Week 7 of Training

So this week has been an interesting week on the bike. I've gone back to the old Fuji and haven't touched the new Kestrel. I'm going to wait to get properly fit on it and ensure that everything is perfect. I think that is the main issue with my injuries, jumping back and forth between two different bikes cant be good if I already have an issue. So last week I was able to put some hours in on the rollers however still cant ride the road... weird I know.. and yes I'm just dying to get out on the road even though it has been cold weather. Riding on the rollers is one thing but being on the road breathing in the fresh cold and being chased by dogs can be fun... instead I have to look over to smudge stretching out on the couch and curling up into a ball on her favorite blanket looking at me like I've lost my mind.. which I may have by that point.

 

Monday- OFF

 

Tuesday- 30 min on the rollers. First time Ive been on the bike in 8 days and the doctor told me I would be able to ride by now. I just took it easy and plan on it the rest of the week.

 

Wednesday- 30 Min on the rollers.

 

Thursday- Christmas ride to Aunt Shells and Uncle James.. or something like that.. being cautious I decided to ride on the rollers with my brother Eddie.. 1 Hour.

 

Friday- OFF

 

Saturday- 1 Hour. Did a few intervals, 20 min at 160 watts 10 min at 200 watts then some ILTs and then 20 min at 160 watts.

 

Sunday- 1 Hour. Pretty much did the same as Saturday the legs were starting to feel pretty tired since it was my first week back on the rollers.

 

So I had a great Christmas and no we didn't get to do the traditional Christmas ride however we did do a ride on the rollers so that still counts... Right? It feels so good to be back on the bike and I'm very thankful that I'm able to ride on the trainer. I'm a little nervous to venture out on the road since the knee doesn't feel all the way recovered yet. When I get to about min 45 on the bike and stand up there is a slight pain. The Murray brothers, Eric, and a couple teammates are supposed to be doing the WBL ride on new years day but I'm not sure I'm doing it. Since I'm able to ride now I'm going to try and keep it that way until I leave to California!

Week 6 of Training

So week 6 really wasn't too exciting for training... I've spent the last week doing nothing but trying to recover the knee and get back on the bike. Every single day I've been icing, stretching, and doing exercises. I went and saw the podiatrist on Friday and got some custom insoles made and he prescribed me a anti inflammatory called Ketoprofen. It has SO FAR done wonders for my knee and I'm planning on getting back on the bike come Tuesday next week. I'm hoping by the 1st I can go out and do the WBL ride again and start the long distance training.

Week 5 of Training

 

Monday- 1 Hour on the rollers. 10 min warm up. 20 minutes at 160 watts. 10 minutes of ILT's. 10 minutes at 160 watts, 5 min at 180 watts, 5 min at 200 watts.

 

Tuesday- OFF!

 

Wednesday- 3+ hours outside.. started out 62 degrees ended 50 degrees. Today was by far one of the hardest rides I have had. It was so windy outside and I was facing either a 25-35 mph headwind, tailwind, or cross winds. There were times where I was cranking my "granny gear" on the flats because the head wind was so strong! I was just laughing at myself because it was just ridiculous winds and to think I could be facing something like that on my coast to coast ride so I'm glad I went out and did it.

 

Thursday- 1.5 Hours out on the road with Reggie. It was one of those rides where we were like bring your rollers just in case because it was 42 degrees with 34 degree wind chill when we started. However I didn't bring them on purpose because I knew there hasn't been many sunny days. Did a couple "yellow sign sprints" and the new bike felt awesome and the 175 cranks made a huge difference

 

Friday- OFF!! However I did suit up for the Aspen newspaper article! More info later...

 

Saturday- First ever WBL ride with David and Art.. What a great ride it was. There were 150 plus people and Ive never been in a ride that organized with 20. We ended up riding 5 hours in the 32-26 degree weather and there was a little sleet towards the end of the ride. A couple pros were off the front powering the 150 man train keeping an average of 20mph and on the flats it felt as if we were going 30. There is one thing that didn't go well on the ride and that's my left knee.. no not my right anymore the right one is fine however my left knee isn't.. This whole fit thing on the bike is driving me crazy. I'm going to take Sunday and Monday off in hopes of being able to ride with the jittery joes team on Wednesday and Thursday.

 

Sunday- Off knee recovery!!!!

