Alfredo's Road to Remission

This post is going to tell you the story of someone other than myself. This person's story reaffirms in me why I am still sitting on this God-awful bike seat (okay so it is not as God-awful as the last one, but still pretty hard), and why I am going to ride Lake Tahoe again this year.
Last weekend, I went to visit NYC with some friends. Our big goal for the day was to have brunch and then hit Junior's in Times Square for a piece of cheesecake. We were successful on both counts. Brunch was great and the cheescake.. OH. MY. GOD. It was an M.O. (and if any of you need to know what an M.O. is ask my friend Marie.. she works for Ortho Clinical Diagnostics and she is the one that coined the phrase). Anyway, my friend Bill had invited his friend Alfredo and his sister Aileen to join us for brunch. Bill knows Alfredo through his wife Cindy who... so on and so on.. lets just say they are family friends. I knew that Alfredo was a survivor and that he was going to run the ING NYC marathon the next day. I was excited about meeting some new people, but not as excited as I was about cheesecake.

Alfredo and Aileen showed up at brunch, we talked about the marathon, and Alfredo's plan for running the race, what kind of time he hoped for etc. Alfredo was running as a member of TNT and he had raised over $12,000! Way to go Alfredo!
Talk eventually turned to the disease that Alfredo is fighting. I asked him how he found out he was sick. His answer was honest, and rather disturbing. It started with a cough. A cough that he thought was just due to a cold or the change of seasons. But when the cough didn't go away, and he started coughing up blood, he knew he needed to check it out. So, he headed home (Wallingford), and they found a tumor the size of a football in his chest and was diagnosed in November of 2008 with Stage IV-B Hodgkins Lymphoma. Stage IV is the most advanced stage of Hodgkins Lymphoma, how could this happen to a 27 year old kid?

Chemotherapy lasted almost a year, and ended with Alfredo getting a stem cell transplant. The only exercise he could do was to take small steps around the hospital floor, IV pole in tow. Eventually the news was good. Alfredo was (and is) in remission. Eventually the small difficult steps became a walk, which turned into a jog, which turned into a run.

Last weekend, on November 7, 2010 Alfredo ran, and finished the ING NYC marathon. Alfredo raised over $12,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. He gave back. He gave back to help others that are fighting now. He gave back so that maybe someday the word 'remission' with be replaced with the word 'cure'.

After Alfredo and Aileen left to go pick up his bib for the marathon and we left to make our way to Junior's, I thought about what an honor it was to meet this young man. A kid with a big wide grin and a warmth and good humor about him. A kid that handled with courage something none of us want to face.

This year, I will ride Tahoe in celebration. In celebration of Alfredo's remission. In celebration of all the strides research has made in fighting blood related cancers. In celebration of my cycle team, because together we can do more than any one of us can do alone. And hopefully, someday, in celebration of a cure.

Tailwinds,
Karen

Long Time, No Blog

It has been ages since I have sat myself down long enough to put a post up here on Talewinds. So here goes... my summer in a nutshell.

Tyler was home from college. Grocery bill went up, toilet was constantly plugged and my house smelled of Axe. All the time. Electric bill went up, water bill went up. The garbage can was always full. He is back at college and I miss having him home. I do not miss his dirty baseball uniform.

Kelly had a blood clot in her lung. Serious. She has recovered, but is on Coumadin. Old peoples medicine. We found that she is a mutant. Or, I should say, she has the Factor V Leiden mutation, which makes her prone to clotting. Not good. No more oral contraceptives or any estrogen based product. She is back in the saddle, riding her horses, rescuing her racehorses, and 'just being' (Kelly).

Matt made an appearance in July. New girlfriend in tow. I like her. I like the him he has grown into. I like her with him. She brings him out of his shell a little bit. To any of you with a son that is mildly defiant, not into school and always does when you say don't.. there is hope. I feel like Matt has become a friend. Mommy likes.

