Fund Raising Update and SPIN

Wednesday morning SPIN in La Jolla this morning started out with just 4 people, myself, Mike Brent and Whitney (someone I've not seen before). But by the end we had 12 people in the class. Kavon and I were up front pacing each other. I asked him about his Torrey Time Trail ride and he indicated a 7:05 time. At the top he had a call that his father who was in the emergency room with a ruptured stomach. At 90 years old they want to hold off and surgery. He has plans to go back out tomorrow night and test himself again.

It was hard to hear Jessica during the class today. Music was pretty loud but her voice is not as strong as Chris's. Someone mentioned it and she made some adjustments.

I love the music that is used in these classes. They have the right pace, are up beat and not with language that would make your mom blush. That can be hard with such a wide variety of people from young to old in these classes.

Fund Raising - is going well. The amount just went over $7500 this morning with a donation from a friend I've ridden with in the LLS program. I have one outstanding matching gift which would bring me up to $8500. Close but still $1500 off of the $10,000 goal. I'm planning a Sushi Cooking and Silent Auction Event with Todd Northup at the Southwestern Yacht Club Sept 29th from 6-9 PM. We are 99% sure of the location but will hear by the end of the week about that. Todd and I have been collecting items and services over the last month or so. There is some really cool stuff like Roll Royce picnic for 2, Dinners, Hotels, wine, baskets of items, GPS unit, cycling gear, etc. Very, Very cool stuff. Plus, you learn how to make sushi. Should be a great time.

Tuesday Morning Elimination

It's now kind of my ritual to get up early on Tuesday, around 5:30 AM, as the excitement starts to build regarding the XX1090 Radio contest. I turn on the computer and connect it to The Scott & BR Show via the Internet to listen in. The reception is so much better via the Internet. AM has a weak signal at my house.

After letting the dogs out, feeding them, and kissing my wife as she heads off to work, I head back up to listen to the Tuesday morning show. I'm not much of a sport-fan-analysis-kind of guy but after tuning into Scott & BR on other days of the week I've learn some new things. They bring an interesting views and insight to Baseball, Football, the Olympics, and other sporting events. I only follow a few sports and even those lightly so listening expands my perspective.

By about 6:30 AM my pulse starts to run as Scott Kaplan starts to build up the announcement of the elimination. This week the immunity went to MoMo after Nina gave the immunity card away which was the rule this past Sunday. Scott and BR brought both lady's on the phone to talk about their stories and participation in the contest. Nina just got out of the Navy in mid Aug. MoMo just completed her first Ironman and was announced by Scott to be our oldest participant. Both have a lot of spunk and bring a spark of fun each week to our rides.

Unfortunately the person eliminated this week was Matt (big hair) Baker. I think the wind was blowing the day we took our individual shots so his hair is standing up. Of course I only wish I had that much hair.

Matt has been riding with Group 1 every week . I 've had an opportunity to speak with him on Thursday evenings once in while and some times for a few minutes on Sunday. Nice guy with a lot of cycling experience. Highly skilled rider. If he had been at the Kitchen Creek ride he could have given Todd a run for his money on the track stand test.

Scott & BR brought Matt onto the phone and of course he was disappointed. However, he did say he would continue to come out and ride with us. I hope he does. You build some great friendships in this program which would be a shame to loose.

Sun QMDC Ride

Sunday - After my Saturday rides I always think I'm just going to be too blown to ride with Group 2 on Sunday. But...each Sunday morning I feel pretty good and roll with them and by the end am glad I did.

First, we had immunity which I really liked today. Why...? It was simple. Jim, winner from last year, gave each of us playing cards. On one was written immunity. The person who received that card had to then give it away. Nina was the winner and she gave it to MoMo. For me this was more with the spirit of this program, giving away something you may want to keep. I like that.

Scott had added a little picture frame to the Immunity Pump which showed pictures of CAF people. Great idea. I'm curious as to what MoMo will add to the pump this week. Maybe a woman's touch...?