Week 4 of training

Monday- 1 hour on the rollers 

 

Tuesday- Off day

 

Wednesday- 1 Hour on the rollers at Ed's house. We had a "TEAM MURRAY" ride. It was myself, Ed, Art, and Derin :) we just did a simple 1 hour ride with a few intervals

 

Thursday- 1 Hour on the rollers. This was by far one of the best rides ive had on the rollers. I just felt really really good and did 5 min efforts at 180 then 200 then 220 then back down to 200 then 180. Just felt awesome!

 

Friday- Off Day

 

Saturday- 1 Hour on the rollers

Sunday- 3 Hours outside 41 degrees. I also took out the new bike for the first time! The kestrel is awesome and it took some getting used to but after a few tweaks I fit on it like I was part of the bike. Thank you Reality bikes and Kestrel for all your help and support!

This week was a good week of training. There was a couple of nights where I really had to just get on the bike to be motivated. Once I got on it then the hour went by quick. Pretty soon I will be doing 1.5 and 2 hour rides on the rollers. They say an hour on the rollers is equal to 1.5 hours outside because of continuous pedaling and no downhills to coast. Ed, Art, Derin, And I went out to 3-D on Saturday and cut down 3 Christmas trees, one for each of our houses. A picture will be posted soon! It was a lot of fun cutting down my own tree and it was nice to have Jordan give all of us a tour of the house after. Week 5 of training coming up and I'm really starting to feel good on the bike. Also Saturday I might be going to Athens for my first WBL ride which isn't an official WBL ride but its still a 80 mile ride.. 30 more then the 50 I did Sunday... and at an average of 20 mph not 17...

Week 3 of training

Last night I was thinking of different ways that I can keep everyone informed on my training and what kind of riding Ive been doing weekly. So starting last week I'm going to do a blog entry every Monday to reflect on the past week of riding, eating, racing, and charity stuff. Also I was thinking about what kind of food I can use as a comparison to how many calories I've burned. So Eric and I were talking maybe I should do like cereal because there would be so much that I could fill a car or a room in my house. If you have any ideas on what food I should do let me know!!! So my week in training:

 

Monday- 1 Hr on the rollers working on ILT's (individual leg training)

 

Tuesday- Rest day

 

Wednesday- 1 hr on the rollers. Warm up with ILT's then 30 min effort at 200 watts along with cool down and more ILT's

 

Thursday- 2 hrs outside with Eric easy pace kept a 17.5 mph average with a couple "yellow signs sprints" :) there really wasn't much effort in the sprints at all it was just for fun to see what it would feel like. Followed by a 1.5 hr night ride at Fort Yargo with Art. I only managed to crash ohhhhh.... 3 times its been a while since Ive done a good night ride like that and it was a nice pace good tempo.

 

Friday- 3.5 hrs on the mountain bike at Fort Yargo again. Did the first lap with Art and Ed then went on and did another with Ed. Great time my legs were really feeling good at this point in the week. No crashes for the first time!

 

Saturday- Rest day

 

Sunday- 1.5 hrs on the rollers. I worked on ILT's and did  3 sets of: 5 min at 180 watts, 5 min at 220 watts, 5 min at 180 watts. Really got the legs opened up and feeling good. Its the longest Ive spent on the rollers and did something different this time. I put the TV on mute and read close caption and had music playing in the background. I like that a lot more then just listening to the TV. Pretty soon I will be watching movies.

 

So the week was a great training week. I got in the most riding I have done since August and it felt good. My focus now is to be peaking in February and to treat April and May like my winter months since I will be doing long base miles. Then to follow it up July and August peak again. My main goal is to come out this season and win some races right off the bat so I can cat up to a 3 before my ride. I think if I stay focused on my short term goals I should be successful in doing so. I had such a great time spending thanksgiving with the family camping and just relaxing and riding. I'm looking forward to more weeks like this and also I'm looking forward to picking my bike up this week!

Just another day another dollar...or so...

Its now been week two of my training.. Things are actually going very well and the knee is doing awesome! Ive been riding on the rollers a lot and working on my pedal stroke and making sure I'm using my right leg the same as my left. For a while I started to realize when I was riding I would use my left leg more to compensate the pain in my right. Also last week on Saturday I was able to go out and do some mountain biking with RT, Eddie, Chris, and Stephen. It was a blast and come to find out big creek is a great trail. I haven't been there in YEEARRSSS and it was a lot better then I remembered from before. I got some awesome video footage and will post it soon!

