND, I would encourage you to bookmark Liz's blog, A World in a Word, so you can enjoy her relationship with words as much as I am!

It's just that time of year!

2010-04-27T22:45:00.000-07:00

The days are longer and the events are rolling out and I get to ride my bike sans the bondage of a stationary trainer! This last weekend I did a little ride called the Alpine Challenge and nearly killed myself doing it. The Alpine Challenge is an annual fundraiser organized by Ed and Dawn Paul and the Alpine Kiwanis. The proceeds form the event finance two years of college or continuing education for at least two high school students. The deal is, these students must pledge to live a drug/crime-free life, graduate from high school in their scheduled year and meet admission requirements for post-secondary education. The cool thing about the charity is that they choose high school freshman and mentor them throughout their 4 years to ensure their success. As a teacher, I think it's awesome!

Last year I did the 25 mile option, and this year I was easily talked into the 60 mile ride by my buddy Anne who then ended up with an injured hamstring so I was on my own for this one. I was actually really nervous. I know the area well enough to know that it was going to be a difficult ride and I usually only do about 45 miles out there so I was making a little jump with this 60 miles. My apologies to those of you that got the "I'm scared" texts at the crack of dawn but I'm pretty sure it will happen again.

The Alpine Challenge is always really well organized with great volunteers and an incredible SAG complete with clothing drop off. I made it to the first SAG knowing I was going to shed 3 of my four layers and announced, "I'm ready to get naked!" Turned out they remembered me from last year :) I have to say the ride was TOUGH for me but I guess that's why they refer to it as a "Challenge." I did get to chat with some great people along the way and I think my favorite conversation came when I had just finished climbing up what is referred to as "The Wall" somewhere around the 33 mile mark. The guy I was riding near shared with me that according to the ride profile it should all be pretty much downhill from there. My experience has taught me that there never seems to be a point when you're riding out in east county that it's "all down hill from here;" there always seems to be one more hill to climb and at 33 miles into it, I knew he couldn't be right but I didn't have the heart to tell him. Then again, I get to the point where speed bumps and driveways feel like insurmountable land forms so who am I to bust his bubble. He probably cruised it from there.

I tried to take some pictures like my friends do on their solo rides but the shots didn't turn out at all. Here's a self portrait. I was trying to capture that it was GU that was keeping me alive but all you get is my eye.

How do people do those?

And the scenery was incredible but this is what I captured of it

stunning.

After the ride I spent some quality, silly time with Bill, J.B, Dawn and Ed (and some guys from a bike club that I'm going to meet up with in a few weeks- they promised me a slow group-I should've confirmed that it takes more than one to make a group, right?)

Let me explain this picture. JB and Bill kept smelling perfume and they were convinced it was me wearing it so they kept attacking me, trying to smell my neck-so gross! I NEVER wear perfume and trust me, after 60 miles in the east county sun, it was definitely not me smelling like roses. I'm cringing to keep them away

Dawn Paul and Bill Holland checkin' out the happenings and pretending not to notice I'm taking their picture.

Snugglin' up with my funny big buddy, "Sparkly" Joe (J.B.)

I love these local, community sponsored events. They have this collective goal with a small town spirit that makes hanging out afterward just as much fun as the ride itself. However, the most exciting part about this ride for me came from a training perspective. Even though I felt wrecked at the end of it and could barely walk that evening, I woke up feeling pretty darn good and even did an easy 25 miles of riding the following day with Travis. In the past, this would've been almost impossible; it would take me days to recover after something so difficult. I'm getting stronger, maybe not faster but definitely stronger and that was a HUGE confidence boost for me! It was the first moment where I felt like if I continue to be conservative and build my miles, I may actually have enough in this little body to pull off that 620 miles! I've got a long way to go but dang, I was thrown a bone!

So, the next stop is Wildflower. I was originally signed up to do this as my first olympic distance triathlon but decided this wasn't a good year for it if I was really going to try to accomplish the MDC ride in October. However, at the last minute Scout informed me her relay team needed a biker. How could I resist?! With Spokane people coming down, Tri Club people taking over the place and CAF friends galore, it promises to be a great weekend. Really crappy pictures coming soon!

$10,000 and Climbing!

2010-04-18T14:00:00.000-07:00

Well, we did it! We made the minimum goal of $10,000 for the Million Dollar Challenge with the Lava Flow Inn event at the Reese's last weekend! Incredible. I say "we" not to refer to my multiple personalities but to the team of people that helped make it happen and every person that found a way to donate. I had so many moments where I just stopped to look around and I would see my friends hustling, by one definition or another, to help make this goal possible. The auction/raffle was a big hit! Below are just some of the great pictures of the festivities taken by Heidi Lee. She did an awesome job! Scenes from a party...

One of the auction tables

Gary The Auctioneer describing the items up for bid-I think he just made stuff up

Friends from my days working at Encanto Elementary.

Scout sharing her story.

My sister-in-law, Andrea, hangin' in there like a champ!

Raquel and Liz. Liz was one of the key people to help me pull this event off!

Yoli and Vanessa with their loot! Cracked me up. I know they told themselves they weren't going to buy anything.

Matt Reese, owner of the Lava Flow Inn

Danny, Leonel, and Rich adding to the whole vibe of the afternoon

Theresa and Dave making sure we get our money from the bidders!

Travis sharing his story.

My brother and my dad, appear to be solving the world's problems. Wonder what they came up with.

Melissa, all the way down from Redondo Beach, working hard to let the winners know who they are. But never one to be seen empty handed, maintains a close watch on her drink.

Patty Reese worked the bar and never once looked stressed!

Liam, Simon, and Finn listening intently to Scout and Travis...or was it for their raffle numbers?

Judy, Kathy and Stacy. Friends from different worlds meeting. So fun!

Some of the delicious desserts made by my friends.

Trent and Maggie, new TCSD members rallied after the club race to support my event.

Coach Brian wins GU! and a lot of it.

Melissa and baby Sam. Really, no one is too young to tiki!

Dave and Tracy- My swim buddy and soon to be riding buddy

Scout and Anne check out the goods

One last note:

As soon as the moment had passed, I realized I had missed a HUGE opportunity that afternoon. I had a microphone in my hand and a captive audience but in my haste to wrap things up, I completely bawked and went right past thanking the most important people in my life for their constant support and encouragement: MY FAMILY!

