I Did It!!

photo by Jessica C Levine

It’s hard to begin this post and start to try to explain the entire experience of the LIVESTRONG Challenge. But, here I’ll give it a try.

In the week leading up to the Challenge, we diligently checked the Portland weather forecast and we did expect some rain. It was a 90% chance. We arrived in Portland on Saturday afternoon and after a fruitful excursion to the PI outlet store (thanks, Brad!) we checked in for the Challenge at the Tiger Woods Center at the Nike Campus. We were greeted by friendly volunteers who gave us our packets, along with bright yellow sheets on preventing hypothermia. I think it spoke volumes about the expected weather. One of the prevention tips—avoid perspiration. No matter how cold it was going to be, I was sure I’d be sweating. By now, you’ve also probably read below that we received news that the 100 mile route was cancelled as a Challenge option. “Due to high winds, rain and dangerously low temperatures on Bald Peak, the portion of the route used for the 100 mile ride in this area will not be used….the longest ride option will be 70 miles”. I was a bit disappointed to hear this news as I really wanted to get this 100 completed. Upon more thought, the 70 miles would considerable shorten my ride time and I fully expected to be back to the Nike Campus in time to enjoy the post-ride festivities.

Thanks to all of you supporters, I was able to make my fundraising goal of $3000 and received a ticket to the Fundraising Appreciation Dinner on Saturday night. Andy and I attended the pasta dinner with special guests Alberto Salazar, Chris Carmichael, and of course, Lance. A fantastic event, presentation of some special awards, and recognition of some pretty amazing people who are working hard to support the LAF.

We awoke on Sunday morning at 5:30 am and it was raining. Actually, pouring. Andy and I suited up in all possible jackets and gear and headed over to Nike towards the start line. It was just about 50 degrees, and the temps didn't budge much throughout the day.

Along the way, during the 70 miles, I came to describe the experience as "Magnificently Miserable". It was just that. Fantastic and magnificent--much more fun than I had ever imagined and pretty miserable given the 50 degree temperature and the continued rain. I was soaked within the first 10 miles.

Andy and I rode across the finish line together, where JCL ran by our side, shooting photos, and hooting and hollering. Tears of joy streaming down my face, even before I knew she was there. Big Thanks to Jess for being there to capture these final moments. She even greeted me with a dry towel (just like the pros!). photos below by Jessica C Levine

Another huge thanks to my dear hubby whose unyielding support has been a big part of my success on this ride. Pushing me to ride after work, taking me on new routes around Seattle, helping me learn so much about cycling, and blocking the wind when I needed it, he's been there in front of me the whole way. I knew I'd be riding behind him most of the time, so Andy wore my tribute to mom on his backpack so I could look ahead for my motivation.

Finally, another big thanks to the 53 of you who helped me reach my fundraising goal and all the others who have offered their support along the way. I could not have done this without each and every one of you. THANK YOU!

Click HERE for complete photo album from the Challenge.

Check-in and Course Change

Team Rigel is here in Beaverton, OR and we are very excited for our respective rides and walks tomorrow. The check-in for the event was today at the Tiger Woods Center on the Nike Campus. The registration area and expo were amazing and inspirational. There are thousands of participants and volunteers all here with a purpose to beat cancer down. Here are some photos from the check-in.

The tribute wall.


Tour de Dudster! Miss you Dad.




In honor of Ruth. Fight like hell!


Team Rigel


Oh yeah, the weather is predicted to be so bad the organizer's have called off the 100-mile route for safety reasons. It is supposed to be in the 30s on Bald Peak and driving rain. Instead we will be rolling the 70-mile route, which cuts out the big mountain climbs. Sara will have to wait until another day to do her 100-miles, but I can assure you she was ready to knock it out tomorrow.


Our next blog entry will be after the ride and post-ride party. Some pics of dinner with Lance to look forward to as well.

Thanks again to all our supporters for making this such a memorable experience. Together we are making a difference in the fight against cancer.