 

And for the good news.. we had our 1st annual 3-dimensional life Golf Tournament finally on Tuesday. I want to go ahead and thank the sponsors that made it all possible and the guys that helped get pledges and raise........... $42,000 DOLLARS!!! Nope not a typo that is legit. Greg, myself and all the guys from 3-D are just blown away! It was a good hit and my team.. no need to brag Tim and Greg.. won the second round shooting a 59 in a scramble. Ohhhh yeah and that was just as a two-some. We are looking forward to setting it up for next year and raising even more money then that. We also got to meet a couple new guys that are in the program. The demand for a place like 3-D right now is HUGE. and the fact that the money is also going to a girls program is awesome. I'm looking forward to continue being a part o 3-D for a very long time.. They have taken a huge place in my heart and I love everyone that works there and the kids that ARE recovering.

 

THANK YOU:

 

Chick-fil-a.. (Steve Williams) for breakfast

RBM North ( Bill Favini) for the Hole-n-one Prizes

Phillips Arena ( Rachel Wannemacher) hawks, thrasher tickets

Echelon, Chestatee, and Alpharetta Atheltic Club for the rounds of golf

And again THANK YOU to all the sponsors and people that made it all possible and put their time and effort to making this tournament a success!

 

 

 

Savannah Bound and Tournament canceled

So this past weekend myself and 3 other teammates made our way down to Savannah. Now I planned on going down there because I haven't been and I figured it would be a great chance to see where my ride was ending. Well we had a blast down there and got to meet up with some old friends and hung out and watched Eric, Reggie, and David race.  On Saturday night Eric pulled a 3rd, and Reggie placed 2nd. On our way back to the venue on Sunday morning as we were pulling in I decided right then and there I was racing. I signed up and used Eric's kit, shoes, and bike.. ohh yeah and a water bottle and I used Davids helmet.. Now I have never ridden Eric's bike before nor did I pre ride the course. So we were off I was in the back of the pack until I decided this isn't where I want to be put me in front! So I pushed it through some straights and around some corners and made my way up to about 5th and right on Reggie's wheel. We made a right hand turn and about to go over some WHOOPS and bam a guy hits my from the right side. I swerved to the left hitting another guy and I got taken down. Well jumping back on the bike I noticed two things right off the bat.... handle bars were crooked and the right shifter was jammed. So needless to say I didn't finish the race and my first cross race I went down! Other then the bike be jacked up which we go back to working I was okay. My ribs hurt a little and my left shoulder and elbow hurt also. All and all I really enjoyed my time down in Savannah and wish I could have stayed one more day.

 

And as you heard the golf tournament that was supposed to be today was canceled due to the rain. We pushed it back to next Tuesday. I have been able to raise so far 2,520 dollars and looking forward to having this extra week and try to hit 3000. I couldn't believe what all I was able to get from talking to people and spreading the word about 3-D. I got rounds of golf to Echelon, Chestatee, and Alpharetta Athletic Club. I also got Chick-fil-a to donate breakfast, RBM North to donate a hole-n-one car along with 3 other hole-n-one prizes. The thrashers gave me 3 sets of two tickets to games and Hawks did the same along with signed basketball and signed puck. So all and all I really feel like I've done really well with the tournament and prizes for the first year. I'm already looking forward to next year and finding ways to improve it!

On Thursday Tim and I were able to set up a time for 3 of the guys to come out and do a practice caddie. Ricky was on Mark's bag, Matt was on Eric's bag and Andrew was on my bag.. of course the big winner! I really couldn't have played much better then the way I did. I just haven't been playing much at all and my focus has been on getting my knee better and riding. I shot a smooth 75 and really it felt like nothing and I could have gone lower. It was really awesome to have the chance to be one on one with the guys and to get them to walk with us 9 holes.. you really can learn about someone fast on the golf course. Andrew and the guys are really really great guys and have so much ahead of them since they are about to graduate the program. Andrew really didn't waste much time in opening up to me and telling me about his struggles and what he has done. For me to hear all of that and to see where he is at now is a complete 360! He is finishing up high school and hopefully going to college by the summer. Learning that he played soccer since he was able to walk and now he plays the guitar and from what I hear is an artist also. It was just an awesome day on the golf course! Its so hard to put into words what I felt and how much fun we had. It went from the 10th hole being quiet and trying to teach them how to caddie to the 18th hole with high fives, hand shakes, and hugs. Its pretty funny when I asked Andrew if he ever played golf and he said "yeah a little I've played at the Hampton and Country Land" which are literally 2 seconds away from my house... it just puts more into reality that these kids really do live here.. in Forsyth county...