Honestly, I would never have the guts to do half the things I take on if I didn't know, without a doubt, they were going to be there for me regardless of the outcome. Trust me, I've had some crazy ideas in life and dragged them into many of them, willing or not. Ultimately, they always just push up their sleeves and help me get to work. My life is truly amazing, and I credit my parents with setting the foundation for this. From my perspective, there's no need to play the lottery because I won it at birth. As an adult I can appreciate how difficult it must be to not only be a parent, but I can imagine how scary it would be to find out things were going to be a bit out of the ordinary for your child. I remember my parents being trusting but protective with doctors, consoling me when things got a bit too scary for my then modest self, and finally pulling the plug on the researchers to save my self esteem. I remember bits and pieces but I'm older now so I know what was really going on. They were freaked out! What they did right was to help me move beyond a diagnosis to become the person I was meant to be. They never hesitated when I said I wanted to do something-well, they did hesitate at times but I'm a hard sell and I usually pulled things off. I had passion and they helped manifest it. They taught me that if I wanted something bad enough, I could figure out a way to get it and if they could support the effort in any way, they would. My parents encouraged my passion for life and doing. They still do. I hear the random murmurs from strangers and catch the inquisitive looks but the fact of the matter is, I know in my core, it just doesn't get much better than the gig I've got going in this life. I've been gifted a form and a family that has taught me what takes a life time for many people to learn; mine is a fortunate birth for countless reasons.

I could go on, which is another reason why I think I subconsciously avoid even broaching this subject, but it's impossible for me to say, in a few words, the impact my parents, and siblings for that matter, have had on my life and to merely touch on it falls ridiculously short of how I feel.

So while there is no microphone in my hand and whatever audience there is, is probably distracted at this point, I know my parents read this so, thanks Mom and Dad for coming out to support my event and helping me create this super cool life I get to live!

And thanks again to everyone else for your incredible support and contributions toward my fundraising efforts! You're all amazing and I'm extremely proud we get to share the same space!

Quick Ketchup on the Blob

2010-04-13T17:36:00.000-07:00

I put this picture in here because it makes me laugh and I had no other place to put it. This is me volunteering at the first ever California Golden Beer Mile. I volunteered because I know my limits but I'm all about helping others find theirs. My participation in such an event would be the equivalent of me signing up for an Ironman and really, as in most races, when you're actually competing you miss a lot of the happenings and there was no way I was going to miss this

On their mark...

First of four beers, down...

1st female, Erin Merz, checking her time and fully prepared with Garmin and RoadID

Sprint finish between Liverstrong guy and Brian Wrona as "Your Beer of Choice."

Liverstrong got him but he did just finish the SuperSeal only hours earlier so it was still an impressive showing by Mr. Beer of Choice.

Spring break has been a whirlwind of visiting friends and family, birthday parties, a baby shower (a new niece only weeks away!), bike riding and fundraising.

At some point in the midst of all of this, I met up with my friend Scout so I could pick up her bike. Holland Cycles needed it for the custom bike show the following week which meant I would have a few days to play around on another really cool bike that was just my size- that never happens! Our bikes are very similar only Scout's bike has faster wheels, aero-bars and the real kicker, Shimano Di2 components with the cables all hidden neatly inside the frame. Here's Scout's little Holland; he's a talented man, that Bill. I had a blast riding her speedy little bike; there's never a time when I get to ride someone else's bike and to have it be a unique experience was a major bonus. I'm totally sold on the electric shifting and I don't even care if that makes the purist want to puke. They're fun. And when I'm rich, I'll buy them for myself and all my friends. Except the purist.

I still wouldn't trade the Orange Crush for the world but the few (ahem) miles I rode Scout's ornament were also super fun. Don't they look sweet hanging out together?! I can hardly wait for us all to ride this weekend- Me, Scout, and a coupla wee whips.

The Cooper-Scotts came down from Spokane and did a repeat performance of last year's spring break only this time, instead of celebrating Lily's birthday, we got to celebrate Aaron's. Inspired by the book, "Cake Wrecks" we decided to make a cupcake-cake wreck of our own.

Haley and Lily did all the work and what really impressed me was that it was made entirely from scratch. I've never done that, I'm more of an add-oil-and-eggs-to-box, girl. Well, truth be told, I did attempt it once with Phaedra, years ago, because it sounded like a good idea at 3am, but the results were disastrous. I have a vague recollection of the fire alarm going off and us being too short to reach it but I could be making that up-it's happened more than once in my life.

I have to say, as far as wrecks go, Haley and Lily did an awesome job with this...wait for it ............bear! It's design was mostly dictated by the number and shape of the cupcakes but we also told Aaron it was inspired by his favorite animal. (I'm pretty sure he has never said a bear is his favorite animal but there was a six year old involved so you do what you have to do).

Notice the old cookie sheet. I think it really seals the deal on the wreck. You also really need to read the book to fully appreciate the beautiful disaster commonly known as the cupcake-cake.

I love this springtime business; it's the perfect time of year. It feels like I'm walking into a party early and and then it blows up into summer fun! Along with spending time with a few friends and family, I've been able to get some great riding in and have been spending tons of time pulling together the fundraiser for CAF this weekend. We're still doing last minute planning but it's looking like a great time ahead. The support and donations have been phenomenal. This show has definitely hit the road! Wish me luck!

I've Never Been Good at Folding

2010-03-17T21:22:00.000-07:00

Let me start by saying, the Nebenkanoozers SHOW UP! My friend Matt and his group of do-gooder friends get together for a charity poker tournament twice a year. Naturally, when his wife Patty suggested the Nebenkanoozers might donate to CAF for their tournament in March, I jumped at the opportunity. I know Patty and Matt pretty well, and I still had no idea how awesome it would be. The Nebenkanoozers, and their friends, raised over $1,200.00 for CAF and my Million Dollar Challenge! I am so proud of them and so impressed. They'll also be helping out with my fundraiser in April; just a solid group of people all the way around. Check out the pictures

Matt and Patty Reese...owners of The Lava-Flow-Inn

My brother Steven, Rei Tanaka and his fiance Sarah. I can't remember a time when I didn't know Rei Tanaka; he's one of the other Maddens. Rei bagged out of the tournament early but I think he would've given a few a run for their money had he decided to stay. He has already donated hundreds of dollars toward my fundraising goals with his gambling money. I'd encourage him to hit some GA meetings but it's kinda working out for me right now :)

Patty preparing to play "cocktail waitress." She got a ton of tips with that smile of hers and donated them all to CAF.

Why I didn't have a snowballs chance in hell...