LIVESTRONG

Andy

No Rain Dance

The forecast for Beaverton, OR on Sunday is rain and lots of it. The weather will further add to the challenge of the 100-miles. We will do our best to battle the elements including use of fenders, rain gear, glasses. Whatever it takes to persevere in spite of Mother Nature's lack of cooperation.

If you know a "no rain" dance, please do it for us on Sunday. Also, if you find yourself curious on Sunday, you can check out an ODOT web cam on the highway near Beaverton to get an idea of what the weather is doing during our ride. Click Here to Launch the Web Cam.

Andy

$5,000

Today, Team Rigel successfully reached its goal of raising $5,000 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. When I first had the idea of organizing a team back in May, I picked $5,000 out of the air and thought it was probably not an attainable goal, but was something to shoot for nevertheless. Now, with less than a week to go until the event, I am humbled and inspired by the support of all the family, friends, and colleagues that made this far-fetched idea come to fruition. Thank you so very much.

For those that have not donated yet and would like to, there is still time. If you donate by the evening of Wednesday, September 26, your contribution will still count towards our individual and team objectives. Sara is very close to earning a ticket to the Fundraising Appreciation Dinner to be held on Saturday night before the ride. I bet she does it.

Thank you again and LIVESTRONG!

Andy

The Bell Lap

"One week to go! One week to go!"

I can hear it like I'm passing through the Start/Finish line of a bike race. It's the bell lap. This is the time when, no matter how hard it feels, no matter how much it hurts, you go all out to the finish.

So, we've got one week to go. I can hardly believe it's almost ride time. I never would have thought just 4 months ago that I would feel capable of riding these 100 miles. I still don't know if I can do it in the time allotted, but I'll finish, even if the party at the finish line is already over. My training has slacked a bit in recent weeks, due to the shorter days, colder and wetter weather (Fall just HIT us here in Seattle). I'm hoping for about 3 hours on the bike tomorrow, in between the Star-Crossed festivities.

This is the last week for collecting donations, and I'm already have more than $2000. I am so proud and lucky to have 43 individual donors who have honored, memorialized, and supported those that they love. I'd like to raise another $1000 to support the Foundation (and to get a ticket to dinner with Lance on Saturday night!). When I started, I thought I might be lucky to raise $500, and I was so pleased when I hit that goal so quickly. Then, I changed my goal to $1000, and more recently to $3000. I'm sure I'll be close by next weekend.

Tonight, it's 6:45 pm, almost dark, and raining. Let's hope tomorrow's ride brings better weather and maybe a bit of sunshine. It's time to push through the final lap.

My Trek Fitness 7.5 FX LiveStrong

Trek donates $25 from the sale of each of these LiveStrong models to the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research. I'm very pleased with it (thank you, Andy and Sara, for introducing me to it). It has an aluminum frame, a Bontrager carbon front fork, a Shimano crank and Shimano derailleurs. We've added to it Andy's Time Atac clipless pedals. Very nice ! I'm proud to ride it in memory of Frank Rigel and on behalf of the LiveStrong fundraiser ride in Portland, OR on September 30, 2007.

Helping Hands

I'd like to second Sara's thanks to Andy for being our TeamRigel technician as well as being the TeamRigel captain. I'd especially like to thank Andy for doing more than just putting on my derailleur last weekend ... I can see from the pictures that he is adjusting and checking the mechanics of my Trek LiveStrong bike. Way more than the 10 minutes he forecast ... going the extra mile, he did (Gollum). And it seems that my bike was cleaner when I got it back than when I left it with him -- thank you, Andy !!!

And I'd like to especially thank Marcia and Sara for helping Andy and me with our cycling, even though both of them have demanding full-time jobs, houses to maintain, meals to cook, and their own exercise programs to fit in somewhere. Marcia and Sara are there to help us get ready to go out on our rides, to pamper us when we get back (all sweaty and etc.), and to wash our cycling outfits again and again.

Helping hands, helping each other ... one of the important things that life is about.

Wideawake :: LIVESTRONG LIVE

Another great video from the LAF. Beautiful song with a perfect message. Enjoy!