$1,425 and counting

So it’s been a while since I’ve given you an update! This week has been awesome, I've been doing a lot of riding and actually feeling okay.. Monday I rode on the trainer for 45 min and did some ILTs. Wed about 10 of us went up to bull mountain to do a night ride, and yesterday I rode 1.5 hours on the road bike in the morning to follow it up with 1 hour on the mountain bike later. Just taking it easy and spinning or trying to. Wed night was very funny because we though we had "charged" lights to find out when it got dark and we were ready to turn them on... yes you got it they didn’t come on! Still had a great time though and it is different trying to ride in the dark not seeing what rocks, roots, logs are ahead of you until you hit them. I'm not going to lie I'm pretty dang sore after all that riding and it sure feels good. Now on to the good part....

so far in just two days I have been able to raise $1425 dollars for 3-D!!! I'm so happy to see everyone that is stepping forward and donating money. I've enjoyed every bit of talking to them and telling them the power of 3-D and what my goals are. I'm very confident that I will hit the 6,000 dollar mark and I'm going to try my hardest! This Saturday will be the big day when I will see a majority of the people and hopefully be able to hit the 2,000 dollar mark! I will be sure to keep you posted!

3-D

Today was a very very special day. Two nights ago I was having dinner with Eric and told him the idea to go out to the farm meet the kids and look at building some mountain bike trails. He was all about it and as excited as I was. We headed out this morning and met up with Tim who works at 3-D and he took us on a tour around their 4500 square foot house. They have utilized ever square foot of the house for the 10 kids now in the program. The guys were having hay day today since they didn’t have to go to class and we had the chance to just hang out and talk with them. We all sat around and they asked Eric and I questions about riding and what type of training there is to do this Ride Across America. So there are 10 kids the youngest is age 15 and the oldest is 18. A guy that is 3 days in the program and another that is going into his 8th month in the program. Everything is done to the T! They stick to a strict time schedule starting at 6:00am every day and going through 11:00pm.

 Every guy is so incredible in a way that they each have their own stories on what they have been through and each of them have some real talents. One guy Andrew, who has been in the program the longest, loves playing the guitar. I didn’t get the chance to listen in on it yet but from what the other guys say he is amazing. Some of them were BMX riders and skateboarders and some of them even shopped/ knew some of the employees at Reality Bikes. One played baseball and told us how much he misses it and how the drugs took over his life and that he is ready to get back out there on the field and play. Their addiction is one thing but when we were in that house it was different. I didn’t feel like these guys were addicts I just felt they were normal kids they just wanted to go out and run around and build stuff. Some of these kids have already faced charges, some have been to jail, and some have been kicked out of the parent’s house at the age of 16. These kids WANT to be in the program. They WANT to get better and to change and to be somebody one day. Today is a different day, today my attitude towards life has changed and I feel full of energy. The guys were very inviting and open. We were able to hear a testimony from Andrew that I heard the other night and a graduate of the program Chris came out to just share what changes he has faced at home with his family and the love he gets now and the way he looks at life and the challenges he faces.

Some of these guys struggle with failure. They struggle with the thought of not being able to finish something. That question came up to me and if I was scared to do this ride.... I laughed and said yeah I'm scared; I've never been away from home this long. I won’t meet anyone until I fly out there. What if I can’t ride one day what if I get injured? All those things go through my head but it’s not going to stop me from doing something I love. If I fail so be it.. I'll get right back up and try again. This is a journey that I want to take; this is a experience that I want to have. This ride will change me someway somehow. You can't hide from everything or run away from your fears.. You WILL fail time and time again.. You WILL get hurt.. You WILL hit rock bottom, but get right back up and keep going.
I'm so happy that I got to go out there and meet them and I'm glad Eric came with me. It feels good to be able to show people the reason why I'm doing this for the guys and not only the money I'm raising but the power of giving time and to just hang out with them. I'm looking forward to building the trails and showing the reason why i have this passion with riding. I'm looking forward to the bike shop Reality Bikes helping out and giving back. That’s what I've learned this is about, that’s what I remembered today, the reason for this all starting was for me to finally give back to the community.