This is Erik the Red. He loves riding bikes.

We had big plans to hit Cabrillo the next morning...I woke up not feeling too hot so I sent him a text and told him it was closed :)

This picture makes me laugh so hard. I look worried, scared, confused...I have no idea what I'm doing. I think I need to work on my poker face.

BUT C'MON!

This is what was staring me down the whole time!There was a "donkey" randomly chosen at every table. Take the donkey down and you won an extra $20. I may have just made that up but there was something I was supposed to know about the donkeys

The guy on the left does not find this donkey nearly as amusing as my brother does. It doesn't take much to entertain us Maddens.

My new buddy Mike, one of the Nebenkanoozers making it all happen. I loved him, he likes tequila, a solid sign of intelligence in my book. He taught me to play Texas Hold'em in about 15 minutes then off I went with a cheat sheet. The guy stuck sitting next to me finally told me I needed to be a little less obvious with which side of the folded paper I was looking at. I responded by telling him he was counting out loud :)

And this, my friends, is the overall-winner, Mr. Dave Lively. The last few rounds were intense and he killed it (Seriously, look closely at friend on the right).

At least they all went down for a good cause!

Thanks again to, Matt and Patty and the Nebenkanoozer crew, for generously taking on the Challenged Athletes Foundation as their fundraising cause. They made a HUGE impact in more ways than one.

"Tour de Tequila: Stage 1"

2010-02-22T21:04:00.000-08:00

Several of my friends suggested I throw a wine tasting party as a fundraiser. I thought it was a great idea but wine hurts my head so that made it a relatively bad idea, until I turned it into an event that I could handle... tequila tasting! Since I'm raising money for a forever-long, charity, bike ride, I decided to call the fundraising event the "Tour de Tequila," even though the only thing being "toured" were various regions in Mexico as experienced through their distilled agave products. To do this, I hooked up with the owner of a local tequila bar, Cantina Mayahuel, and put together a tasting where participants got to experience 6 different tequilas with lunch. The idea made so much sense at the time of origin and would have continued to make sense had I not hung out late with friends afterward...ayayay.

It was storming the night before and rain was expected that day so I was a little worried about how things would turn out. I was hoping to have the tasting outside since the patio is really my favorite part of the bar/restaurant and as luck would have it, we had perfect weather! (I did something right somewhere along the line). There were about thirty souls braving the tasting and in the process, I think I may have converted a few people into tequila lovers. No one thinks they like tequila until they try good tequila...and then others, just can't get past the first sip...no matter what (Anne!).

Pictures tell the tale

This is the incredible support crew that showed up early and stayed late helping to make sure things ran smoothly. Debbie Rogers, Anne Fleming, Liana & Pearl Simonelli, Liz Pappas, and Sally Johnson. I seriously couldn't have done it without them!

While Pearl was busy helping at the registration table, her big sister, Liana, set up shop selling her earrings. So far, she has raised over $100 dollars for CAF through her earring sales! These two little friends of mine had no problem jumping on the CAF boat; I'm really proud of them both and I know their parent's, Liz and Danny, are too!

Mike and Kathy Kenney with their other friend, Mike, who stopped in on his way to a ship in Hawaii. He found out about the event on Facebook and RSVP'd unbeknownst to them. It was a cool surprise.

Vikki and her husband Kyle, goin' in! Vikki organizes the Million Dollar Challenge ride and does a phenomenal job doing it.

Were I one to not take responsibility for my actions, I would be blaming this crew for my inability to function the following day: Rosie, Ray, Elvia and Martin...before the mayhem.

Guillermo and Marina Escobedo meet "Cowboy," a Million Dollar Challenge friend from the 2009 ride, and his son, Chance. Cowboy donated his 50/50 raffle winnings right back to CAF. He's just like that and I was floored by the offer. OH! But please don't feel like you have to be a Cowboy at future events- please, take the money and run!

Of course there were Tri Club of San Diego friends present! Here are just a few...Nancy, Kim, Linda and Amy. These ladies are never short on words of encouragement. I really appreciated their presence.

Bar owner, Aaron, in the background educating my people.

Ron Johnson and his daughter, Carrie. Carrie is a two-time Olympian racing the flat water kayak and will no doubt be seen again in London. She's doing this despite an ongoing battle with Crohn's disease; she's one cool chick!

Zabel and I have been buddies for a loooooong time which was one of the best parts about hosting this fundraiser. It was the perfect reason to bring some of the great people in my life together!

One last shot of the fabulous volunteers. They looked cute so I had to add it!

And finally, my dad used to say, "If you want it bad enough, you'll figure out a way to get it." It's great advice and as it turns out, applies to every aspect of my life.

Guess it doesn't take a genius to figure out what I was after on this one.

The "Tour de Tequila" turned out to be a great event overall and we were able to raise over $600.00 toward my fundraising goal of $10,000! This thanks to the unbelievable generosity of my friends, old and new, and their willingness to rally for a great cause (and the tips I grabbed off the tables on the way out and the guy I mugged on the corner as we were leaving...). I joke!

I definitely recognize how fortunate I am to have the influence of such good people in my life. With that said, since one can't have a "tour" with only one "stage," I'll be hosting the "Tour de Tequila: Stage 2" in early summer. Be ready to sign up early and come on out!

GU'S in the Hou-(scratch that) Apartment!

2010-02-11T21:49:00.000-08:00

I passed on the after-work happy hour today because I had a feeling I would see something like this when I got home and I couldn't wait. That's sayin' somethin' cuz this sister loves herself an opportunity to commune with friends but take a look at what Haley and Brooke (Marketing Manager for GU), delivered!

A sampling of the delivery!

I love GU Chomps. I have to resist eating them like candy and think I've finally learned my lesson not to eat them as such; I've had one too many sleepless nights as a result of eating a few Chomps before bedtime. You probably already know this but Chomps have a purpose and serve it very well; however, a candy substitute/sleep aide they are not, trust me.

