Yesterday is still today

yep, yesterday is still today.  cayden told me this when we were trying to figure out if it was still mary dolls birthday.  we met up with the other side of the team at five am which got us to sleep at about six am.  long night and we are on our way out to meet up with the other side again.  it seems we are going at a pretty good pace and we may get in late morning to annapolis.  woohoo. days and states seem to be running together.  cant wait to get to maryland to ride together as a team.

Strong

We are an amazing strong team. Organ Recyclers have had several injuries before we even started. But we have remained determined to bring awareness to the gift of life - organ donation. Today was no exception. We were on a roll leaving La Veta, Colorado to Ulysses,Kansas. 260 miles in 13.5 hrs, average speed 19.3 mph. This was done after the team got about 2.5 hrs sleep. The crew and riders have bonded and are getting the job done. We did have a crash believe it or not a half a mile before the end of our shift. Tom went down hard on a railroad track. He is fine, has road rash and will probably be a little sore in the morning. Remember we are tough. We will perservere and we are going to cross that finish line Annapolis, Maryland with a once in lifetime experience and giving back. Organ donation is truly the gift of life and we are racing 3,000 miles from coast to coast in our good ole USA to make sure we spread the word. Day four tomorrow. Keep following us. Send positive messages our way. We would love to hear from our followers. Elisabeth

Reality Set In! ~jen

We all new and were coached to be flexible! Friendly reminders to be kind to crew and fellow riders. This we have nailed down pretty well still on day two. So well, that our shift was ahead of schedule by over 30 miles, that crew had to wake up the alternate shift early to get moving and moving fast to transistion us out. Sorry Mac, Elizabeth, Bill & Tom for cutting your sleep time a little short.
The last two hours of our shift, we were struggling, digging deep for the energy we needed to hold out for the only safe transition area. I was soooo tired, i fell asleep in my sweaty bike kit. Thank God for Jimmy! He let me borrow his steller shorts because my duffle bag got left in the transition vehicle. So many details to cover...

second shift almost done

Today we have had lots of head winds and cross winds. We are all getting tired and are ready for our shift to be over. It seems we are doing well. We are still pedaling. All of us are still having fun. Making up nicknames, doing practical jokes on each other and laughing a lot. I hope it continues. I'm bummed I'm not riding wil my kidney sista though. Hope to along the route soon.

Awesome 1st shift

Tom, Mac, Bill &Elizabeth rocked this am. Entering Arizona the sunrise was spectacular. From Congress to Prescott we did some awesome transitioning up Yarnell Grade

feeling great

Surpased our crew chiefs expectations and came in faster than expected. Stacy is doing awesome and our crew is top notch. We are on our way to sedona AZ. There is nothing like riding for a personal cause with the wind at your back. Tough climbs in our immediate future with follow vehicles not allowed. Thank you everyone for following.

My First RAAM Breakfast ~jen

Oooooh, So HAPPY! My first RAAM breakfast, Starbucks lowfat turkey bacon (no cheese) and Grande, Non-Fat, 180 Degree, 5 Pump Chai Tea Latte...yummmm ;) Shhhhh, Eric and Stacy are sleeping. Keep the excitement down people. How rude! Hehee!
~jen

One rotation down!

OMG! What an experience...we pushed the pace so well, we were ahead of schedule. At exactly 12 hours, we hit our 3rd Time Station! Stacy, Eric, David & I averaged 21mpg! Woohooo! Fly'n. Thank you Vera, the wind was with us. Our team is Great! Crew is awesome. Kenny only burped once (that I am aware of) and us Ladies are getting really fast at using the exterier facilities between tranisition, haha! I was full of energy until the 12th hour, but had no issue sleeping like a baby once we got into the vehicle for our Off Transition. Thank you all for your wishes and prayers...so far so good! Keep it up!!! Go Mac, Bill, Tom & Elizabeth :)
Besos!
~jen

Waiting Ready To Ride

Hello, Bloggers, Friends, Family, and Supporters! This is Mac (Mackenzie Koppert), Been getting some rest but awaiting till my 12hour shift (Around 2 AM). Im here in the Organ Re-Cyclers RV with Tad, Brother Jim, and Scott. Listening to music to keep myself occupied. Let me tell you one thing, dont try to go to sleep in the back (You'll be bouncing around). Well Time for a little pasta and staying hydrated (103 in Blythe).

Wahooo Keep :)'ing

Mac

Finally!

After all the prepping we're finally off and racing! I have the privilege once again to follow Team Donate Life. Last year I was part of the media team, this year I'm part of the crew. I did bring my camera so I'll post a few pictures along the way.

Scot Benton
Studio B

Here is one pic of the team befor the race started .

THE RACE IS ON

The race has finally started. Im so glade that all my races and crew have come together to make this whole race happen. So now here I site back in the RV in the Parking lot waiting for four of our racers to come into the RV and then we head off to Blyth Ca. Where we will make our frist team transition around 4 am. For our first team of 4 racers and 5 crew will have a long day ahead of them . As we are by the ocean now but in not to long they will be in the desert where it will be around 30 deg hotter then it has been by the ocean. Ihave to go now, but I hope you will all stay tuned to US.