So we had the tee off party last night at the golf club and about 30 or so people showed up. I cant even begin to explain to you what such a small idea of mine has done and how big of a deal it has become. To see the how many people are willing to spend and donate their time is unbelievable! Andrew, one of the students in 3-D came out and spoke about why he went into the program and where he is now. Let me tell you something... ive have never ever felt something so powerful and moving then to see him get up in front of everyone and spill his guts.. a man that is 18 years of age was about to face jail time for a very long time.. he lost his family at the age of 16 when he decided to move out. He not only brought me to tears but everyone in there including him. "I now have my dad back who is my best friend and my little sister can come up to me and hug me and not be scared." He has 2 months left in the program and can honestly say his life is changed. I talked with him after and talked about what life is like at the house with the 10 other kids and what their day to day duties are. He said its crazy we go to the gym at least 3 days a week.. they teach mind, body, and sole. He said I can run now.. I can actually run. On Thursday im getting the chance to go out to the farm and meet the rest of the kids. Not only that Tim and myself were talking last night about possibly getting some bikes for the farm so the kids can do some mountain biking. We're going to walk the 55 acre property and see what kind of trails we can build. I'm so happy to be able to finally give back now... I kept thinking man my trip isnt until April I want to do something now and I finally am. Only words can tell you what I felt and how incredible these kids are but to experience it in person is another thing. I cannot wait to see the rest of them Thursday and ill keep you posted!

Enough with the vacation and back to work! Just got back from camping with the family and a bunch of friends.. what a great time we had I went from Friday to late Saturday night. Man did we have a great time around the camp fire and of course I was the piro of the weekend by throwing in as much wood as possible! We were able to enjoy all sorts of things like smores, carrot cake, drinks, and the big chili cook off! So I got my new helmet camera, the Vholdr HD. I got it all set up on the helmet and we went out to do 3 gap from Vogel state park. I was pretty worried about my knee problem especially since we would be doing a ton of climbing. But it held up pretty well! It was just Ed, Art, Stephen, myself and Uncle Jim! It was Uncle Jims first time ever doing 3-gap and he was ready to tap out on the last 9 mile climb lol. So back to the helmet cam. I have to figure out how to upload the videos on here and edit them. I only recorded the descents since watching me climb for 45 min would probably be boring. On one of the descents we got stuck behind 5 motorcycles and a car. Ed, Art, Stephen, and myself kicked it into high gear and hammered past the car with the motorcycles getting up to about 45 mph. It really is so much fun hitting the corners and tucking on the straight parts of the descent. After we finished 3-gap all 16 of us hung out around the fire stuffing our faces with junk! It was cold cold cold at night and I think that is where I got this stinking cold from. All and all it was a great couple days off relaxing with the family especially after the week in Vegas.

Back from VEGAS! So I just spent Tuesday through Saturday in Vegas with a bunch of close friends and family for interbike and cross Vegas. I got a chance to see all the new up and coming products and meet a lot of the reps that Reality Bikes works with. It was great being able to share what I'm doing to some of them. I would say Vegas was a lot of fun but a place where I wouldn't go again for a while. However the buildings/hotels were amazing and the amount of detail that was put into the indoor buildings and the painted ceilings is just hard to describe. We also went to the Bellagio and saw the fountains and "Paris." Its crazy to see how many different people are there and how the town is quiet during the day then at night its packed! But anyways thanks to Fuji I will be getting the new Kestrel Evoke SL Carbon for my ride America. It was nice to spend some time with the rep Paul and get to know all about the new bikes that are coming out. Also thanks to Louis Garneau for giving me a free pair of their shoes. I finally got a pair of shoes with carbon soles. I have been looking at these in the shop since the summer and just couldn't convince myself to get them. Things are really starting to come together and with it being pretty much October the 3-d golf tournament is right around the corner!

So after sleeping in till 12 today well which is 9 Vegas time Eric and I put together some breakfast and coffee then went out for a easy 1 hour spin. Man the weather here is just awesome now. Fall is here and leg warmers and arm warmers are soon to come out. I had to adjust my cleat a couple times and my knee was bothering me a little bit but not like the past. Also at interbike I had a chance to talk with a "fit doctor" ... what an incredible amount of information she gave me and helped me out with my problems. She gave me some exercises to do and gave me some advice with how many shims I need to put on my shoes. I hope soon to get put on the Retul bike fit system.

Well that's it for now.. its going to be tough to get back to work after 4 days of non stop partying but it is a good feeling to be back in town. Going camping in the gaps this weekend with the family and also going to do some training in the mountains. Then its off to the races next weekend! The big 12 hour race in Helen. I hope everything is good to go by then!