Shortly after tearing open the GU boxes, I remembered that today was the day I got my first CSA delivery. For those of you that may not be familiar, CSA or Community Supported Agriculture, is a way for consumers to buy seasonal food from a local farmer. I've been wanting to try this out for a couple years now and my friend Kathy finally tipped the scales for me. She picked up my first box and this is what I found waiting on her doorstep:

I displayed it all pretty-like for you :)

I love it! I love the colors and the smells of it all, but now I'm pacing. I have NO idea what to do with it. I ate a carrot. It was fun. ' Tasted like a carrot only it was red and little, which made me want to eat it, unlike the everyday carrot I buy in the store. I also had a stalk of celery-crunchiest stalk of celery I've ever had but now what? I can't actually eat it all raw, (baby steps) so the next thing is to cook with it. HA! I am SUCH a glutton for punishment and may as well put flyers on the neighbors mailboxes to warn them-might even put a call in to SDFD while I'm at it. Regardless, Kathy and Haley both emailed me with enthusiastic ideas on what to do and being a sucker for a well sold product, I have a new found confidence-based on absolutely nothing even remotely close to reality- in my cooking.

I'll let you know how this plays out. For now, I am Healthy Eater Girl, super human in my attempts to support local agriculture!

Thank God I'm Size Nothing

2010-02-07T22:01:00.000-08:00

...or I'd have nothing to auction off! When I got home from work on Thursday, I was greeted with a large box from ZOOT. It felt like Christmas even though I knew I didn't get to keep any of the presents. My friend Haley is sponsored by them so she put me in touch with her team manager, Jake Jansen, for some possible auction items. Jake asked what I was looking for with a, "...would you like a wetsuit, a backpack, or some piece of ZOOT product?" My answer, "...all of the above or whatever you can manage without losing your job!" Based on his response, I'm answering that way from now on. Why limit oneself when there are sweet Jakes in the world with secret heart wishes to play Santa Clause?!

Holy cow, did Jake deliver. Inside the Thursday box I found one of these...

Zoot Women's Zenith 2

and I think what looks like two of these...

Women's Flash Wetsuits

(Only one in black and I think one in blue-I didn't want to mess them up yet!)

And then there are of course some cute T-shirts, an Ultra Sport Top and a super cute pair of shoes that I think were actually intended for me but unfortunately, Jake, they're too stinkin' big so on the auction block they go! I really appreciate the thought, though. I love ZOOT products and I hate that they're too big for me. It's not a problem with their sizing, there's just no money in making one of everything; I get it. It's a bit of a bummer not to be able to wear more of their fabulous stuff but it probably saves me a lot of cash in the long run!

Since "Big Box Thursday," I've been getting several other offers for auction and raffle items. Friends are offering creative gift baskets, coaching (from Rachel, swim coach extraordinaire, Brian of Triathlon Lifestyle Coaching, and Lisa Jennings of VeloBetty), embroidery work by Sew MI, hair renovations (my words!) from Pixie Salon, GU and Timex products and all kinds of other fun stuff! It's just cool to watch it all unfold. Just now I received an email from Geoff Peterson, an award winning photographer who also happens to be my best friend's dad. He is donating a beautifully framed copy of this photograph, "Taking Root," one of my favorites as he will tell you it's about life, challenges and success. I see that. It's gorgeous and I'm honored he chose to donate it.

Along with the fantastic auction items that are beginning to come in, many people have been able to donate money toward my goal. I have to admit I'm amazed at the generosity, floored really, and if I'm being honest, completely addicted to the "thermometer." Anyone who has done any fundraising knows what I'm talking about; it's genius, really. Everyone, including the contributors want to see that thing go up so we make it go up. I've been on both sides and feel eternally grateful for those individuals that have been helping my thermometer, "go up."

Lately, I've been busy planning an opening fundraiser at Cantina Mayahuel on February 20th. Interested readers, please send me an email at shelby4CAF@gmail.com and I'll definitely send you details. I promise to have some great raffle items at the "Tour de Tequila," but you'll have to mark your calendars for April 17th for a chance to win some of the above mentioned items in a silent auction. You'll get to meet my parents too (that mention should COMPLETELY stress them out, ha!) I'm hopeful I'll be seeing your mug at at least one of these events! Until then, thanks everyone for your continued support; I couldn't do any of this without you. Collectively, you're like one giant squirrel!

Ground Hog's Day and Million Dollar Madness

2010-02-02T22:47:00.000-08:00

Well, it's that time and this sister is committed! I'm super excited to have officially signed up for the Qualcomm Million Dollar Challenge to benefit the Challenged Athletes Foundation. Along with 100 other cyclists, I will be riding my little scooter from San Francisco to San Diego, a total of 620-miles in a week, in order to raise awareness and funding for CAF. This is a huge undertaking in many ways but watch one of the videos below and you will see a small glimpse of how this effort impacts people's lives:

Evan Morgan: CAF Spokesperson and War Veteran

Jake Frank's Story:

And of course, little Ms. Scout Bassett. Scout and I had some great times this past summer. With the help of CAF and Bill Holland of Holland Cycles, she has one of the coolest custom fit bikes I've ever seen-next to mine, of course! It's tough to beat the Orange Crush when it comes to coolness. HA! Unfortunately, you won't see Scout's new bike in the video but I'll get some pictures up eventually.

I had a hard time choosing which video to share, can ya tell? There is so much good and so many stories that come out of an organization like CAF. With this in mind, I hope you’ll

Follow This Link to visit my personal web page and help me get this ball a-rollin'!

Wish me luck and spread the word!

Upscale Digs

2010-01-29T07:40:00.000-08:00

Every morning I wake up, I get a good internal laugh and external smile out of this view. This is my shower in the "off" position:

When Phaedra was here, I heard her laughing really loudly while taking a bath. When she finally found the ability to speak, she yelled out, "You know when you move furniture around and it kinda feels like you have a whole new place?" My response, "Ya...." Her reply, "Well, when you see what happened, just try to remember that and think of it as a bathroom remodel of sorts."

Apparently, the handle came off in her hand and neither of us can seem to figure out how to get it back on the right way. Well, in all honestly, we probably only spent a total of 5 minutes trying to figure it out because it looks so stupid we just ended up laughing.

So, there it has stayed and everyday, I get to wake up to a laugh. Here's to hoping you find at least one thing that makes you laugh inside and smile outside, today.

Happy Friday!

Update:

Haley's comment made me realize if I'm going to title a post, "Upscale Digs," I can't leave mention of water features alone as it is yet another visual that always brings an inner chuckle to my day. Haley once told me, in response to my comment about living in a very "urban" part of town, that if a place has a water feature, it's a solid indication of high class living. We both laughed really hard since the last place I lived in had, what I thought was, the lamest water feature ever...but it WAS a water feature so according to Haley's logic, based on I-don't-know-what, this sister was living large!

Well, when I moved, I could hardly contain my enthusiasm and quickly notified Haley of the good news; as it turns out my new place also has a water feature of even lamer proportions! If this doesn't say, "Upscale," then I know not what the word means!