Lance Armstrong Foundation Manifesto

This is why I ride.
Thank you for your support.

Henry's Progress Report

Until four months ago I concentrated almost solely on computer related work and hadn't had any significant exercise for years. My brother-in-law Frank Rigel had died of cancer a couple of months before that, and when his son Andy mentioned the LiveStrong fundraising ride in Portland, the time seemed ripe to do something worthwhile that combined fundraising for cancer research, and cycling, an activity Frank enjoyed and encouraged in his son (Andy is an Expert Class mountain bike racer who recently placed 3rd in the National Mountain Bike Series Finals).

So, I bought a bicycle and started riding.

Since then I've ridden three 100 mile rides, a 92 mile, a 76 mile, two 46 mile, and many of my usual 24 mile ride from Anacortes to Deception Pass and back via Mt. Erie.

Yesterday I rode my bike up Orcas Island's Mt. Constitution for the first time !!! I started from the little village of Eastsound, first going up Flaherty Hill (about 500' elevation increase in 1 mile), then up beautiful Mt. Constitution itself (about 1900' elevation increase in 4.7 miles). The scenery was of fir trees, a narrow road, steep dropoffs, and occasional pocket vistas of the water, nearby islands, and the ferries -- a very pleasant place to improve fitness. I wasn't fast, I tried to keep my heart rate below 140 bpm, to ensure that I would have the best chance of having enough strength to get to the top (I wear a heart rate monitor which transmits to my Garmin Edge 305 cycling computer). I reached the summit 1 hour and 50 minutes after leaving Eastsound. I was so excited I called Coach Andy and my wife Marcia to let them know "I'd done it"! After a few minutes rest I coasted back down the mountain -- Then I WAS fast.

Next time I ride Mt. Constitution I'll work at keeping the heart rate in the 140 - 145 bpm range, and get a little faster.

In the past 110 days I've improved my endurance and my speed, and increased my maximum heart rate from 157 (my theoretical maximum) to 166 beats per minute. I've ridden grades as steep as 24% for a short time, and now believe I can endure the 7,000' elevation gain in the 100 mile LiveStrong Challenge ride. My challenge now, during these next few weeks, is to improve my speed so that I can complete the 100 miles in the 8.5 hours allotted.

I owe a big THANKS !!! to all who've encouraged me along the way, with their help and with their donations to a worthy cause.

If you'd like to join our team by contributing, go to http://portland07.livestrong.org/teamrigel. We haven't achieved our team goal yet, so any contribution you make, even very small donations, to any of the team members, will be greatly appreciated.

But above all, I'd like to encourage you to find some exercise that you enjoy and wouldn't mind doing frequently and regularly -- cycling has made a big difference in my feelings of overall fitness and wellbeing.

A Big Thanks to the Team Rigel Mechanic!

Blue Star has been working hard for us over the last few months. Several new derailleurs, shifters, tubes, tires and chains. And of course, a little Pledge and some TLC on all of our rides. Henry's Livestrong Ride has made a visit to the Blue Star garage this weekend for a bit of maintenance, and an upgrade.

Thanks!

40 Days and 40 Nights

The Countdown Begins

40 days to go.

I'm starting to feel like these 40 days will be gone in a flash. Is there enough time to be ready? I think I'll never be fully ready, but I still know I can do this. I should be out riding right now, but the opportunity to be home and relaxing was too much to pass up. These last few months have been a bit overwhelming with activity. Too much work, a lot of travel, and a solid commitment to some ride time. I just need a bit of a break. Since I've already started the week on a downside, I'm committing to my Healthy Goddess workout tomorrow, a ride on Thursday after work and some riding on Saturday at the Crystal Mountain Hill Climb. I think that 6 miles with the 6% grade should be a good challenge in addition to some more miles.

Course Map

The course and profile of the 100-mile bike ride for the Livestrong Challenge was recently released. All of the major climbing takes place in the first third of the route. This challenging section will be a true test of our preparation and perserverance. Pain is temporary!