P.S Sorry i have not got the video to work on the blog yet I will keep trying.

Tad

The reason...

So. Here it is. Race day. At 2PM we will leave oceanside to trek across the country by bike, car, and motor home with the mission of spreading awareness of the practice of organ donation. Whether it is a choice after passing away or making a living donation. Our team is demonstrating how high someone who has received and donated can function. We are also bring three others with us. I am carrying a picture of Donovan Creason on my bike. While still an infant Donovan left his loving parents too early as a result of kidney failure. This shows us that even the most precious ones are not immune to health issues. His parents have founded the Donovan Creason memorial. Second is Luca. Stacy is carrying his picture on her bike. Luca went int liver failure and my no less than a miracle received a liver transplant. Without it they most likely would have lost him within days. Finally Tom is carrying a picture of Crystal. She was an avid cyclist who was critically injured in a cycling crash. Crystal's family ensured her organs were donated to several others. There are many parallels in Tom and Crystals famil which it even more personal. So as we make this gruelling struggle across country, Donovan, Luca and Crystal will be on our bikes and in our hearts.

Long Day

Had a long day again today but at the end of it we have got 17 vans all ready to going with the flashing lights and slow moving signs. Off to go to bed to start a hole new day tomorrow installing all the sponsor decals and the CB's in the cars. After that fun day is over, I still need to pack and get ready to go on thruday morning.

Can't wait for Thursday

All spring the race seemed so far away -- now it's only one more day until we leave to go down to Oceanside. Already we are working well together as a team and it will feel really good to finally hit the road. I think we're all nervous but anxious to get going. Everyone seems to be focusing on their job and doing their best. I can't believe how quickly the time is passing now. Let's go!

Time ticks away

5 days and counting till we start the race! So much to do and so little time.

This year RAAM has a whole new twist for me. In 2009 I was a rider in the race and now in 2011 I am a crew chief for the most amazing team I have ever been around. I can not wait to help lead them across America. This team has put there heart and soul into this race and for our cause. So please stay tuned as I will be taking small video clips and uploading to this blog to try and show you all just a little bit what it's like to be a part of RAAM. I will tell you that ALL VIDEO will be uncut and uncensored so don't be surpised when you look at it. I hope that over the next week and a half Organ Re-cyclers Blog is part of your every day routine to check in on us. Be sure to blog back to us to help keep us motivated and fuel us across america with inspiration and stories you may have!

LET'S GO

Ok, so yesterday I rode to work and then did the trainer when I got there. That was my last ride that I am going to enter into the training log. We pack up and leave for Oceanside, CA Thursday at 0600 from It's a Grind (right after some coffee and treats). I am sure I speak for my team mates when I say "Let's go already!"

Patience

Since my crash on May 19 where the cement happened to break my fall and clavicle! I have learned a little bit more about patience. Believe me there is nothing more that I want than to be out there with my other fellow Organ Recyclers racing across America here in the coming weeks. I watched 28 riders and several crew members work towards one goal on Friday. Getting across the finish line safely, but there was one little mishap. In my 27 years of life on this on this planet Earth I have learned that things happen, we may not know why but they do. I am the type of person thats flies by the seat of my pants and if it sounds good than it must be good. I have toned that down a lot in the last few years. When this RAAM and TDL thing came up it was a unequivocal YES. I have been known to put other people first no matter what and I will be repaid later. In this instance I said yes. I wanted something that challenged me through and through. In this time I have met some of the best people ever. The Baade's, Kelly's, Doll's and Guevara's. So I wanted to say thank you. Thank you for the awesome gratitude and pure awesomeness. Thank you for believing in me until I had to say no, even though you all still believe in me. Believe me if I could, I would out there riding with all of you everyday day or night, rain or shine! This time I get to gnaw my arm off as i'm navigating or driving and helping with making lunch or honking the horn to go left or right. I am glad that I still get to help out. I wouldn't have it any other way. Every person that has helped me out or given me words of wisdom, thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. All of you have helped me in tremendous ways. Its amazing the extended family Rachelle and I have through TDL. I will never forget this. I will do RAAM if not next year than the following year.

Eric, I am glad that you are okay and still on the team. When I saw that it was you in the ditch with your eyes closed, a lot of four letter words came to my head. When I walked over and saw that you were talking I said thats a good thing. I said a little prayer in my head that you would be okay. You were and all you want to do now is get back on the bike. That. Is. Awesome. We all know it could have been worse, but it wasn't and thats all that matters. Eric you're the man!

What a weekend!

These passed few days have been a whirlwind, physically, emotionally and mentally. As Eric wrote in his previous post we just attended Team Donate Life’s spring training camp. The first day of camp was supposed to be a 60 mile ride. By the time we all met up at Bicycles Plus there was lightening, hail, and heavy rain. We cut the ride short, but still got pelted with lots of hail and rain. If it wasn’t the first day of camp, I would have just gone home and got on the trainer or better yet, changed into my jammies.