Make no mistake, I love the area where I live as it has everything that is cool in my world. I just can't help but find the humor and beauty in its perfect imperfections. What's not to love about that waterfall or the copious amounts of plastic flowers planted in real soil about the shared patio space that never seem to loose their bloom and glitter and even get changed with the advent of each season or holiday?!

Still smiling.

Again, Happy Friday!

Quite simply, I'm just grateful.

2010-01-14T16:46:00.000-08:00

My friends and I often get into conversations about how grateful we are for the lives we get to live. I'm fortunate enough to be surrounded by people who can't help but see things from this perspective. No matter how tough a moment or day may be, we can always seem to capture what was good about the overall experience and usually find at least one thing to laugh at in the process. This past week was overflowing with moments to be grateful for and I found myself feeling reflective and energized after each experience.

I've begun some preliminary efforts toward my fundraising goals for the Qualcomm Million Dollar Challenge to benefit CAF, which I will be sharing more about at the beginning of February. I sat down with several friends in the past couple of weeks to strategize and share ideas; their enthusiasm has been awesome! It really does feel like I have a small army backing me on this one. I was so afraid of this fundraising task but now I can already see this is not only going to be fun, it's bringing out the generosity and creative best in some of my favorite people.

Also, I'm already assembling some raffle/auction items from what feels like my own personal version of Oprah's "Favorite Things" episodes. I just keep hitting up the restaurants and stores I frequent and they've all been very generous. See?! It pays to be a terrible cook! I will definitely be needing many more items but I am just incredibly grateful for the response I've gotten so far. Below are some of the local establishments that have started me off:

CANTINA MAYAHUEL

If you're familiar with any of these places, you know how awesome they are; if you've never been, check them out or be ready to buy some raffle tickets for a chance to win a free sampling of their greatness. I have many more establishments that I am loyal to (remember, I don't cook) and will be visiting in the next few weeks but I just felt the need to share what my week has been like so far, a great time of connecting with friends and an opportunity to highlight local businesses that I love.

My friends Liana and Pearl (ages 8 and 6) recently made me a sweet little box with affirmation cards to pull each day. They have pretty cool parents, to say the least. Today I pulled a card that said, "Release limiting beliefs."

I'm on it.

Thanks for reading!

Holidays Happen

2010-01-05T16:10:00.000-08:00

I'm REALLY proficient at playing. Seriously, I have friends who get bored on the extended breaks we get in teaching and actually can't wait to get back to work. Me? Not so much. It's not that I don't love my job and feel exceptionally fortunate for the team of people I get to work and learn with everyday but I'm just really good at achieving vacation Zen. I don't get bored, ever, even when there's nothing to do. So far, this winter break has been no exception. I'm having a jolly good time riding with friends, catching up with old favorites and getting my sleep on. I love having time to play and the weather here is more than conducive to this.

With that said, my coach, who has been so diligent on his end in preparing a detailed plan to get me acclimated to extended periods of riding, has just sent me an email that I'm hesitating in responding to. I haven't been a very disciplined student and much of my extra-curricular-outside-of-training, play is interfering with the careful plan he has laid out for me. I think I'm going to have to start the first four weeks over again. I'm sorry Brian!

Despite the fact that I haven't been putting in the mileage and hours as prescribed, I have had some amazing times lately. The other day, one of my favorite TCSD members, Gerry Foreman, introduced me to a fun 30-mile trip over Torrey Pines and into La Jolla. There are a few good hills to climb on this route but more importantly, Gerry has been telling me for months about the incredible apple dumplings at Squires Deli/Bakery in La Jolla. This route includes Squires as a requisite layover. I couldn't wait to try them and as promised, they didn't disappoint! I ended up doing the ride again with Phaedra just so she could experience them herself and I've just convinced another friend to do this ride with me only he doesn't even know what's in store for him tomorrow at the halfway point! Here's my buddy Gerry enjoying his a.d. (He brought another one home in his jersey for his wife, Dee. I LOVE that!)

Another ride was intended to be the ol' Great Western Loop route, but was cut short for "health reasons." What made this 24-mile ride extra special was that it was with Phaedra and Mr. Holland. I wanted these two to meet for a long time because there's nothing better than when your world of favorites end up in the same space. Here's a picture of P & B before we hit the road

And now me and B minutes later...

I added both of these pics because in studying them, I do believe Bill is mocking us. That is an undeniably sarcastic, over-the-top-energetic expression he's sporting while my funny little buddy and I look a little rough. Bill is quiet but he should never be underestimated in his ability to deliver comedy.

Unfortunately, this much anticipated ride was altered due to the fact that Phaedra and I, having not seen each other in months, had waaay too much fun the previous evening. By the time we met Bill the next morning, we were really hoping to talk him into ditching the ride and heading straight to breakfast. It was wishful thinking and really, I should've known that idea would never fly with him. He laughed at us and proceeded to pull our bikes out of the car, putting them together and pumping our tires to, what I'd like to think, were the meditative sounds of our moaning. My original plan was to leave ahead of them so I wouldn't have to work so pickin' hard to stay with them but they wouldn't let me. Even with their promise of taking it easy and "cruising," I knew I was in trouble. So, while they chatted away, I held on for dear life behind them with an occasional "uh-huh," and after eight minutes of "cruising," I was seriously ready to puke.

Sometimes I exaggerate but I was working harder than I ever wanted to work on that particular day and they were actually working really hard at holding back. In fact, I'm pretty sure I saw them unclip from time to time and just push along, Fred Flintstone style, just to keep me in their vicinity. It was humbling.

Thank god I convinced them both to just GO once we got to the bottom of the Dehesa climb and go they did. How the heck do people ride that fast?! Seriously, it's body boggling and inspiring at the same time. When I finally met them at the top, they packed up their picnic lunch and Phaedra decided she had had enough for the day. Racing Bill up to the top finally gave her a taste of what the last 12 miles had been for me (brutal) and we all decided that breakfast was a better idea than heading out on the rest of the loop. I'm pretty sure Bill only conceded because he was sick of our whining but I pretended not to notice. We ended our ride with Mexican fare, story telling and laughs! The much anticipated ride was perfectly imperfect!