I am still pedaling! Yes!!! Training for a new ride, a FLAT ride! It will be on October 9, and originates in Salisbury, MD. I thought that a FLAT ride would be easy peasy. Hah! Was I wrong or what. Seems as though on FLAT rides you have to pedal the whole time. Coach always joked that Tahoe is 50% downhill (okay so it is 50% uphill), but still, on the downhill you can coast some. On the flat, you pedal. All the time. Anyway, even though it will be a FLAT ride, it is supposed to be very pretty and circles around and out to Asateague Island. I am excited and hope to see some of the ponies. Maybe I can bring one home ;)

Promise to post again soon, about the team and the training.. and oh yes... my plan to do Tahoe again.

Talewinds!

Biked it ~ Liked it

Two sentences (or phrases) sum up the experience.

1. Biked it ~ Liked it!
My bike is a kick ass piece of machinery, and I love it. The area is really, really, really gorgeous. I have never worked so hard, or struggled so much in one day in my life, I have also never felt so accomplished in my life. I can ride up hills... I can ride down hills... although I still really hate riding down hills.

2. GO TEAM!
My team has become like family, and each of us wants to see the others succeed. . We were so supported, by the staff, by each other, by perfect strangers. We were all united... to get closer to a cure, one mile at a time. On an endurance event, support along the way is critical. The cow bells, the signs, the people cheering us on, the man in the SPAM hat, all served to keep me going. One person can't do this alone, but together we can do anything. I really, really, really miss my team. Charryse, Jen, Cathy... I have faith in the future because of the strong young women you are. You amaze me. Viktoria.... you are not only a survivor, you are one tough cookie that showed me age is only a number. Henry, thank you so much for not making me change my own flat tire, and also for understanding when I entered the BM zone (Bite me zone)


What I found...... my strength, my courage, empathy...... when someone has faith in you, it is easier to have faith in yourself.......life is tough, we need to stick together.....Spooner is done, stick a fork in it........challenge yourself, you might be surprised at the outcome.

We will find a cure for these cancers, someday, we have to.

On to the next adventure... Seagull Century in Maryland, in October. Stay tuned.

A Bloomin' Good Time!

Last Sunday (May 23) I rode in my first organized large ride. The Bloomin' Metric. A 100 KM (about 62 mile) ride beginning in Norwalk, CT and winding it's way through some really pretty countryside, past large estates, lots of hills for those of us so inclined (hahaha... get it?), and what seemed to be a million riders, most of them passing me at a high rate of speed.

Despite being with my team and trying to stay within a few minutes of my pals from the "Blue group" (slow), and the huge number of people around at times, I found myself quite alone. I am not complaining, I rather liked it. It gave me time to think, to take in the view and there was no one around when I let out a huge snarl because I was in the wrong gear when starting a rather large hump in the road.. okay it was a hill. (To quote Coach Bob, "It's a HILL, GET OVER IT!!!" (hahaha.... get it?)

I found people to follow, my thanks to the guy in the Dos Equis (XX) jersey, he was fun and easy to follow. and if I needed a diversion all I had to do was yell "Hey Dos Equis, CAR BACK"... and he would give me a friendly wave.

Once had my horse (okaaaayyyyy... my bike) headed down the backstretch, there were a couple of times I got teary eyed. This wasn't my big event, but it was still an accomplishment. I thought about my heroes, those that are battling leukemia and lymphoma and winning. I thought about the ones that have not won the battle, and those that don't even know that a battle lies ahead of them.

Rolling into the parking lot, finishing the ride, seeing the rest of my blue group finish filled me with pride in how far WE (yes WE) have come. But, more importantly, the ride itself, getting there was something to be savored.

Peace,
Karen

What I learned on the 80 mile ride

1) Don't even put your leg over the bar without a helmet on your head.
2) Always keep "Our Lady" in the bike bag.
3) Enjoy the scenery
4) I can ride over a grated swing bridge with a strong cross wind and not fall on my keester
5) Sometimes, if you look in the right direction, at precisely the right time, nature shows you something spectacular
6) I still HATE snakes, even if they are dead in the middle of the road
7) If you hit a squirrel going downhill at 34 mph... there is dinner. Tastes like chicken.
8)When you have to call 911 remember not to get frustrated because they are going to ask you the same questions twice.
9) when someone is hurt it seems like forever for an ambulance to come.
10) ICE.. In case of emergency... program it in your phone.
11) Sometimes, the people you really need are put right in front of you.. like the doctor and nurse that stopped to help.. what are the chances, I mean really, what are the chances that a doctor and nurse would be there when my teammates had an accident.
12) The kindness of strangers can be relied on. Truly.