The Way I See It #259 (Wisdom from a Grande Americano)

On my Starbucks cup today:

"People say, oh I could never do that! But when you meet cancer patients you understand the bravery and spirit those people show each and every day. Their struggles motivate and inspire you to test the limits of your endurance and to cross the finish line. You'll be surprised by what you can do".

- John Kellenyi, Eight-time marathoner and leading fundraiser with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training

Team Rigel, Ride #2

This weekend, Andy and I headed up to Anacortes for a North Puget Sound team training ride with Henry. Saturday afternoon, the three of us headed from Henry's house in Anacortes to the Deception Pass bridge. A fun and winding ride on rolling hills past some beautiful scenery. We also finally got some photos of us riding. Thanks to Andy for all of these shots.


That's me, climbing behind Andy!





Andy and Sara at Deception Pass bridge

On Sunday, Henry and I rode from Anacortes to Bellingham to watch Andy race at the Padden Mountain Pedal. Another fun ride, over beautiful Chuckanut Drive. We arrived at Padden Lake Park after some bigtime clmibing, to enjoy the race and watch Andy WIN!

Congratulations Henry! 100 miles!

Wow! I'm impressed. Henry has already made his first 100 mile ride of the training season. He put out a tremendous effort last weekend, riding from his home in Anacortes, WA to Concrete, WA along route 20, and back home again.

We are really proud of the efforts, energy and enthusiasm with which he's been training. A few months ago, Henry didn't even own a bike, and now he's got 100 miles down already. We have a Team Rigel ride planned for this weekend, and I'm sure he'll be fast and strong. I better watch out!




Congratulations, Henry. Keep up all of your great work!

And The Winners Are.....

Clif Shot Electrolyte Drink-Cran Raz
Not too sweet, smooth flavor, a bit tangy, and goes down well.



Clif Bloks-Pina Colada
There's just something about coconut that says summertime. Maybe it's the sweet smell of old coconut tanning oil, or those virgin pina coladas poolside at Casa Yabell in Florida. Yummy. Again, not too sweet. I could pop the whole block in and chew it down, without feeling like I was taking in medicine or cough syrup.


Honorable Mention:

Sport Beans-Lemon Lime
These only get an honorable mention because I didn't get to taste test them on the road. In the kitchen, they taste great. Jelly Belly has always been a favorite bean of mine, and their quality and signature texture and crunch shines through on this energy bean. Another Yummy. :)

-SLR

Details

Prepping for a hundred mile ride requires dialing in all the details that will keep you comfortable during such an extended time on the bike. Anything that feels a little uncomfortable after 30 miles in the saddle will be excruciating after 80 miles. Sara and I spent some time this evening making custom Sole footbeds for our respective cycling shoes. Comfortable feet will go a long way to making the Challenge more enjoyable.

Prepping the soles to fit our shoes...


Cook them to 200 degrees...


Are they done yet?


Put the soles in your shoes and crank 'em down tight...


Voila, his and hers custom insoles.


AFR

It's All About the Food: Taste Test

Anyone that knows me just a little bit, knows that I LOVE food. I really enjoy some good eating, and I savor the flavors, aromas, and textures. You might also know that I generally prefer something savory, maybe crunchy (fried!) and salty or even spicy. Sweet stuff just isn't my thing. It's a terrible disease, some say, but I don't even like chocolate all that much.

Food and nutrition are also a big part of this training and cycling experience. At my size, I'm probably burning about 300 calories per hour of cycling. Recent rides have taken me to about 3 hours of riding, so I really need to be considering my calorie consumption along the way. This will be critical on the 100 miles. So, I've begun to experiment with a variety of drinks, gels, powders, chews, bars, etc. in an attempt to get my calories on each ride. Most of these products are sugar in various forms, but the idea is to get some quick carbs for instant and continuous energy. Most of them are also very sweet (in my opinion) and so far, I haven't found much to please my picky palate.

