Blogging again! 

It has been a while since I have updated my blog and the reasons for not updating are many.  With the increasing use of more immediate social media sites such as Facebook, Google+, and Twitter, it seems blogging is a bit redundant.  However, it dawned on me that blogging allows one to provide a more detailed account than Twitter or Facebook posting.  So I promise to update this blog with some personal insights on various matters of interest.  I like the fact that I have a my own little soapbox!

Participation in Team in Training for 2012

Since February of this year, I have been training to participate in America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride as a Member of Team in Training (TNT).  This will be my sixth year participating as active team member and all of this would not be possible without the love and support from my wonderful family and friends.  Every year I reach out to my friends and family to help me raise money for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society and I am quite humbled by their generosity.

October 2004

So why do I put myself and my body through such rigorous training schedule year after year?  Is it because I love riding my bike on the weekends?  While I love riding my bike, I don't think I would be pounding out 60+ miles every weekend and come home with massive amounts of lactic acid in my legs.

No, I participate because of three things: 1) I do it to honor the memory of my late wife who passed away from multiple myeloma seven years ago; 2) I believe in the work of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and 3) I do it to honor those who are currently battling cancer.  I have been there personally and I realize how difficult it can be to be a patient, a family member or a caregiver.  I do this year after year so that that we can find a cure and no one has to loose a parent, a child, a family member, or a friend to cancer.

Kaitlin Cooper

I would like to share some pictures of people who inspire me to participate in Team in Training.  Our family picture above was taken in October 2004, exactly one month before Liza was diagnosed with Stage 3 multiple myeloma.  Liza would eventually pass away 3 months later from complications from her cancer.  She fought bravely with an amazing amount of grace.  The second picture is of Kaitlin Cooper.  She is our honored hero for our TNT cycling team and a very brave girl.  She was diagnosed with Leukemia when she was three years old.  She has undergone chemo and her cancer is in remission.  Unfortunately, the chemo therapy caused her heart to be damaged - chemo induced heart failure.  Yet, she has been to our rides numerous times and is always there with a shy smile.  I can not imagine she had to endure during her fight.  In addition, I have had the honor to ride for many others such as Liza and Kaitlin.  Some day soon I hope we can just ride a bike for fun.  So if you are so inclined please contribute to a great cause, here is the link to my TNT Fundraising Page.  Thank you for your support and generosity.   

Training Update 4/21/12

I have been training with Team in Training since February.  I haven't really posted anything until now since the rides have been pretty short and fairly "easy".  But starting this month and next, we are really getting into the meat and potatoes of training.  We are now riding fairly long and hard miles.  So here is the snap shot of my this Saturday's training ride in South Arlington, TX.  Weather was just perfect expect the wind picked up as the day progressed and the dogs in the area.

So overall I am pretty happy with myself despite the fact that  I was pretty gassed around mile 50 due to riding pretty hard into the headwind.  That 475 Watts of power was up a short steep hill on my big chain ring and it really hurt.  I am pretty happy that I can spike my Max heart rate up to 198 beats per minute despite my age!

So things I have been doing this year to improve my training and performance: 1) 100% devoted to the Paleo/Primal diet (see this link) and 2) I am a serious believer in "Bullet Proof Coffee" (see this link).  The Paleo/Primal diet has changed my body to rely on burning fat as fuel of choice instead of massive amounts of glycogen and I feel so much better for it.   "Bullet Proof Coffee" is simply amazing.  You can read about and Google about it.  If you are an adherent of high carb / low fat diet, you might be surprised by the information.

Information on Team in Training

For those of you who are not familiar with Team in Training, it is the fundraising arm of the Leukemia Lymphoma Society.  It also happens to be the oldest and largest endurance sports event training program.  As a participant, we promise to raise funds for LLS while we train to participate in a variety of endurance events such as marathons, triathlons, endurance cycling events, and hiking.  Over the years, TNT has raised over $1Billion dollars in donations to support the mission of the Leukemia Lymphoma Society.