Hallelujah!

Hallelujah! I am loving my new bike seat. Yes, I used the L-word. Love, Love, LOVE my new bike seat...
The original seat that came on the bike was great on the ischial tuberosities (sits bones), but not so much on the soft tissue. The second seat I tried was better, but still not great. I kept having to stop pedaling to readjust my position, and every time I did, I would hear Coach in the background telling me to keep pedaling... how do I tell him politely that I have to rearrange my lady parts? Then.. there were the blood blisters. Not good. Unhappy hoohoo.
So, enter saddle number 3. Not the most expensive by any means, and probably not the lightest, but so far, the most comfortable. The cut away part is just in the right spot and it seems to be just the right size for my ischial tuberosities, and I like the little cut out in the back for my tailbone. I have only ridden it twice, 25 miles last night, and only about 15 tonight, but just the feeling of being on it, I know it will be fine on longer rides. And... I have a happy hoohoo.

On another happy note, fundraising is at $5820.00... wondering if I can make it an even 6K?

Decisions, decisions, decisions

Since starting this training for the Century Ride, there has been a lot of stuff that has gotten in the way.. just 'stuff' that needs me to make some sort of decision that can have an effect on how I ride, how far I can go, and avoiding the bonk. How much do I eat before a ride, what do I eat before a ride, what do I drink.. drink too much and there are too many potty stops, not enough and I bonk. What do I drink? Water is good, but I also need to replace electrolytes and I need sugar.. something I had given up along with simple carbs and replaced with complex carbs. So many decisions!

The drinking thing seemed to give me a real problem. Coaches were pretty clear, one bottle of water, one bottle of Gatorade or similar product. So, I struck out to find something I liked and would fit the bill. Oh.. and did I mention that since I am a klutz, I can not reach down, get a bottle of drink, raise it to my lips and keep the bike up on two wheels? Well, I can't do it. Practice or no practice, can't do it.. so enter the Camelbak. Yes, folks, I wear my water proudly on my back with a long tube I can just shove in between my teeth, bite down and voila! water! The Camelbak is the next best thing to having an IV pole attached to my bike.

Water problem solved.

Now, the Gatorade problem. Gatorade is too sweet, don't like it. And it doesn't like me much either. I tried G2, less sugar, still not really fond of it, I tried the powders and mixed them myself and over-diluted them a bit, still didn't work. I tried a couple of different versions and brands, all with the same effect (not something to talk about in polite company-- and you can't have that going on in the middle of a 100 mile bike ride).

Then I hit upon the perfect solution (no pun intended). A friend mentioned to me that her husband (a runner) drinks Kool-Aid. So, I picked up some of those little packages of Cherry flavored Kool-Aid, the kind you add your own sugar to (cheap!), I made up a pitcher of it, adding a lot less sugar than the recipe calls for, hmmm tasty!

Now, I just had to solve the electrolyte issue. I found a bottle of this stuff in Whole Foods, called Endure. Now, get your minds out of the gutter, it isn't what you are thinking at all... it is for enhancing your performance.. er.... I mean, it is full of performance enhancing electrolytes. There we go, back on track. It has Na+, K+, Cl-, Mg+, and SO4. 16 drops in 16 ounces of my Kool-Aid and I am good to go. So far, no bonk, no cramps and associated issues, and no Charley Horses in my legs, and it costs a whole lot less! One big decision out of the way. And.. I can put it in my checked luggage so I can make my own supply while in Tahoe. Hurdle overcome!

Summary of last Saturdays Cookie Ride:
7.5 mile, 3% grade out to Torrington.
2 long climbs with an average 6% grade (with some short sections up to 12%) on Route 20.
Over 5000 feet of climbing over 65 miles.

The fact that I finished is amazing to me.... even though I feel like it was not a complete success because I had to stop on the big hills, but I didn't walk, I just rested and then got back on and went on.