So I went out on a mountain bike ride yesterday with Uncle Jim, Spencer, and Ed! It was awesome getting on the mountain bike. Even though I just painted the bike and put all new components on it, it felt like a brand new bike. Having a front shock is amazing I actually feel like I have a full suspension bike now! My plan of attack was to go out and just pedal around and take it easy on the knee. We got there and got dressed I was so fired up all morning to get out there! Right before the first lap I pulled off the side of the trail and waited for two riders coming the opposite way to come through by doing a "track stand." Well I didn't quiet make it I fell straight over and there it was the first crash on the new bike! First lap was great took it easy the knee was hurting but nothing major. Then we went on to the Dwelling loop and sure enough 2 riders came by us and knowing Ed and I we went after them and stayed behind them the whole time which led to a great tempo ride. After convincing my cousin Spencer to go one more lap around the South loop we started off easy. Then a APB rider came by and Ed and I were off again! Flying through the South loop I thought it would be great to hit a "jump" on the right side well I hit it alright got sideways in the air and knew I was going down! Took a pretty hard hit knocked the chain off the bike, put a pretty good scratch in the frame, and got some sweet battle wounds! I was happy it was a good laugh for Ed and the APB rider. Wished we had the helmet cam to replay that one! We finish the lap easy and overall it was an awesome ride on the mountain bike and I'm looking forward to spending a lot more time on it this winter...... anddddddd the 12 hour race coming up in October!

SOOOOO its been a while since I have updated this. A lot of crazy things have happened since the last time so we will start with I had another meeting last night about the marathon. It has now changed into a 36 hole golf event. It being in November would make it hard to complete the full 100 holes. Our goals are still set on trying to raise the full $60,000 which is awesome. We now have 8 captains which will allow us to reach that goal. A lot of good things are coming out from this and it excites me and worries me. I still cant believe that all of this has come from a simple idea to this amazing thing where all these people are just coming together to make it happen.

Now for the riding part... I have been off the bike now for a full week. I know that doesn't seem like much but its a lot to me when I felt like I needed to be on the bike the most this past week. I just got my old mountain bike back that we re-painted and put all new parts on and a front fork. Its b-e-a-uuuutiful! The knee really isn't doing to well right now but I'm sure it will come back after some more time. Also Reality Bikes is going to have 3-4 teams in a 12 hour mountain bike race on October 10th. So I really need to be up and running by then and at least riding the mountain bike. All and all things are going okay and the weather has been great... I'm excited to do this ride and sometimes wish I was on it now just to see what its going to be like.

Vegas is in less than 2 weeks also!!!!

So I had another meeting this morning to put more ideas and stuff together for the "Golf Marathon." Greg came up with a great idea called "Who's your caddy." There will be about 10 of the guys from 3-D that will be out there and ride around with the golfers and talk about their lives and experiences that they have had and how they have changed over the past months or years. And to throw numbers out there we are looking at getting 32 golfers to raise 2,000 each which would come out to be about $64,000. THAT IS JUST AWESOME! and to add to that would be whatever I raise for the Ride Across America. I was so happy to have Lisa Crouse come out to the meeting this morning also. She has done a couple golf marathons and gave some great ideas to what we should do.

I went up to Athens again last weekend on Saturday night to do a ride Sunday with my brother. I got a great night sleep and got up early to try and ride but only ended up doing about an hour and a half. My knee is bothering me and I really need to get fit on my bike soon! It wasn't the ride that I have been having up there but it was still nice to just get out there with my brother and ride side by side talking. I've really slowed down the miles in the past couple weeks which has given me time to recover and think about a bunch of things. I cant believe the ride starts in April. It seems so far away but its really right around the corner. I really need to get focused on my goals and write down everything I need to be doing and really get a good training schedule together soon instead of just going out and riding riding riding. Well that's about all I have to say now ill continue to keep you guys posted on the golf marathon!

Vegas is in 28 DAY!!!!

So I took the day off on Tuesday and have been icing the knee and trying not to use it as much as possible. I did a ride Wednesday with the Wednesday night group and started from my house easy spin to warm the knee up and see how it would feel... and it felt awesome! We started a 10 man break away probably 10 miles into the ride and shortly after 4 guys dropped so there was just 6 of us. It was a little messy at first but we both communicated very well and managed to get organized and work together to stay away till the last climb. I picked up the pace and dropped 2 more guys for the lead sprint. Overall the knee felt great until the cool down. I broke 3 new watt records the 5 min, 10 min, and 60 min and we kept an average of 24.5!