I've started with some Cytomax, using up a big tub of it that Andy won at Sea Otter this year. I have the lemon-lime flavor. Lemon-lime seems to be a popular flavor among all of these products. I like a little lemon squeezed into my ice water, but I'm not a fan of sweet lemonade. So far, the Cyto seems to be OK. The harder you ride, the less sweet it actually tastes, and when you're thirsty you'll suck down just about anything.

Since I've just been relying on the Cyto so far and supplemented with a few Clif Bloks that have been pretty tasty along the ride. Given the huge variety of products available, I figured I would embark on a taste test to find just the right products that I really like and could imagine eating for 100 miles. It's all about the flavor....and a little about the textures.

Here's what I've got to try:

• Clif Bloks new flavors- Margarita (with extra salt) and Pina Colada. Andy has already tasted the new Cola flavor and ruled it out quickly.
• Clif Shot Electolyte Drink- Cran Raz flavor.
• Gu Energy Gel- "Just Plain" and Strawberry Banana flavors
• Sport Beans- Lemon-Lime flavor. Berry Blue unavailable at the time of testing.

Several long rides are planned for this weekend, with ample opportunity to taste along the way.

I'll report back next week with the winners!

Sara's Fundraising Update

WOW! I can't believe I'm already half way to my goal of $1000. I think I need to set my goals a little higher. A BIG thanks to all of those that have generously donated so far. Your thoughts and support for my mom and for others has been tremendous.
SLR

Live Strong Course Info

Henry emailed the LIVESTRONG folks last week to ask about the course we are training for. Here's the unofficial word from the Fundraising Manager of the Challenge:

The LIVESTRONG Challenge Portland routes highlight the beauty offered by Portland and beautiful cycling in the northwest. The route departs from Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, OR. The ‘Challenging’ 100- mile course lends itself to your cycling specialties. Not a good climber? Take advantage of the initial, relatively flat 20 miles before you endure the 6,000+ ft. of climbing in 15 miles midway through the route.

Overall, all course distances for the LIVESTRONG Challenge Portland encompass moderate to difficult terrain with some steep climbs and descents. Because of the terrain, tandem bikes are not permitted on the 100-mile course. The 100-mile course will ascend a total of 7,000 ft. before finishing at the Nike Campus.

OUCH!

Team Rigel Training Ride

The biking side of Team Rigel had our first official training ride over Memorial Day weekend on Orcas Island. Henry was on his brand new bike, and I took on some brand new hills that I never thought I could tackle! The Orcas Hills proved a great learning experience for me. I finally got over the fear of some major hills over that weekend.



With my mom's recent diagnosis and the passing of Frank still so fresh, I climb and ride with their pain in mind. I've learned to push myself farther than I could have imagined. I can barely imagine their pain and the pain that all who have suffered with cancer have gone through. I can still breathe, many big deep breaths. As I climbed, I listened closely to my breathing. In. Out. In. Out. Trying to keep the rhythm steady and pedal consistently. With each breath in and out, I repeat, "Not. Scared. Not. Scared. Not Scared." My new mantra. So far, it's working.

-SLR

LiveStrong, Mom!

Welcome to the Team Rigel Blog

Here, we will chronicle Team Rigel's members as they prepare for, fund raise for, and participate in the LIVESTRONG Challenge in Portland, Oregon on September 29-30, 2007. As many of you may know, my father recently lost his battle with cancer and several other members of our family have been touched by the disease. When I heard about the LIVESTRONG Challenge, which benefits the Lance Armstrong Foundation, I knew I had to participate.

More than 1.3 million people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cancer this year alone. Three out of four families in America will be faced with caring for a family member with cancer. We are one of those families. Team Rigel's goal is to raise at least $5,000 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. It's a big goal, one that we will need the support of people like you to achieve.

If you have been affected by cancer, or you care about this cause, please consider donating toward Team Rigel's fundraising goal. You can make a donation online by clicking on any of the Team Rigel members' fundraising links to the right. We also welcome you to join us on our team and participate in the LIVESTRONG Challenge. You can join our team by clicking on the Team Rigel link to the right.

Thank you in advance for your support. Together, we can make a difference.

Andy