The second day was a 100 mile ride with 11,000 feet of climbing. That’s a tough ride! Everyone did great! That evening riders, crew and family met up at Bicycles Plus for a yummy dinner and to catch up with some old TDL friends and to meet new ones.

The third day was a RAAM simulation. All the riders were split into teams of two with three crew members following in a vehicle. It was a chance for the crew to learn how to help the riders with transitions, to navigate, to drive, and take care of the riders. It was pretty crazy because there were so many teams and so many cars on the road. But it was fun! I was teamed up with Bob, who was crew chief last year and has raced RAAM before. Things were going great and the crew was learning a lot. We had just been following Bob down a fast descent down Salmon Falls Rd and the crew was looking for a safe spot to make a transition. When we were getting ready to round a corner we saw another crew member waving a big orange flag. Then I saw Jen, a rider, near him signaling cars to slow down. I immediately knew something was wrong when I saw a rider out of the car and off her bike. We all then saw the other side of the road were a bunch of TDL people hovering over a rider who crashed. I was looking for Eric and I couldn’t find him and I knew he was somewhere in front of our team. I jumped out of the truck before it was stopped. I immediately started running up to the road, but decided to walk, because have you ever tried running in bike shoes? You really can’t! I asked the first two people I saw with TDL who crashed and they didn’t know. The next three people I asked didn’t know either. Then I saw Cayden across the street near the crash site and she waved for me to come there. Crap, it was Eric.

I knelt beside him and grabbed his hand. He was surrounded by Dr. Ray Thomason, Dr. Bodily, and Chris Biesinger, a nurse. He was so lucky to have them there to help him. They were asking Eric simple questions, which he wasn’t answering correctly. Eric couldn’t even remember crashing. We were all patiently waiting for an ambulance. He looked good, no broken bones, not too much blood, but he just wasn’t getting the damn year right when they asked him. The medics arrived and loaded him up in the ambulance. It was determined that they would get the helicopter to transport him to the hospital since he had a head injury and they didn’t know the extent of the injury. As we rode to the site where the helicopter would land, Eric started to talk more and remember the crash. And then he would finally correct himself when he got the year wrong.

I looked up from the ambulance and saw two TDL crew members, Tad Rogers and Virginia Nunez, waiting to take me to the hospital to meet Eric. I was so relieved to see two of my TDL family. Once the medics took Eric to the helicopter and I headed up to meet Tad and Virginia, I finally shed some tears. My son Tucker, and I have had multiple hospital visits, some life threatening. Thank God, we survived, but through those I have learned to remain calm and wait to hear news from the doctor before I react. But seeing Eric leave for the hospital in a helicopter for unknown head injuries and seeing him worried and scared, it finally hit me. We watched the helicopter leave and then drove to the hospital.

The doctor had the results of the CAT scan fast and said there wasn’t anything wrong. The tech bandaged up Eric’s finger that had a bad cut on it. Other than a big bump on his head, his cut on his finger and lots of scratches on his back, he was fine. So they discharged Eric within less than two hours. He walked out of there with just a bandaged finger.

I can’t even begin to express my gratitude to everyone with TDL. They were all concerned and quick to help with whatever we needed. We are so lucky to have such a huge extended family. And of course a huge thanks to our friends, family and our Folsom PD family who were also there to help in a heartbeat.

Once Eric’s head is a little less cloudy he will blog about his version of the crash. God was truly watching over him that day. His crash could have been much worse if he had crashed on the asphalt instead of the dirt. I can’t even begin to imagine it.

Training Camp

Training camp starts today! More than just the ride it is the team that I am excited about. 8 people have sacrificed their own time to train, put themselves on emotional roller coasters to involve themselves with others who are in need, or lost loved ones or have been affected by organ donation. Now is the time that all of us come together to become the team we will be to cross our country. I am looking forward to ride with each of them as we are all so completely different in not only backgrounds but riding abilities. This makes our team so unique because of that. We aren't a well oiled machine that no matter who is on the road at the moment you always know what to expect. We are people not robots. The crew will know our strengths and weaknesses and will always have to plan and look ahead to get the most out of us. This is going to be an adventure we will have forever.

And I am going to change the number to 9 riders. Kenny is still part of this team, and even though it might be from a passenger seat, he will still be taking his pulls too.

This past weekend our Fresno cycling community suffered a big blow.

29 year old Crystel Stanford, a native of Chowchilla, was critically injured during a bicycle race on Saturday afternoon May 21st. Her family has chosen to donate her organs.

Tom and I have contacted her boyfriend, Dirk and he has given us his blessing to carry Crystel's picture with us during Race Across America. We are so honored.

I wanted to share with you a little about Crystel and her amazing life.