I caught a photo of Fred and his hand cycle this morning. What a great guy with a powerful spirit. Each week he and Dale ride the same route we do using their arms. It's almost impossible to fathom how, but they do.

Prior to starting I had a few questions asking where the helmet cam was. OK...I guess I need to have it next week.

The ride was out the 56 bike path, up Scripps Poway Parkway, left on 67 to Ramona, left on Highland Valley which pops out near the 15 and Pomerado. The rest...Rancho Bernardo, Fairbanks Ranch and past Del Mar Race Track to Fletcher Cove a total of 73 miles.

Towards the end we came across Bruno from Group 1 and Summer. Bruno was struggling with a flat tire. After 20 minutes and help from our group we had him back on the road. He offered, and we excepted, to pull all the way back which was about 10 miles or so. (I love a good draft) The challenge, Bruno is a powerful rider who can keep a pace at 27 MPH which is great if you are in Group 1. However we were soon spitting out the back, others from our group who were already spent from all the climbing, close to 4000 feet. That's one of the reasons Bruno rides with Group 1. Still...it was a fun and fast return which about 4 or 5 of us really appreciated. How I hung on I don't know but...thanks Bruno.

In the parking lot I put on a T-shirt I made this week which I had hoped Scott Kaplan from the Scott & BR Show would see. I had ironed on the front the CAF logo and on the back his show logo with this note: I Only Listen To The Scott & BR Show When I Turn On AM Radio. He can see it next week.

Great ride, lots of fun and actually I don't feel that bad but I'm tired. Guess I'll take the day off tomorrow.

Sat Trek

Saturday Trek Ride - On Sat I met with the Trek riders out in Rancho San Diego an area we have ridden before. Today's ride consisted of the Great Western plus 20 miles which comes to a total of 70 miles.

I've explained the Great Western in previous blogs so I won't go into too much detail there. The day started with some over cast and in the low 80s but by the time we reached the base of the first climb 15 miles later, the sun had come out. The rest of the day is a climbing festival in mid 90 heat. Total for the day was close to 6000 feet.

Prior to started we had gone over some pointers and the one I emphasized was drinking and eating every 15 minutes. I think this week everyone pretty much it to heart and kept topped off as much as possible.

I myself came out a bit short on food but fortunately found $5 on the route. At the next stop I put it too good use and purchased some crackers and chips. Glad I did. I thought I had my big flask of gue but it was staying cold back in the car.

When Brent Smith and I got back to the parking lot we immediately hopped into our cars to check how others were fairing. Surprisingly everyone was doing very well. At our last stop two girls had already called for a ride back so they were covered.

One of the skills we hope to instill with this program is the ability to help yourself. This means carrying a cell phone, plenty of water, food or some place to stop and refuel when needed. We also tell everyone what the route is like, how much climbing and provide several ways out in case it's just too much that day. When we have 60 to 70 people showing up for rides it's difficult to keep an eye on them all. I would say we are doing a good job with this group and they will be ready for the Poway Century in Oct.

Torrey Pines Time Trail

Thursday...one needs to set base lines in order to see where they are today and if they want to improve how far it is to that next goal. Last night we met at the base of Torrey Pines but instead of hill repeats we did a Time Trail (TT) to set our base lines

What's a Time Trail? A Time Trail is a set distance you ride by yourself. They call it the ride of truth because you no longer have someone to draft off of.

There are several types of Time Trails from long, 50 plus miles, to short 1 to 25 miles. Last night was short TT but with the added element of a hill and an average grade of 4%.

Torrey Pines in not that long a ride from the stop sign at the bottom to the flashing light at the top, 1.45 miles. But the difference is your output. On a flat course I could ride that distance at 30 MPH. However, going up hill, depending on the grade, I can only hold 10 to 12 MPH.

So what was my time....6:55. That was very respectable. The fastest was 6:12 and the next fastest 6:30. Most casual weekend warriors will cover this in 8to 12 minutes.

