Wow - sidetracked!!

It has been over a month since I updated!! Not Good!!!!! I have been really busy though. First - I HAVE MET MY MINIMUM FUNDRAISING GOAL!!! WOOHOO - Super excited because now I can actually spend more time on the bike and less time trying to get money. The main reason I haven't updated in way over a month is because of the fundraising. I spend the majority of my time getting items, promoting and organizing two huge yard sales and then relisting on craigslist and meeting (or should I saying waiting for that never show) people to buy the leftovers. I also did two home parties and a yoga fundraiser as well. I am so glad that part is done.

Back to the training - Back at the beginning of September I completed by first 51 mile ride with a significant climb in it. The ride leaves from Reedley and heads out and up to the Sandcreek store. I did it! Only one fall the entire day, on a restart on a hill. When I got home my sis dug two hug pieces of gravel out of my knee - should have got a couple of stitches -oh well! Now I will have an awesome scar. :) The next weekend I was in LA to visit family. The following weekend I missed the ride because of a migraine from HELL!!! And the last weekend in Sept was spent doing yet another fundraiser – mixed in with a complete emotional breakdown. (I won’t go into details but I was a mess and ready to throw myself off a bridge.) The finally we get to the month of October and what happens – the weather changes and I get sick – so I miss yet another ride. During this whole period I was able to keep going to my personal training sessions with my coach who turned the sessions into interval sessions – so at least I was on my bike. Road time for the entire month of Sept was less than a hundred miles – ouch!

So now we get to October 10, I finally get to meet up with the team for an organized ride we were doing out of Exeter. The 4th annual Cycle the Sierra put on the by Southern Sierra Cyclist group as a fundraiser for a couple charities in Visalia. The team was doing the metric century, roughly 72 miles skirting the foothills and up to a couple of big climbs and back. I was excited to get started again and was doing great till we started the first “little” climb of the day at about mile 4. I did the first little part fine but the exertion caused me to start coughing hard. Hard enough that I was starting to gag and choke. The coughing was slowing me down some much that I couldn’t keep a good cadence going to climb. So I stopped to catch my breath. One of my coaches then stopped to check on me and suggested that I do the shorter 42 mile ride instead because there was no way I was going to be able to do the climbs for the day. Relieved that I wasn’t going to die – I turned back and did the 42 mile route. It was a flatter route with only a handful of little short climbs – that had a little bite to them. I met a couple of really nice guys on the course who I ended up riding with the entire day. Did the route and in finished at about 12:30. On the flat smooth roads I was maintaining 16.2 easily. That felt great! The average speed for the day ended up being 13.1 or so because of the nasty, potholed roads. Tulare County needs to seriously invest in some road repairs. Nash, one of the guys I was riding with said that the roads were picked to make it feel more “tour de France” in style. The French can keep their cobblestone roads!! Overall it was a great ride for me.

I am still dealing with some physical issues on the bike. I still experience numbness on my left hand in my pinkie finger. Apparently I am compressing the ulnar nerve – which is not good and if I don’t remedy it soon I could have some major damage. I am also experiencing numbness in my toes. All ten go numb starting from the pinkie toe in to the big toe beginning around mile 20 or so – depends on the amount force I am putting the pedals. Then by mile 35 or so the numbness is turning into sharp, burning, pain. It feels like the circulation is being cut of slowly to each toe by the twisting or tightening of a string- yet my toes are not constricted at all. If anything, my shoes might be too big. I have enough room in them to have an extra set of toes. :) The pain goes away almost immediately upon standing. I really need to figure out what it causing this and fix it. I can’t do a century when I can only tolerate 50 miles at the most. The pain is too severe to ride through – it just intensifies with each mile. I stop, the pain stops, I start up again and the pain is back within a mile or so with the same intensity as it was when I stopped.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the really long update. I will try to keep it more current!

Update!

Training is going well. I have and continue to learn a lot about riding a bike. It really isn't as easy as it looks. - Staying upright alone can be a challenge. Last weekend we did our first big climb. I know this is a big climb as now the hills will have names. This particular hill was named Oak Knolls and it kicked my butt!! After stuggling to keep going I ended up stopping and getting a SAG to the top. I could not catch my breath and was totally overheated - I was literally seeing stars. I did get to come back down and that was awesome! My top speed was 35 miles per hour. When the ride was all said and done I had completed 37 miles!

My weight loss efforts have been going great too. I am down approximately 15 lbs as of last week. Last I checked I had lost 11.5 inches as well. My body fat percent is down 2-3% and my muscle mass is up about 4-5lbs. I am starting to get some muscle definition and my clothes are starting to fall off!!