I have another meeting on Tuesday of next week with the same group to talk about the "golf marathon." I'm going to try and go out to 3-d next week since I couldn't make it this week. From talking to Greg a couple times this week they are thrilled to be doing this and hoping to make it an annual golf tournament.. I jokingly said "Greg I'm just not sure about riding across America once a year and how work would feel about that." But it feels good to be doing something for these kids and to see how excited they are about it. I'm looking forward to meeting all of them and getting to know them more and seeing how much they grow and change through the coming months.

So the weekend was a lot of FUN! I rode on Friday up in Athens and it was amazing like always. It seemed that no matter which way I was riding I was riding into a headwind. I kept telling myself that "I better get used to it... it could be like this for 100 miles." I called all the local bike shops and a couple coffee shops in search for a group ride for Saturday morning and not one.. not ONE of them could tell me of a ride. A bit frustrating considering you could call Reality Bikes and ask for a local ride and they could give you a probably 10. Funny story short when I was riding I had a car pull up next to me and a kid ask me if I knew of any local rides in the area and that he had just moved to Athens.. I got his number and was supposed to do a ride Saturday morning but didn't really make it.

On another note I went to Reality Bikes after my long epic 3-gap ride from the house and talked with Todd and Eric about my ride across America. REALITY BIKES is now my bike shop sponsor!!! I'm extremely thankful for them and all the help they have given me thus far and now that they are going to be on board with me for the ride is even better. Todd is going to purchase a bike for me to ride and I will be wearing the new kits for next year. They will supply me with the food, tubes, tires, spokes, etc... Also I will be getting fit on the bike by Pedal Right which is located in Vickery Village. Being fit on the bike will be so important considering all the long miles and hours I will be spending on it. My knee has started to bother me again in the same spot as last year and I needed to get physical therapy for 8 weeks. I'm hoping its not as bad and that I just need to spend a couple days off the bike. Yesterday was just a long time in the saddle with a lot of climbing.

I was going to register for a race at Grant Park on Sunday but now I'm not sure if I will be doing it. I will just have to wait and see how the knee feels... However I will be going down to Peachtree City on Saturday to go watch my first Tri race which I am very excited about!

GOOD MORNING! Wednesday was a great day. Went out and did a 75 mile ride started in the rain but about an hour into it the sun came out and the sun was baking on the wet roads. Thinking it was going to rain the whole time I didn't put sunscreen on... needless to say i got a nice sun burn and new tan lines. It was a nice ride the first 50 miles or so I rode alone by my house rode really hard averaging 19.5. Its weird it didn't feel like I was going that fast at all I pushed myself up the climbs and felt okay but the the heavy air was making it seem like I couldn't breath. Then I did the other half out of the bike shop with Art, Christine, Heather, Brittany, uncle Jim, and Spencer. It was a great time and a nice change of pace. Its so nice to be able to go out and just ride sometimes!

On another note I had the meeting yesterday and it went well. We shared ideas about the ride and how to raise money. 3-D life is an amazing organization and I'm so excited to be able to have the chance to donate a possible $50,000! It's looking like the golf outing is out and were going to do a "golf marathon." The goal is to get 25-30 people that are willing to donate money. They will pay per hole they play.. like $1 a hole or whatever and they will have their own sponsors. Its almost like Relay for life. $50,000 seems like a lot of money but I think we can do it! With all the support from family and friends I'm hoping to pass the $50,000! I am so excited to do this ride and having yesterdays meeting made me feel like I have all the support in the world.

Headed to Athens today after work to do a ride and then to go out with some friends and celebrate Arthur's birthday. I'm looking forward to calling the local shops up there and trying to find a nice long ride for Saturday morning. I cant tell you enough how awesome the riding is up there.

Good morning everyone! Did a great ride yesterday in Athens riding a little over 1.5 hours. The riding in Athens is amazing. People are so friendly and the roads feel like you can go forever! I got all the information on the Ride Across America last week and meeting up with Whitney, Kirk, Ken, and Greg with 3-D life to discuss my plans for raising money. The bar is set high for me wanting to raise $50,000 but I know I can do it! I'll let you know Thursday how the meeting went.