I was totally spent at the top. My lungs were burning and even this morning taking a deep breath I can still feel it. Some of this discomfort may also be from the Chemo Therapy I had with the cancer treatment 15 years ago. The drugs they use will often damage your lungs and thus one of the reasons Lance Armstrong took a different approach to his treatment.

Some riders are better suited for climbing and others for flats or sprinting. At 5'11" and 190 pounds, I'm an OK climber but much better sprinter and flat road pacer. Good climbers are in the 120 to 140 pound range. So I can improve if I can drop down to 180 or 175 which will cause my power to weight ratio to go up if I gain muscle and loose fat. I'm at 16% fat now and should be able to take that 12 % over 3 or 4 months. There are tools on the Internet to assist with some calculations of Power to Weight.

So, now that I know where I'm at and my goal is to get to 6:30 TT up Torrey, I can put together a road map on dropping 10 pounds as a good start but my Wattage output will need to increase from 320 to 335. I'm still researching the best way to increase my power output but it will take time to get there. It's like lifting weights...big muscles don't happen after one session in the gym.

Goals are what make me improve and now that I have a base and a goal I can start working on how to accomplish that. Isn't life cool?

It's Wednesday...Must Be SPIN Class

Wednesday morning...it's early and the dogs are asking, "why can't we go to the park and play"? I have to tell them, Butternut and Zeke, I'm in the midst of training for this ride in Oct. They seem to understand. (Pics from our Tahoe Trip)

What's behind the the scenes is the regular life of Mike and Crystal which is really not that regular a life. This week Crystal is at West Point in NY at a leadership conference. (Yes, my wife is a West Point Grad year 84) She has taken on the role of President for the alumni group here in San Diego. (Who wears the pants in this house?)


There are stories I have to tell about this subject like the email that came recently saying...Mike, thank you for your registration to the conference.... She used our home email, mikecrystal@sprintmail.com, but if the person had looked at the registration they would have noticed it was a woman. She was a bit upset by this but being the professional she is, she responded appropriately and will seek out this male minded person when she gets to the conference this week. (might get messy)

Anyway, the SPIN class was great this morning. Nina and Brent from the radio contestants was there along with a few of the other regulars like Mike, Qualcomm Lottory winner and Kavon.

Jessica was the instructor and she ran us hard especially at the end. Last set consisted of hills with increased resistance and sprints for 10 to 20 seconds at a pop the entire 10 minute set. I felt it and was hoping I didn't burn too many matches. I wanted to save something for tomorrow night Torrey Pine Time Trail.

The fund raising is going well close to $8000 with matching gifts that hopefully will arrive in Sept. I'm in the midst of planning an event for Sept 29th. Lots of prep work. Silent auction, food, location, etc....couple this with my work and training and you can see why I get sad looks from the dogs.

Have you guessed which one is Butternut and which one is Zeke? Better yet...who named them and why? There was a play that ran in San Diego for many years that recently closed. Answer that and I'll give you a free pass to our event. Send answer to my email.

Tuesday Elimination...Kris McDaniel

Tuesday...and another is eliminated, Kris McDaniel. I wish I had more time to get to know the people we ride with. Kris was riding with group 3 so I didn't get as much of an opportunity to talk with him as I would have liked to. On a few of the Thursday night rides we had time to chat. I found him to be a really nice guy.

Kris had some knee issues a few weeks ago but after adjusting his seat he was back in the saddle pretty quickly. Each week I could see him getting stronger and his endurance was improving.

On the Scott & BR show (by the way you can listen to Scott and BR via the internet) today they interviewed Scott Bailey who is currently holding the Immunity Pump. They asked him what his thoughts were about why Kris was eliminated and he said he wasn't sure. It is a mystery to those of us who remain.

This week is packed full of riding for me. Wed morning SPIN, not a long class but intense. Thursday evening Torrey Pines time trail. Again, not a long ride but when you put all you got into a 7 minute or less up hill climb you end up spent. Saturday I have the Great Western with our Trek Century Training program . This is a 70 plus mile ride which includes lots of climbing and heat. And lastly our Qualcomm Million Dollar Challenge training ride of 80 plus miles up Scripps Poway Parkway to Ramona and back.