Later that same day, we met up with another Brian, Brian Wrona, to help set-up the distances for the first ever TCSD "Y2K When You Can 10K?" race on New Year's Eve. I use the term help loosely because Brian did all the work. I like to think of myself as the "Ideas Person." Actually, I intended to do more but he's just an exceptionally competent race director and had it handled. Here's P entertaining herself while Brian was off working

And here's Brian returning from measuring the course on Phaedra's bike and feeling notably aero (or fetal) with his knees to his chin

Everyone appeared to have a great time at the race despite the fact the 5K was long and the 10K was short. Brian couldn't remember which city sign was the targeted turn around point for the 5K and since Phaedra and I were NO help the previous day, he was on his own with his memory. (Not that our collective memories would have served him any better!) Personally, I loved the last minute course alteration and thought the mix-up was totally appropriate for a race that I might be involved in planning. Just think of the character building that went on during that race! The 5K people were pushing harder than they ever though possible just to get their times right and the 10K people all PR'd! Here are a few of the fabulous and fun participants sporting their T-shirts donated by Timex

With the holidays behind me, it's time to get serious about putting in the miles both on my bike and in the pool. I have upcoming events and races that I know will take effort in the weeks to come and I intend to get myself ready with my coach's guidance. In saying that, it just occurred to me that Brian from Triathlon Lifestyle Coaching has, in some sense, attached his coaching reputation to others and myself. With that realization, I am inspired to work that much harder if for no other reason than to avoid what Miss South Carolina most assuredly did to her public speaking coach in this unforgettable moment

Sorry, sorry, sorry! I couldn't resist. Anyone who knows me, knows I will do and have done the athletic, professional and personal version of this type of bawk, on more than one occasion, so I feel your pain Miss SC. For you it was an event, for me, a life story with endless laughable moments.

Happy New Year, Everyone! Cheers!

Lesson Learned from the Chemically Induced

2009-11-24T14:56:00.000-08:00

Shortly after I moved-in to my new apartment, my neighbor informed me there had been a few robberies in the area and that I should be careful about leaving my front door open. I felt safe and chalked it up to paranoid, (although well intended) ramblings. I grew up in a house that was always open for the world to stop by and hang out. The doors were literally open all the time. Since then, I've always felt a little claustrophobic when I close up my house.

So, despite the warning, I went about my usual business leaving my doors and windows open whenever I was home. One thing I've been been meaning to do is get renter's insurance. I keep procrastinating but know that if my bike was ever stolen, I couldn't replace it and would be heartbroken. I don't think I've ever been so attached to a material possession before in my life but my bike has been such a gift all the way around, to lose it would be life altering and that's me trying not to be dramatic.

Anyway, last night at about 9:15, I left my door open while I ran out to grab my laundry. As I was coming back into my courtyard, I ran into a guy that was in a hurry to get out. I knew he didn't live here so I said hello to him, because that's polite, and he said hello to me. I thought we had quite a connection, a spark maybe? However, he seemed rushed, fidgety and a bit shy as he wouldn't look directly at me. That's when it hit me that something was definitely off with this guy, 'cuz I'm quick like that. So, it wasn't a spark I felt at all! Just your run of the mill tweeker being "tweeky."

He definitely appeared to be hiding something under his arm and as soon as I walked in my door, I knew something was not right. My cat was totally freaked and my heart was racing as I looked for my bike. In hindsight, my bike is small but I hardly think it would fit under the arm of a 5 foot nothing crackhead. When I found it, I was just super relieved and figured I was being paranoid. Two hours later, I got emails from my credit card company about fraudulent charges and my bank account was also depleted...all twenty dollars of it. Take that Cracker Jack!

So last night my lesson was learned, as every lesson worth learning seems to be for me, the hard way. Well, truthfully, it was more like a soft boiled lesson but I get it. Close my door when I step out and get renters insurance! I'm on it. Oh, and heed the warnings of others so I don't have to learn everything through experience...but that I can't commit to yet.

After dealing with the details of stolen goods all morning, I went out to do some hill repeats at Cabrillo Monument. My friend Brian is convinced he can make me faster and if nothing else, keep me from hurting myself on the QMDC ride next year. I'm game to let him try if for no other reason than I know I'll get some good laughs in the process. So, if I'm going to go up and down a hill, per his recommendation, this is pretty much the place to do it. The tide pools hill is a fun little decent and the view is amazing. Today was no exception:

The water was incredibly blue and sparkly. Does it translate at all in these pics? Say yes so I don't feel like I have to carry one of those "media access only" cameras on my bike.

Moving on to the swim side of outdoor play, I managed to talk a couple of friends into swimming at La Jolla Shores yesterday because I had heard a rumor the water was warm-always a relative term. Kathy and Tracy are game for almost anything and even if they're not, it's amazing what you can talk them into doing with very little effort. They make for great playmates! Here they are showing up for our first swim in over a month.

Tracy and I were scared as usual. I'm dying to tease Tracy about her shoes but she's fun and I want her to keep playing with me so I have to break her in slowly.

Kathy doesn't seem to get scared, ever.

I was sucking air after less than 500 meters, in a wetsuit no less. The little swim fitness I had is gone like a purse left on a stand next to an open front door. To resolve this issue, I distracted the other two by setting out on a creature hunting mission that would keep us from having to swim too hard. I really need to get an underwater camera so I can take pictures of the critters we see; it's great avoidance behavior!

Anyway, I think I may have sponsored someone's Thanksgiving and possibly filled a stocking or two for Christmas with my encounter last night but at least I still have my bike and I finally learned a lesson that needed to be learned. So with that I say, "Thank you, Tweeker Boy!"

For now, this little is heading off to Colorado for some turkey fun with friends. My biking and swimming will be taking a back seat to eating and drinking for the next few days. I hope you all have a memorable Thanksgiving with at least one person doing something unexpected and bringing you tears with laughter. Or maybe you're in search of something quieter and that's okay too. Regardless, if you are in fact attending a special Thanksgiving gathering of your own, I think it's important to remember these wise words from the award winning movie, "Boomerang:"

Dress appropriately and remember, "You got to coo'dinate!"

(I think I've started something I can't stop with these videos!)

Plan "B"

2009-11-08T09:14:00.000-08:00

Last week, I talked my friend Anne into ditching a race she was going to do and joining me on a road trip to do the Solvang Prelude ride. My goal is to spend this year doing all kinds of riding and building up some endurance in these stems of mine. Anne is a perfect partner in crime for this (but we're recruiting!) as she loves a challenging ride as much as I do and doesn't seem to mind turning on her autopilot while I huff and puff behind her. When the logistics of travel and hotel accommodations started to get complicated, we decided to hold off on the Solvang ride until the spring. (Thinking it would also give us time to gather more victims for the Solvang Century) As it turns out, the "Plan B" ride we found was incredible and will definitely be on the agenda for next year.