Crystel was born September 28th 1981 in Merced, CA, to Larry and Penny Stanford. She grew up in Chowchilla and graduated first in her class from Chowchilla High. Crystel went on with a full scholarship to UC Davis where she double-majored in economics and political science. After graduation she went into the financial industry and after just a few short years was the vice president of a firm managing over 375 million dollars in assets. She also sat on the board of several financial advisory organizations.

She was adventurous; she started sky-diving soon after college. She then went on to experience base-jumping, wing-suiting, para-gliding, hang-gliding, and other air sports. She loved yoga, bicycling, and being healthy. Crystel was well-traveled. She studied and lived in Europe and spoke several languages. She crossed the South American Andes Mountains on a 150cc motorcycle in 2009.

Crystel always strove to make others happy and the world a better place. She was a universal blood donor and frequently gave blood, plasma, platelets, and bone marrow. In her death she gifted her organs to save the lives of up to 8 people and help even more.

Crystel had a special way with people. She excelled at public speaking but also had the ability to make instant friends with anyone no matter what language they spoke. She lived her life filled with love, generosity, and compassion and was loved by many people. She will be missed by thousands but her impact on the world will forever be with us.

Crystel is survived by her loving parents, Larry and Penny Stanford, two younger sisters, Callie and Lacey Stanford, her grandparents Eleanor and Rudy Moreno, aunts and uncles, and her boyfriend Dirk Morris. She was predeceased by her grandparents Jack and Nell Stanford. She will also leave behind thousands of friends from all over the world.

Our local news channel did a story about the our cycling community doing a Memorial Ride on May 28th and interviewed Tom and I and our plans to carry Crystel's picture during RAAM

http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news%2Flocal&id=8153124

Broken

Yes, broken. My body might be broken but not my spirit. I'm very thankful to have the people around me that I have. My awesome teammates who haven't thrown in the towel on me. My wonderful, awesome, amazing fiance Rachelle who left work early to be with me in the ER for almost six hrs. I just wanted to do flats on Thursday before Saturday's Davis Double. Well we all know that didn't happen. I was on my way back from Sac State and almost to Sunrise. I was actually a good tenth to two tenths of a mile from the exact spot where Jason and Elizabeth crashed. I think that road spot is a bad spot for TDL. Right at that spot I had slowed down to see if there was any cross traffic and little did I know Jason W., Ryan and Jared E. came screaming by me. They all yelled my name and so I picked up the pace and caught up to them. About two minutes later I was on the ground grabbing my shoulder wondering what the eff just happened. I keep playing what I think happened in my mind over and over. What had happened was, I was going around a turn Ryan was behind me and we were just about to get into a pace line and when I bent down for the turn I pedaled through it and my pedal scraped the ground and it was all over. I don't remember exactly what I did. We made numerous phone calls for someone to come and pick up me up. Low and behold when someone finally came and picked me up it was the same person who picked me up last year when I crashed. Quite funny. When I got to the ER I sat there for hours waiting for some sort of drugs to take the pain away. I didn't get anything until about an hour or so before I was released. While I was there, I got a cat scan on my head to make sure I didn't have any brain injuries because I have a dent about the size of a nickel in my helmet. Had to get a new seat that will be here later this week. Tomorrow I will be sending my x-rays to Eric Heiden and Max Testa to see what they about it. From what I saw it is a definite break in my clavicle. I still have hope until those doctors say yes or no because they have experience not the douche bag doctor from the VA. Thats a whole different story. Thanks to everyones kind words of hope and not counting me out! Thank you and I love you all!

A crazy couple of weeks.

Team Organ Re-Cyclers have been busy with a few more fundraisers these past few weeks. Crew member Kathryn Scofield put on a successful golf tournament at Lincoln Hills Golf Course. Starbucks in Folsom hosted a friends and family night where we rode on our trainers and gave out many raffle prizes. Macys also hosted their annual Community Shopping Day where crew members Joe and Mary and riders Bill and Elizabeth spent the afternoon spreading organ donation awareness to Macy’s shoppers.

Aside from all of the fundraisers we have all been busy putting miles in on our bikes. The weather has still been an issue for the outdoor rides, but thank goodness we all have trainers.

Elizabeth had a successful surgery on her elbow. She is already back on the trainer and doing all she can to keep up her cardio to be ready for RAAM in a few more weeks. Her positive attitude and motivation will help her heal in time to race next month.

But we have more bad news. Kenny Britton crashed his bike on Friday and spent the evening in the hospital. The doctor determined he broke his clavicle and told him he could not ride. Well, Kenny won’t take no for an answer and is getting a second opinion from a TDL affiliated doctor. Like Elizabeth, we believe he will be back on the bike in no time.

Our Team Captain, Cayden, has decided we should all be bubble wrapped when we go out on a ride until we leave for RAAM. If she can figure out how we can ride while wearing bubble wrap, then we would all be happy to oblige.

We leave in 24 days to go to Oceanside and 26 more days until the start of the race. I still can’t believe it’s coming up so soon. There is so much left to do and many more miles to ride before we leave. It’s going to be here before we know it.