This is what I love. The physical and mental parts are what make me feel alive but most importantly it's the cause, CAF. I think we all have that little person inside who wants to help others in some way, shape or form. As I get closer and closer to that fund raising goal of $10,000 that little person inside smiles.

Sunday Ride and Fund Raising...

Before we got going on our easy 40 mile ride today CAF pulled aside the people who have been a part of the QMDC event for the last3 years. The picture to the left are the 12 people who are members of this elite club. The combined total funds raised is over $360,000. My hat is off to these fine individuals.

Next we had the immunity challenge for today. It was a quiz that had an Olympic theme. Here was the question; "What are the 4 cycling events in the Olympics" I thought I had this one. Road Cycling, Keirin, Madison and Pursuit (the last 3 track events). I was feeling pretty proud of myself. However, the real answer is Road, Time Trail, Track and Mountain Biking. Scott Bailey, winner from last week, was again the one left to decorate the immunity pump. Great Job Scott.

The ride this week was a short somewhat easy pace. It become somewhat spirited at points but it felt good to be out in the ocean air. The slower pace provided an opportunity to chat with other ride members again.

Only 5 of the radio contestants where riding today. Myself, Nina, Todd, Scott, and MoMo. Sam came out but wasn't able to ride. He broke a finger. He tried to ride the day before but the bumps were too painful. I can see that.

My fund raising is coming along very well. The sight is posting $6K but there is some outstanding matching gifts and checks to be added in.

I'm planning a Sushi Cooking and Silent Auction Event, Sept 29th at the Southwestern Yacht Club. I working on this with Todd Northup and good cycling friend Lan Tran. Lan's dental practice is show on the left hand side, Del Mar Dental Center. She and I have been riding together for many years, we've coached teams together and she's also my dentist.

More to follow on the Sushi Cooking Silent Auction event for CAF. Todd and I met to discuss details today after our rde. It's going to take all we have left to put this together, ride, train, eat, sleep, work and spend time with our families. If you're reading this blog be sure to set that Monday aside for this event from 6-9 PM. I'll start posting some of the silent auction items and more details soon.

This week, SPIN class and Torrey Pines Time Trail.

We Lost Another...

This week I am out of town on business to Buffalo, NY. It's a great area and not what you think of when New York comes to mind. It's green, the weather is pleasant and tonight we had a team meeting at a place over looking the water. Nice way to relax this week and recover.

Unfotunately I received news that Keven Davenport was eliminated from the Scott and BR Team. Kevin is a talented young rider. In my mind he has untapped riding skills that with some coaching could see him competing in local and regional races. He has lungs, speed, and endurance. If he joined a local club I'm sure he would quickly rise to the top.

I got to know Kevin mostly during our rides on Thursday. Because the group is smaller on these evenings we rode together. Kevin is a laid back knd of guy, going to school and working on a degree. I could see that it was a challenge for him to keep school in check and think about CAF but he gave it his best.

I wish Kevin the best of luck and hope he will continue to train with us.

Sunday 85 miles

So what happened today.

First off we had a short test for the immunity pump. Scott Bailey was the winner. Prior to starting the ride the pump was shown to the group. Keith had added a water bottle cage to it along with a can of Cools Light the official beer of the Scott and BR Show. One of these times I'm going to have immunity.

Now to the ride. I didn't take picture today or carry the helmet cam. By the way the helmet cam I'm using is from Oregon Scientific the ATC2K. It's all self contained, uses an SD card and two AA batteries. It's not to heavy but I decided I should be focused on cycling today and not picture taking.

The ride was a 85 mile route heading North to Oceanside, inland to Fallbrook with a loop and then back to Fletcher Cove our starting point. We went out at a nice easy pace today and kept it within 22 MPH for the first 25 miles or so. But as we turned to head east I could already feel the heat starting to rise. The day prior with Trek we had seen 95 plus temperatures at around the same time, 9:00 AM.