We opted to do the Tour de Julian ride which was a well organized, challenging, 55 mile ride with a promise of apple pie at the finish. We knew it was going to be a great day of riding when the sunrise revealed scenes of the course. This is Lake Cuyamaca in full fall form. Beautiful!

There were wild turkeys everywhere and a family of deer cruising around behind us but I'm not proficient enough on the Blackberry camera features to capture the action, yet. Regardless, it was just an awesome crisp, fall morning that made getting up at 4:30 am well worth it.

A little further up the road the ride began at the Menghini Winery, just outside the town of Julian. Here's Anne and I at the start:

I'm mad at myself for not noticing the guy in the background of Anne's picture. Look at him! He wanted his picture taken too and obviously responds well when he hears someone say, "Smile!"

For the second weekend in a row, we were excited about pushing ourselves on a ride that we knew was going to be tough but just had to tackle. Last weekend, it was the Great Western Loop backwards and up Lyons Valley (I've been dancing around that version of the ride for a year now so I finally sucked it up and went for it.) This weekend, we were a lotta bit nervous because the ride profile for the Tour de Julian looked something like this:

(You can click on the image for a larger view if you're an elevation nerd)

I hate even referring to rides as being "difficult" because I know many people who cover these type of miles on a regular basis but seriously, it was tough! We knew it was going to be difficult because we had done part of the course earlier this year with the Qualcomm group but this particular course included the notorious "Engineers Road." It turned out to be long and steep, as promised...and we loved it! Honestly, the entire course felt like more uphills than down and there was a special cross wind treat with gusts that made me want to ride in the middle of the road so I wouldn't fall off the mountain. Motorists love this type of logic from people riding Christmas ornaments.

The Tour de Julian included a 28 mile option. I was warned by a couple other riders that I might be heading the wrong way when we made the turn for the climb up Sunrise Highway. One guy passed and said, "Are you sure you're going the right way?!" Sounding like the dork that I am, I said, "Hells yeah!" and I told Anne that even if we weren't planning on doing the 55 mile ride, at that point, we were now! She's as stubborn as I am so she totally understood my logic. In hindsight, I'm thinking that guy was probably the course "sweeper" in charge of making sure everyone made it back okay by the end of the ride and in seeing us, thought, "Oh crap, I'm going to be out here all day waiting for those two!" He probably called his wife right after and told her to go ahead and start the wine tasting without him. Make believe story destroying a man's good intentions aside, here are some pictures from our fabulous tour:

Anne checking the course map. I tend to surround myself with people that know what they're doing. It's a survival mechanism, I'm sure.

I seriously need a smaller helmet for my melon, or maybe just a smaller melon. That's ridiculous. I wish the pictures showed the golds and oranges of the landscape. For some reason everything looks dry but it wasn't. If you live here, head up to Lake Cuyamaca and Julian soon for a real taste of fall in Southern California.

Climbing up Sunrise Hwy to the Mount Laguna Visitor's Center

We have a lot of pictures of our backsides!

All this climbing makes me think of channeling my inner mountain goat and thinking of mountain goats reminds me of this song which is why it is ALWAYS stuck in my head when we're slogging away. Yesterday was no exception. No need to watch past the first two verses because that's all I pickin' know and it repeats over and over again in my head. Between this and the first two lines of the Beastie Boys "Let it Flow," I seriously get on my own nerves. I need a new soundtrack! But in the meantime, I hope to share my ear worms with you all!

Here is one of the many views off Sunrise Hwy looking down at the Anza Borrego Desert. There's a century ride in the spring down there somewhere that I'd like to do next year. Any takers?

One last shot of my backside coming back down from Mount Laguna. The gusts were so strong up there, I'm honestly surprised no one crashed.

Actually, one of us DID crash on this ride. Unfortunately, we don't have photo evidence because Anne is way nicer than I am and was more concerned with my well being than documenting my fall. I did manage to lay out my bike just as we were pulling into the winery. I had to jump up quick as there was an SUV that looked like it was going to use me for a speed bump if I didn't clear out fast enough. Upon this dramatic arrival, we were greeted with a HUGE slice of apple pie as promised and it was ridiculous how good it tasted.

I don't typically live my life making arrangements for "Plan B" as I prefer to just think of whatever happens as "Plan A," but in this case, it was definitely the better option when given the choice and I highly recommend this ride to anyone who enjoys a climb or two. I have no idea what to put on the agenda for next weekend but after every challenging ride, I'm left wanting more so feel free to suggest and thanks for stopping by!

I'M RRRRRRIDING!

2009-10-22T19:27:00.000-07:00

Doesn't it look like that's what I'm saying?! Never in a million years would I think to make that picture public but it's irresistible. Wait, here's another one:

DRRRRR! My sister would have a field day with these pictures and my mom would be horrified I even posted them which is why she will hopefully never discover this blog. I won't hear the end of it. I once told her I was going to audition for Big Brother and I thought she was going to have a heart attack. Two years later, she was still making me promise I wouldn't do it. She fears what I will say, or worse, do, in that type of forum; I have no idea where this comes from.

Those pictures are from my first sprint distance triathlon. God bless Phaedra for capturing it on film as I've gotten a lot of mileage out of those shots. Clearly I was stoked and in full geek form. But to understand what it meant personally, I have to go back nine months before the picture was taken to the very first time I saw this guy:

Rudy Tolsen Garcia

He's cool. Well, truthfully, I don't actually know him personally but he inspired me and for that I offered to buy him a shot of tequila when he turned 21. Which I believe has happened so I'm sure I'll have to pony up one of these days.

In 2006, Rudy was competing in an Ironman 70.3 World Championship race in Florida. I had flown out to see Phaedra do this race and I had no idea how life changing it would be for me. At the time, I was physically "a lot messed up" and was in a cycle of inactivity because of it. A year or so prior to this event, I had been told I needed a hip replacement. bad. like yesterday. For those that don't know, I was born with a bone malformation called spondylometaphyseal dysplasia or SMD-K. (It affects 1 in a million births. I'd let you take me to Vegas if I didn't hate the place so much!) This genetic condition has caused me many issues over the years but never once did it stop me from participating in sporty stuff; it only benches me every now and then.