First Time

Theres always a first time for everything. Like this, my first blog post. I can't believe this is happening, RAAM. It is less than a month away. My fiance Rachelle and I watched Bicycle Dreams for the first time last week and it just fueled the fire even more. She's sad she can't go (as am I)and I am amped up to go. This is so surreal that this even happening. I have so many things going on in my head, I could write on this forever. There hasn't been a day that goes by that I am more and more excited to do this exciting crazy adventure. I keep asking people what this is going to be like and I get answers all over the board. I'm hoping this will be an adventure of a lifetime which I know it will be. I can't get this whole thing out of my head. It's all I think about. I just want it to be here already. I don't think I have ever been so all over board with anything in my life. All the miles, fundraising, talking to people, or anything can really get somebody ready for the things that might and will go wrong on this experience of a lifetime but it will make it that much better. I am glad I am on a team with the people I am. I couldn't be more ecstatic. Sure we have had our bumps in the road but we as a team will figure out a way to overcome it. I can't wait for this experience of a lifetime. I know I keep saying that but it's true. Just sitting here writing this I have a big smile/smirk on my face. Can't it just be here already? I am glad I have met the people I have while being on this team and in this organization. I just hope that I can do my load and sustain it through the entire race. Thanks again everyone.

The Setback

Thursday started out as a nice morning Bill and I set off to meet with Stacy for our 60 mile ride. Things were going well, blue skys, not too cold and lots of other riders out.

Stacy and I were cruising along about 15-16 mph side by side when I realized there was a wood post at the intersection that I was heading straight for. My mind was thinking how to get out of the inevitable within the next second. I couldnt go left as Stacy was next to me and next to her the center metal pole, I couldnt go right as there was a metal cable, so I tried to just move alittle to the left not to hit it head on....it worked or so I thought until my pedal clipped the wood pole, causing me to lose control....so the fall began.

Although its a matter of a second my mind was already thinking "how bad is this going to be and how much will it hurt." At that moment my left elbow struck the ground so hard I swear I heard the break, then my head hit the ground and I stopped sliding. My brand new helmet did its job, but I screamed in pain as I knew my arm/elbow wasnt right.

After my initial screaming, I realized Stacy was there and yelled to her to go get my husband as I thought my arm was broken. Stacy took off like it was a time trial race :) Another few bikers came up, took care of my gear and called 911. Great group of riders that were sympathtic and willing to help.

Stacy and Bill came back and directed the ambulance to my side as well as called Eric to help with our gear. My first official ambulance ride, not related to my prior law enforcement career. The fire medics were awesome and helpful even though I was embarassed to be using their services.

I get to Mercy-Folsom and the nurses see my TDL jersey and say "hey we had one of those yesterday", yes Jason Weckworth the founder of TDL took a spill the day before, although I'm sure his was on a tougher ride.

So the doctor comes in, looks at my elbow and says, "oh yeah thats broken, but lets take x-rays." X-rays taken and confirm a break, he says I will need a screw put in but I need wait for the swelling to go down and see an orthopedic surgeon.

Dang everyone is saying RAAM is over for me, but I'm not convinced yet. I want to get the screw put in so I can get on the trainer and keep my conditioning up. I've done too many miles and stressed too much about fundraising and making a difference for this not to happen. Right now I can only ice and elevate which is a step in healing. Wednesday I see the Orthopedic surgeon and you know I'll be telling him he only has 6 weeks to fix me :)

Anyway, I thank Stacy, Eric, Tucker and Bill for their positive words at the hospital and hope to ride soon.

As I'm typing this (one handed) Bill and Stacy are out for a cold morning ride in the hills of El Dorado....I am with them in spirit!!!

Taking one for the team...

We all know what the term means. It usually involves an act that promotes a team spirit or helps the team reach its overall goal. With my team in mind I stood in the quiet of my house razor in hand. I wanted to be as masculine I could about this so I thought about the scene from Rambo. The one where he wasn’t exactly willing to go with the program in getting cleaned up so they decided to “shave him dry”. No, I didn’t have flashbacks of being in a Vietcong prison camp and flip out when the razor got close. I just thought good lord that would really hurt. Ok, so the 10 on the manly scale was a bit much. What about the other end of the spectrum? After all this was my first time so I might as make it memorable. But it would have taken me forever to find enough candles and wait for the bubble bath to fill up. Let alone finding and charging my ipod to put on some Celine Dion. If I went that route, and especially if word got out, I would never get my man card back! So I settled for as high on the man scale one could go while shaving his legs. While there were no candles or bubble bath I don’t think there is any higher you can go than 2. 1 being candles and bubbles, then it pretty much can go to 10. That’s it. What I am saying is there is just no manly way to do it. So with shaver in hand I took one for the team to make me a little faster. I also have to say that my dog, Howie, follows me everywhere through the house. Even for the moments I am in the bathroom, if he isn’t sleeping, he will follow me and lay down outside the door. As I removed the wind

drag from my legs. I looked over at Howie, who of course was watching my every move.