As we hit some hills I could tell I was going to suffer today. After yesterdays ride of 65 miles and almost 4000 feet of climbing I tried to drink and eat as much water and and food as I could. That would be key to staying with Group 2 but there were a lot of moments I was thinking..."why didn't I ride with group 3?"

As we stopped to refuel at the rest areas it was obvious I wasn't the only one feeling it today. It was a hard ride for all but structured with that purpose in mind. This following week is a time to rest and recover as we get ready for another 3 weeks of hard training. Good thing I'm traveling this upcoming week.

I'm glad I'm putting in extra mileage on Saturdays. It's actually preparing my body for the event ride in Oct which will have back to back days on the road. Now I understand the intensity won't be as high but still...you have to prepare for that.

So the end result was 85 miles, 3400 feet of climbing, fun ride and...I made it with Group 2. Oh, I took the sprint at the end but I don't think anyone wanted to contest it.

Thursday Night Ride

Last night was a short ride of only 15 miles. Taking a look at the profile it's not a hard ride by distance or the amount of climbing, 750 feet. However, when it's ramped up to a pace that you struggle to keep up with the ride can be a different story.

I'm tired this morning and it's because of that ride last night. Each training session I download details that help me gauge how I performed and if I'm improving. My max heart rate is 205 and I can normally run between 80% and 85% of that for 6 hours. Above 85% and you go anaerobic which I can't sustain for very long. During rides I'll see anaerobic but it's in short bursts.

The device I use to record information is a Polar Heart Rate Monitor S725. I can then upload the details to my computer and see graphs. One graph breaks down by percentage how much time I spent in different zone. Last night I spent 43% of that ride in the anaerobic zone and thus the reason I'm beat today.

I'm going to rest and keep my feet up as much as possible today. Tomorrow I have a long ride with the Trek Century Training Program out to Ramona and back. Food, water and rest. That's what I need.

Now there are 12 and SPIN Class

Elimination:
Yesterday brought another elimination in the XX 1090 Scott & BR Radio Team challenge. Greg Ramos was selected by the judges which again...we are unsure of who they are. Friendships have been created in this ever decreasing group and like anything in life you want friends to see success. I was sorry to see Greg or any of the team go but it is a part of the contest. Who will be next as we head further into our training and closer to our event in Oct...? Keep watching!

It's become a bit nerve racking for some each Tuesday morning as we huddle around the radio to hear the news. There are some guidelines for us but those are really at a high level. Winning immunity is important and can help, but I think the most important factor is talking about CAF, becoming a part of the Qualcomm Million Dollar Challenge, and promoting the organization and event to as many people as possible. Bottom line is this is about raising funds to help physically disable people. The event and the challenge are means to that end.


Let's SPIN:
Today is Wed and this morning I got up early, 5:00 AM, fed the pets, had something to eat myself, did some work and started to head to SPIN by 6:15 AM. Parking on the street is easy but I had to find an opening a block further down the road from the club. No big deal. I was first into the room which is normal for me. I like to get there 15 minutes or more before the start for a warm up.

Soon others arrive, Chris for CAF, Mike from Qualcomm, Brent, Scott, Kavon (I may have spelled his name wrong) and a few others. Chris our normal instructor was replaced with Jessica. She explained that they both share the class but she had been out with injury for a month.

I take a spot up front right next to the instructor. Only a few will join me there like Kavon. He's one of my motivation factors. He puts out a lot of watts when he SPINs. This provides competition and we seem to feed off each other. When I pick up the spin so does he. That's what makes it fun and challenging.

It was a good hard workout but not as intense as usual. Personally I held back some on various exercises. My body is adapting to the constant push but I'm also regulating the intensity so as not to burn myself out. I've already hit the higher end of that scale this week so going to 85% isn't a bad idea.