So anyway, to be honest, at that time I was liking the idea of a hip replacement. I thought, not only would I be able to snowboard and play again but I even thought I might cash in and upgrade to a narrower pair of hips while I was at it. I'm serious, I actually inquired about it. The doctor just sighed one of those sighs that said, "I can't believe you're a teacher," and pulled out a poster to "educate" me. The crummy part was, after going to several more surgeons, it was clear that I was definitely not getting narrower, "fast-play," hips. Instead, I was given some tough to swallow advice from a very well respected guy who plays with sharp toys.

I was informed I should not let anyone operate on me until I was unable to walk on my own because my bone structure was so unusual, the body balance I was fortunate enough to strike, was a fragile one. In his opinion, there was a strong enough possibility the surgery would leave me impaired in my ability to walk or possibly unable to walk at all; there simply aren't any surgeons experienced enough with my condition to have any expertise in operating on me. He wanted me to be in a position where the inability to walk after surgery was no worse than what I was already experiencing. I remember feeling like I had the wind knocked out of me. No new snowboarding legs for this little and to be honest, I was a little more than scared. So I was benched and I thought it was just going to be that way forever.

That was until I saw Rudy coming up the beach once upon a race in Florida and I swear the clouds parted in my mind. I realized I'm just not meant to be a spectator entirely and like Rudy, I was going to figure out a way to get this little body in the game; even if I had to settle for the triathlon version of T-ball the rest of my life, I was going to play. Initially, I turned to these girls:

...and this guy for help

I had, oh, an obstacle or two in front of me. I knew I had to be very careful about not doing too much because I didn't want to end up toting the crutches again and I was also a complete freaker outer when it came to swimming. I used to call my dad and Phaedra for a pep talk while I sat outside the Y every night, too scared to go in. THEN, I would call them elated that I had managed to swim 200 meters! (...in 40 minutes, not kidding. That example was a breakthrough moment.) I had a looong way to go but in about 9 months time, at the end of that first race, I looked like this:

Just super stoked that I got to play again.

I'm still playing and not a day goes by where I don't feel the affects SMD has on my body but I also know, with a little bit of patience and hard work, I've managed to get this train back on the tracks for a little more "I think I can" time. Woohoo!

Since Haley and P nailed me down and committed me to that first race, I've done many more sprint distance triathlons and have been drawn to cycling as a result. It gives me an adreneline rush I haven't felt since my days of skydiving in college and I think it's helping me stay bipedal. With the help of CAF, the Triathlon Club of San Diego and Bill Holland, I have a whip made just for me and it's going to help me get down the coast next year.

Through all of this, I feel like I've had a small army of people encouraging me. I've met some incredible athletes, many of whom have had their own physical issues to overcome over the years or even more recently. This weekend, these world-class challenged athletes and many other professional and able bodied athletes will be competing in the San Diego Triathlon Challenge in La Jolla. I sincerely hope some of you can make it out to support this awesome cause by cheering these athletes on and maybe, ya never know, you may even find your own inspiration. No matter what, I can guarantee you'll leave smiling (hopefully not from gas pains-stay away from any fair food vendors...just sayin'...)

K, that's all. I feel like this little one here after all that:

Hear the resemblance?! Thanks for reading. OR skimming. Or jumping in...then out!

I Hope My Parents Don't Find This

2009-10-15T18:44:00.000-07:00

Oh man, so here I go, I'm committing myself to a huge challenge but not without a lot of thought put into it and time ahead for preparation. In October of 2010, I'm going to participate in the Qualcomm Million Dollar Challenge to raise money for the Challenged Athletes Foundation.

For the last couple of months, I've had the privilege of mooching off training rides for the 2009 QMDC participants. I've met some great people with quick wits and a love of riding that have inspired me to give this goal a go. (For the record, I think anyone who gets my humor must have a quick wit as the alternative would be far too humbling.)

This "challenge" involves a 7 day bike ride covering about 620 miles from San Francisco to San Diego. The course will involve some long days of back to back centuries and anywhere from 56-89 miles of riding on every other day. The furthest I've ever ridden is 85 miles and I felt every bit of it after 50! I'm secretly hoping for a strong tailwind. In addition to attempting to cover these miles, I will also be raising $10,000 to benefit CAF. Short of working El Cajon Blvd. after hours, I'll need some help with the creativity on how to make that happen. I'm hoping this won't be as challenging as the ride itself!

I know for many of my friends this ride would be a walk in the park but I have to admit, I'm scared. I don’t know if my body can handle this distance but I’m hoping a year of training will get me there. I’ve overcome a lot of physical issues over the years and know I will need to be smart about how I approach this so I don't completely destroy myself in the process; it's not my intention to make this the ride that ends all my riding. Misquoting the Beastie Boys, "Slow and low will be my tempo!"

So there, I've said it. I'm doing it. I can't resist the challenge; I tried to resist but my will is greater than common sense and I would truly rather try and fail than let this opportunity to do something challenging for a kick ass cause, pass me by. With that said, if I was with this year's group in San Francisco right now, getting ready to start the ride, I think I would puke. It makes my stomach flip.

If you have stumbled upon this and I don’t bore you to tears with what’s to come, I’ll keep you posted on the progress and probably make fun of myself and anyone who dares to claim me in the process. Since blogs are better with pictures, I ripped these pictures off from my friend Diane’s page. These were taken during this year’s Million Dollar Challenge training rides. I’m hoping some of these foolios will return for the ride next year:

This is Anne Fleming and I climbing up some long hill on our way out to Ramona. Anne works for CAF and is the one who invited me to join her on these training rides. She's an awesome riding buddy.

Tina on the left is responsible for the incredible SAG support we get on these rides and Vikki in the middle is the coordinator of this event. I have NO idea how she does it; she's amazing!

Diane, ride leader extraordinaire. Words cannot describe the beauty of the sarcasm that comes out of this woman's mouth.

This is our other ride leader, "Hooter," taking a spin on my sled. He makes my bike look like a Christmas tree ornament.

Anne, Vikki, David and I. David is my buddy but he was super crabby this day so I turned on the charm (or rather turned up the "annoying") a bit.

Birds on a wire. How we stay cool in the middle of WheretheHellAreWe. I'm in there.

Why I will never pay for a boob job and why I will never have a secret love child with Fire Marshal Bill. The genetics would be unforgiving.

I'm only putting this one in because I think I look fabulous. I don't tell lies.

Alright, more to come. Holy crud that was time consuming. This blogging concept may actually be harder than the ride and fundraising!