Fundraising is hard! It is so hard to stay positive when everyone just about everyone around me is so oblivious. I was really hoping that this season would not be as difficult as my last TNT season, but this one is proving to be more difficult. Yes, I understand that the economy is bad and money is tight for everyone. But what about the people who are relying on the money that is raised through charity to help them? For example, what about the families who contact the LLS office in need of assistance to pay for gas or transportation to get to Palo Alto for ground breaking treatments? What do you say to them? "sorry, no money was raised locally for patient services so we can't help you - Have a nice day?" Seriously, it only takes a minute to make a difference and to be honest, I know very few people that would face financial ruin if they donated $25.00. I guess it all comes down to appreciation. People don't appreciate the charities that are out there everyday changing and saving lives until they are faced with a hardship and need the help of that charity. I will just keep working hard and everything will work out.

New features for my blog. I will be keeping a running list of honorees, for both those that are survivors and fighters and those that are in our memories. If you want me to add some to my list, please send me a message.

Honorees:

Nancy D. - Survivor
Bryna N. - Survivor
Nasim R - Fighter
Louie R. - Fighter
Zak P. - Fighter (newly diagnoised with Leukemia)
R.L. - in Memory
Orbie R. - in Memory
Richard R. - in Memory

Goals & Life

It has been weeks since I blogged here. Why? Because life gets complicated, time passes and before you know it you’re lying awake at night trying to figure out why things still aren’t where you want them. Here is a recap of the past few weeks:

Late May/Early June - Signed up with an awesome personal trainer to help get me back on track. Sessions are going well and I have gained some strength and lost some inches. The workouts have also done wonders for my ankle – I am actually able to run again and to jump!!

Early June – Started working full time (yuck!) My job is pretty stressful and it takes a lot of me during the day and makes it really hard to be motivated to workout at night. I can’t wait to go back to part time in Sept.

Early June - Signed up with Team in Training for Solvang’s Finest Century on November 14, 2009. Borrowed a bike – but never made it out for any rides. I know, total slacker. How am I supposed to ride 100 miles when I can’t even get out for a short 15 miler during the week.

Mid July – Signed up with a nutritionist. Cut the coffee habit by 2/3rd (down to two cups a day) and increased the water intake (120 ounces). Also cut the carbs way back and working on increasing the protein. It is really hard to get 80 – 90 grams of protein in when you don’t eat meat. Right now I am experimenting with some protein shakes and bars. Good news here is that I have lost 8.2 lbs since starting with the nutritionist. Stepping back and taking a hard look at what I am eating and the portion sizes has been really enlightening. Now if I can just get dialed in on ride day nutrition.

July 18 – Fun Ride with Team in Training. We did a short ride (13.5 miles) out from Clovis around Appaloosa Loop and back. Felt great to be back on the bike. I tried clipping in and out for the first time. It was going well until we restarted after a short break and the laces on my shoes got caught in the pedals. I ended up hitting the ground, skinning my elbow, twisting my injured ankle and getting a ton of bruises. Needless to say, I went out and got new pedals and cycling shoes the next day.

Week of July 18-25 – Spent a lot of time organizing some fund-raisers and got my fund-raising letters and first round of e-mails out. My goal is $3,000. I hope to see some fund rolling in soon!! We also had the Kick-Off for the season this week. It was great to be there again and see friends! I am really excited about this season and where we are all headed.

July 25 – First official coached training. Coach put my new pedals on and a couple of other coaches worked with me on clipping in and out and stopping. By the end of the training I felt pretty confident about clipping. We started off the day with a nutrition clinic. Great information and quickly pointed out that I had totally started my day off wrong. A piece of coffee cake and a coffee does not make for a good training day. We moved on to some other clinics (emergency breaking, looking over the shoulder, and tire changing) and then went for a ride. This time we went down the Eaton Trail to where Old Friant and New Friant meet. I was not in a good place. Right after we started my calves started cramping. I couldn’t even turn the pedals over. I toughed it out and finished the ride. It was hell and it was my fault. I botched the diet and the workouts! What a Wakeup Call!! On the upside, I did finish the first training ride which is further than I got last season.

July 26 – GOT MY OWN BIKE!! I got a Giant OCR 1 and it is awesome. I fit this bike a lot better than the one I was borrowing and that should make for a much more comfortable ride. I will be taking the bike in to Momentum Cycling on the 29th for a fitting. SUPER EXCITED!!!

July 27 – Back to my personal trainer who happens to be my cycling coach. Recapped everything I did wrong – poor diet and major lack of cardio. I felt awful, I feel like I let coach down and myself. Guilt is a major motivator!! Had a great workout in the end and left with a lot of changes to implement. Intervals are going to be my new best friend.

Well that is what I have been up to for the past few weeks. I have been really busy but it has not all been good. I really have to prioritize my goals so that I can be successful, if I don’t, I will only be setting myself up for failure.

Keep checking in as I will be trying to keep this updated a couple times a week with training details and fund-raising status and events and other great stuff.