It's All About the SPEED

Sunday: Qualcomm Million Dollar Challenge ride. To tell you the truth I was concerned that I wouldn't have the legs today after yesterdays Trek ride. However, I ate, napped, ate some more, drank a ton of water and was feeling pretty good when I got up this morning. Maybe I could hang with the Group 2.

First off you have got to see the Immunity Pump. Check it out. Todd, last weeks winner, added the cape, hat, and horse on the tap. But the real kicker is the back side of the cape. He ironed on the Scott & BR logo along with CAF and QMDC. This thing is really getting competitive but mostly on who has creative talents.

The ride went out fast but before too long one of the girls, she will remain nameless, needed to go potty. She asked me if I could jump up front and pace her ahead of the group to the Starbucks in Oceanside. I said sure but man did I pay for that later.

We were cruising at about 22 MPH in the group but I cranked it up to 27 MPH as pulled out of the group. After about a mile a wheel came up front to help which I was thankful for. In stead of stopping at Starbucks further on I knew of a port-a-potty in a park coming up. We stopped there. A few more people stopped with us. This was good for help but bad because it took longer to get back on the road.

We finally caught up to some people at the entrance into the Marine base who had fallen off group 2. Now we had about 10 riders to work with including Scott Bailey. That guy has some legs and today I'm glad he was using them.

We finally caught our gang at the rest stop on the outside the base on the other side. Just enough time to get some water, refuel and get back on the road. I was able to capture a clip of us riding up the air strip that parallels the 5. Perfect place to see a good shot of Group 2 riding.



We turned around in San Clemente and on our ride back through the park just north of the base I saw Greg Ramos heading to the turn around point all on his own. I decided to drop out and check in to see how he was doing. I caught up to him but there was no need. He was peddling along just fine on his own. Of course now I had to Time Trail it back to my group. Peddle, Peddle, Peddle.

I caught them just as they were getting ready to pull out of the rest stop. I filled one bottle grabbed a few pretzels and hit the road.

Once we got into Oceanside the pace came down from 25 MPH to 19 or so. It was nice to just cruise the rest of the way. It gave me a chance to chat with Ajit Raisinghani. I rode with him some last week. We talked about family, training and riding. Ajit is new to cycling. He has already finished with his fund raising.

End of the day we averaged 19.5 MPH. I was surprised it was that high when you take into consideration that we brought down the pace for the last 20 miles.

Cookies: I had cooked up some cookies and frosted some with CAF. Unfortunately only a few people where able to share in them. After waiting for 30 minutes in the parking lot I decided I needed to head for home to my lovely wife.

Trek Sat Ride...Hilly

Saturday: The Trek ride this week was a new adventure. The starting point was the same as our Great Western ride which is Rancho San Diego. It's south of the 8 freeway and east from downtown. However, the ride was much different.

We rate rides in the Trek Century program from 1 to 4. 1 is the easiest and 4 is darn right eye straining. Brent Smith, pictured left, has been doing the rating. As you can tell by his stature he likes to climb. This one he rated as a 3. With over 4200 feet of climbing in 55 miles, I'm recommending we raise it to a 4.

The day started out great. There was cloud cover and the temperature was pleasant in the lower 80s. I was leading the B plus group this weekend along with Bruce Smith and as we headed up our first climb I kept the pace easy so we wouldn't blow all our energy at the start. As we rolled threw the valley and open areas there were a lot of comments of how pretty it was out there. That attitude would change quickly.

The hardest part was a climb of over 6 miles towards the end of the ride. It was at mile 34 and didn't end until mile 40 the summit. The group broke up by this point in the ride and as I rode up I passed people stopping in the shade to catch a breath . The sun had come out by now and temperatures where up in the 90s.

Our Ride Guides were troopers though. By the time I got back Bruce Smith, Brent Smith and some of the riders drove back to the course checking on people. They took about 5 people off who were just struggling on Honey Springs. No need to injure yourself. It's just a ride.

All in all a good ride but...I think we need to upgrade it to a 4.