He seemed to hang his head and looked away. I knew what he was thinking. I stepped down from the pedestal he held me on. I am no longer the Alpha dog, the leader of the pack, at least not with silky smooth legs. Hopefully one day he will regard me in high esteem again and we can look back on this day and laugh. So for my team I have punched a hole in my man card, and lowered my position in my dog’s world. But man I am going to have some tan legs on this trip!

Fundraising

Joining Team Donate Life Organ Re-cyclers was the easy part. Fundraising has been the challenging part. Many of my friends and family have rallied behind us and are helping us along in some many ways. One of them is my friend Becky who
I met about 6 years ago while working in the Pediatric ICU at Children's Hospital in Madera, CA. Becky loves to bake and recently helped a co-worker raise funds for the Aids Life Cycle by selling cupcakes. I asked her if she would like to continue to bake her yummy cupcakes but this time to help raise funds for Team Donate Life. She was happy to help. So last week she baked cupcakes and I sold them at Tom's two home baseball games. (Tom along with the many miles he cycles he also coaches the Junior Varsity baseball team at Yosemite High School in Oakhurst). The cupcake sale was a great success. But what I didn't know there was a family in the stands who was personally touched by organ donation. This mother whose son Tom coached two years ago came immediately up to me after setting up and said I am going to write you a check. In my mind I am thinking - you are going to write me a check for a $2 cupcake. But to my surprise the check wasn't for $2 it was for $100 "Thank you for what you are doing, my sister just received a liver transplant and is doing great." Yes the fundraising is difficult, but oh so very worth it.
Organ Donation the gift of life.

Georgetown Loop Ride

So Sunday my husband, Bill and I decide to do a long ride with some elevation. I decided I would pick the ride, because he always chooses long boring rides that seem difficult for my level. So we decide on the Georgetown loop, I figured it would be tough as this is my longest ride to date, 70 miles. It was difficult for me to say the least, I felt pretty good going up Marshall grade, but then it seemed like getting to Georgetown was everlasting, ever little incline starting taking it's toll and I kept thinking, it's just around this corner, but it wasn't. I started getting nauseous but, Bill was ahead of me so I didn't want to get to far behind him. Finally we get to Georgetown gas station and I felt wiped out!!! Which most people know that when your tired, you get emotional and you play mental games with yourself. I even thought of calling my daughter to come get me. I was only 1/2 way through the 70 miles. I drank a soda and it calmed my nausea down so I figured I'd try a few more miles and see how it went. The next several miles were fast and at a decline so I started to perk back up. Then a few more inclines and it was starting to get pretty windy so I started to struggle again, mostly in my mind. I kept wondering what I was thinking signing up to Race Across America? I'm not a cyclist, I've always been a runner, but not great at that either. Then I remember that I'm not doing this to be a professional athlete, I'm doing this because I believe strongly that Organ Donation saves lifes!!! At Salmon Falls rode I was feeling normal again. I loved all the S curves downhill, it was the most fun part of the ride. But with every decline there comes an incline, by now we only had about 15 miles to get home so I stuck with it and got up those hills. By know means was I speedy, but I rode for 51/2 hours and hit my personal best of 70 miles. Exhausted but not Defeated!!!

I wish it was Monday...

Yeah, you don't hear that very often. I was waking Chloe up for school this morning (Tuesday) and in a groggy voice, with her eyes still closed, she said "I wish it was Friday". I had to laugh as I walked out to get her a waffle with peanut butter and a sprinkle of powdered sugar. Ok, so my daughter knows what she wants and as a dad I know it's healthier than any kids cereal out there. I think the comment was funny to me because it came from my 7 year old... not a teenager, not a college student, and not a career oriented middle age woman. She was already wishing it was Friday.

My second reaction was "I wish it was Monday." You see Mondays are my "Saturdays" or, my first day off work. Being in public safety you don't get the luxury of a 9-5 Monday through Friday schedule. I wouldn't want it anyway. I have never had a job with those hours and probably never will. My work days are quite long 12.5 hours so there isn't much to get done before or after work unless I want to skip seeing the family for a solid 3 days. That's not going to happen so any amount of training on those days is squeezed in before work (4 AM) or after, and now with daylight savings time this is more reasonable. But still, on those work days, trying to train immediately affects the amount of time with Stacy and the kids.

So that leaves 4 days of training and that is more than enough you might say. Well let's take a look at exhibit A, our calendar mounted on our fridge. As you can see there is quite the color scheme. So taking into consideration, shift work for me (all weekend and part of the week) the occasional court dates, training dates, Stacy working the 4 days of my "weekend", Chloe school, softball, swim practice, fund raising events, birthday parties and doctor appointments, it's quite full. NOW we can start plugging in not 1 person training but 2, and as much as we'd like to pack a lunch for the kids and let them watch a scooby doo marathon so we can ride together, that's not going to happen. Maybe in 5-10 years.

I would love to say that training for RAAM is only physically challenging, but that is the least of it. I believe the hardest part is getting the chance to train. Once your out the door and clipped in you can let it all out. But training and keeping sight of what else matters in your life is a huge undertaking. I think that is what is going to help us succeed. Knowing that for 6-7 days we are only responsible for staying in the saddle and peddling forward. The only deadline looming is a TDL dinner on day 7 (no pressure but I plan on being there).

Mondays have been the days I am able to ride with other TDL members. It kind of sets the tone for the week for me. The first real ride as all the others will have been either very short or on the trainer during my work week. So Friday morning at 4 AM as I roll out of bed I am sure that if my daughter heard me she would ask "Daddy, why do you wish it was Monday?"

A day filled with awesome people

(written on Sunday)

Today Eric and I met up with Bill Kelly, Connor & Jared Ellison, Chris Morris from TDL’s Live Forever Team and Chris Salcone for the Sunday coffee ride. I hadn’t met either Chris before so that was fun. I didn’t get a chance to chat to Chris Morris much, but I got to learn a bit about Chris Salcone and his amazing son Luca. At just 17 months, Luca received a liver transplant from a 7 year old donor. Chris and his wife, Katie took him into the hospital because he had been vomiting all night. After many tests and waiting, six days later he received a liver transplant. He is now home and he and his family are adjusting to their new life. I am looking forward to meeting Luca and his mom, Katie. What an awesome family!

Within the first few miles we saw our friend Kaci running along the bike trail. A few years ago, Kaci’s husband, Kevin had a horrible motorcycle accident and needed many blood transfusions to save his life. Since then they host an annual blood drive at Blood Source. Another awesome family!

After the coffee ride ended Eric and I continued our ride. We were lucky enough to have my parents watch the kids this weekend so we took advantage of some kid free time and took a long ride. We headed towards Sacramento on the bike trail. Once we passed the Nimbus Fish Hatchery we started seeing the TDL running group out on their Sunday run. First we saw Janet who was almost finished with her 5 mile run. She is a very good friend who happened to work at the dialysis clinic I went to for treatment. She and her husband David also have “crewed” for the past two years for CIM. Then we saw Roxie who ran on a TDL relay team last year in CIM. As we were talking with her we heard someone yell, “Team Donate Life,” as they passed us on their bike. It was Lee who is crewing for Team 4 Hope. Then we went a little further and saw Cayden, who is our Team Captain and Billy who ran on a TDL relay team in last years CIM. We then saw our friend Candi who ran her longest run ever…8 miles. Woohoo! Finally we got going on our ride again. A few miles further we saw another TDL runner, Chelsea. She also ran her furthest distance of 16 miles. I was so excited to see so many people out on the trails that support TDL and then to know that some of those people were running further than they ever thought they would. AWESOME!

Eric and I ended up riding 60 miles today. The furthest either of us has ridden. I know we still need to put in many longer rides than that before RAAM, but we are ready! Before we know it we will be doing 100 miles for one ride. Yep, we’re pretty awesome too. :)

Sacrifice

Every so often I get updates from the RAAM facebook page about another entrant to the race. I am in awe of the number and athleticism of the solo riders. I think this year must be a record. I have also taken a glance at the pages of several of the teams. They are pure athletes in their own right with coaches, sponsors, lengthy race backgrounds and a pure love of cycling. I see them holding their arms up in victory during past races. They ride what can only be described as Ferraris on two wheels. They have trained years and apply all that they have learned, hardened muscles and efficient hearts honed to their limits, to participate in a grueling 3000 mile race.

Then I think of Stacy and I.

We started riding bikes in September, on borrowed bikes at that. We’re not cyclists. Don’t get me wrong, we’re getting better, but what drives us is this idea that organ donation saves lives. That’s it. I think of the time that professional riders put into their bikes and bodies. I always wonder what I would do with that much time. While trying to train for this race have they been through any surgeries? Have their kids been hospitalized? Do they work 40 plus hours on weekends and holidays? Are they trying to balance a budget when deciding what kind of gear they can afford? Are they struggling getting others to donate to their cause? Then, and after going through any of what I have listed, do they find the energy to push themselves to get on a trainer when the kids are asleep, or ride to and from work to add precious miles?

Don’t get me wrong. The professional cyclist has worked extremely hard to get to the level of competition they desire and I do admire that. But I also know that everyone on my team has made just as many sacrifices with their time and energy to highlight our cause of organ donation awareness. It’s not just putting miles on the road. It is touching peoples hearts, balancing work, kids, budgets, health, and still pushing physically to ride with some of the best cyclists in the world. So to my "blue collar team" I wish you the best in your training and hope the other parts of your life are safe, healthy and stress free.

EB

Solvang Double Century Sat. March 26th

Saturday March 26th Solvang Double Century The day finally arrived my first Double Century with my husband Tom on our tandem. What a ride it was. The first 100 miles went great - 6 hours 20 minutes. We were on a roll despite two flats and the rainy weather. The next 100 it became difficult. The winds picked up. Oh how I hate head wind. And then rain too!!! That climb from Los Alamos, I thought it would never end. But we made it. We crossed Highway 154 and we're getting ready to make that last climb up Ballard Canyon Road when Tom informed me "Elisabeth we aren't going to be able to finish." " WHAT!!!!!" "Our brakes are done." I could not believe at mile 190 we have to DNF. Please say it isn't so. What a disappointment. But then Tom looked at me and said "In my eyes you finished." That was as good as crossing the finish line. Our Garmin died prior to stopping but the stats at that point 171 miles 11 hours 57 minutes 14.3 MPH average 10201 calories burned 10231 feet of climbing I know we would have finished on a windy rainy day. And just think if the ride was Sunday we would have rocked it. Actually we still rocked it. I love training for our adventure - Race Across America for Team Donate Life Organ Re-cyclers

Some reflection on training (written on Sunday)

This morning the Team Donate Life running group met up for our Sunday run since it was finally not raining. When we arrived we realized that the River City Marathon and Half Marathon was taking place on our route.  At the end of our run Tucker and I cheered for all of the runners as they passed us until the rest of our group finished.  Watching the runners made me think of my marathon training.  I’ve trained for two marathons since I had my transplant in 2008.  Before my transplant I never tried running more than 3 miles.  In fact, I ran 3 miles the morning of my transplant.  Training for a marathon begins 4 months before the actual race day.  There are many hours spent during the week logging running miles.  Now I’m back to training but now it’s on a bike and I’m logging many, many more miles.

Today after our run I took the kids to the coffee shop and we sat there enjoying a cup of coffee while visiting with good friends.  When we got home it was time for me to get back on the bike.  I got the kids settled in and hit the trainer.  I got everything set up in my room and found some TV shows that I hadn’t watched yet.  Soon enough it was time for my little Tuckerman to take a nap.  He grabbed his Lightening McQueen sleeping bag and his favorite little monkey and I tucked him into my bed.  He fell fast asleep while I pedaled. 

 

This has become the norm at my house.  Eric and I try to get training in while the kids are asleep, Chloe’s at school, one of us is home to watch the kids or if we are lucky we can get my parents to come over and watch the kids for a few hours.  The kids have become accustomed to us always training for something.  I think by now they don’t know any difference, it’s just a part of our lives.  So with two kids, Eric working full time plus some and me working at our coffee shop, Chloe’s softball, and everything else that moms and dads do, training is difficult to fit in.  But we do it.  Our team is out there on our bikes wearing our Team Donate Life jerseys pedaling hard and fast (me, not as hard and fast as everyone else).  We want to spread the word about our cause and how important it is to us and how it could be for everyone else.  Once we’ve completed Race Across America we will begin our training for CIM again and then I’m sure after that there will be more races to train for.  But for now we will just keep pedaling as much as we can fit in to our busy schedules.

Boo Rain!

First post from Eric.

I think the trainer Stacy and I use should be called a pacifier, not a trainer. Elizabeth coined the new verb "trainered". (ie- I trainered for an hour) We would much rather be out on the road than indoors. However I have caught up on quite a few shows that I lacked the time to sit in front of the tv and watch. Now I am multitasking. That accompanied with the ability for a quick trip to the bathroom in between sprints without fear of tripping on a rock, or peeing on my new non water resistant bike shoes, does have its benefits. So the rain has limited my desire to start riding to and from work for extra hills and miles, but it has also allowed me to get a more specific work out.

We did our first team ride a few weeks ago. Although we are all at different levels it was great just being around everyone with the same goal. I feel very fortunate to have met the amount and quality of people through Stacy and Elizabeth's journey. Keep pushing team! I can't wait for another Organ Re-Cycler team ride.

World Kidney Day

In celebration of World Kidney Day on March 10 a few of us on our team brought our bikes and trainers to It's A Grind so we could spread awareness of how it is important to keep our kidneys healthy.  We got to visit with people and got a few miles in on our bikes.

 

Our first big fundraiser

In February we had our 2nd annual TDL pasta feed.  It was a huge success with more than 300 people in attendance.  We had so many great local businesses who donated food, raffle prizes, silent auction items and their time.  A huge shout out to Al  DeCaprio of Strings who donated much of the food and many of the prizes.  Also, Mel's Diner, my good friend, Owen Steen who provided the tunes, Kimela Hancock of Cookie Lee Jewelry, Bicycles Plus, Brian Sharp & Benton Photography.  You guys all rock!

Here are a few pictures from the night.  Enjoy!

Welcome to our team blog!

I finally got our team's blog up and mostly working.  These last few months have super crazy busy.  We are getting very close to race time and it's time to buckle down and train.  It is my hope that the entire team (racers and crew) will post what we are doing to prepare for Race Across America; including fundraising, meetings, training and just having fun.
Please visit www.teamdonatelife.com to read about each of the team members and why we are all involved with Team Donate Life.  You can also donate to our team, see our fundraising progress, and check out upcoming Team Donate Life events.
Thanks,
Stacy