I AM CRAZY!

Dear Friends and Family,

I hope this finds you all well and in good spirits. After my AMAZING and WONDERFUL experience at the Nike Women’s Marathon last October with Team in Training, I have decided to do a century bike ride (yes – 100 miles on a little tiny bike seat) in order to help raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I feel strongly about the LLS mission and it isn’t very often that we get the opportunity to do something that will make a difference in the lives of others. Here is the official description of what I will be doing on November 14, 2009:

“Riders will experience the very best of the Santa Inez valley and then head out to points beyond. This figure eight style course starts with a tour of Solvang, Los Olivos, Ballard and Santa Ynez, and then heads up the well-known Foxen Canyon. The route then loops back around towards Solvang via Zaca Station, Hwy 154 and beautiful Ballard Canyon. Then riders head south towards Buellton and veer off on the famous Avenue of the Flags which becomes Santa Rosa Road. Taking the back roads of Lompoc, riders will head up and over Harris Grade and drop back down to Hwy 135 towards the great little western antique haven of Los Alamos. From Los Alamos, riders encounter the last big climb of the day, up and over Drum Canyon, a quiet, twisty, 800 foot, 3.4 mile ascent. Drum Canyon has a steep, technical downhill, so please pay close attention to your speed. Once you reach the bottom, you'll hop onto Hwy 246 back to Buellton, with a big shoulder all the way to town! 100 miles with 4,900 feet of climbing.”

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is a national voluntary health agency dedicated to curing leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma while improving the quality of life of patients and their families. Leukemia is the number one killing disease of children under the age of 15, yet affects 10 times as many adults. The cause of leukemia remains unknown. However, the effectiveness of recently developed treatment methods and steady advances in research brings us closer every day to finding the cause of leukemia and related cancers and probable cures.

I will begin my training for this 100-mile journey through the help of professional Team in Training coaches. I have started my training and I will soon be on my bike 4-5 days a week! Some of you might think that I am crazy for volunteering to do this ride, but what I will have to endure in the next 20+ weeks pales in comparison to what these kids and adults go through on a daily basis. Just one example of how children battle cancer is Bryna Nathan, a sweet little 8-year old who has endured two long and painful bouts of leukemia. The first time she was diagnosed, she was just a toddler. When she was diagnosed the second time, research had advanced so much that they were able to determine that she had a genetic marker that makes chemo not work as well. Knowing this, the doctors were able to design a better treatment plan and she is now cancer-free. Bryna and her mom Gina are two amazing people who have touched my life deeply.

This season I am committed to raising $3,500.00 to support The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and helping raise the necessary money toward finding a cure for leukemia. Over 75% of all funds raised go directly to research and patient services. Your contribution is 100% tax deductible. Please help support me by giving generously. Monetary donations are a powerful way to be involved when you can’t give your time.

I AM MOTIVATED! I AM COMMITTED! I WILL DO IT!

I truly appreciate your kindness and thank you from the bottom of my heart! Feel free to call or e-mail me to wish me good luck on this incredible journey. You can also keep track of my training on my blog at http://trainingwithchandra.blogspot.com and leave me messages of encouragement (Which really help on those hard days!!). GO TEAM GO!!!!

WI today!

Woohoo!!! I am down 14.2 since I last weighed in at Weight Watchers in January just before I broke my ankle. I am down 3.4 in the past 10 days since I started my excel spreadsheet. My total weightloss percentage this week is: 1.47%.

I have had a great week tracking and eating. I am finally starting to feel better so I hope that I will be starting my workouts again. I plan to hit the gym 4-5 days a weeks and do the wii or other stuff at home too. I am so tired of being out of shape!

Finally getting there!

So I am finally starting to walk better - less of a limp and more mobility! Yeah! I will be heading back to the gym any day now. I just have to kick this sinus allergy issue that is bugging me. I plan to log some miles on the stationary bike, swim and do weights. I need to get strong if I think I want to do TNT this winter.

I have also gotten back on plan with my weight watchers program. So far two days of tracking and eating on point.

One crutch!!!

Woohoo I am down to one crutch!!! I am so excited - I am finally starting to feel like I have some freedom again. I hope to be rid of them by the time I see the doc again next week.

Long week!

This was a exciting and long week. I got out of the cast and on to my foot, however I have a very limited range of motion so walking is really difficult. I will be going to PT three times a week for the next month at least to get the motion back. My goal this coming week is to ditch one of the crutches!!! I am so tired of them. I also need to decide if I want to volunteer for the upcoming TNT season. I really want to help with Nike or even do Nike again, but I don't know if my ankle with let me.

Work is going well, just a lot to learn. I came from a busy family law office and now I am in the middle of a very busy EE law office with ton of litigation. It is enough to make my head spin.

Finally!

I am finally "walking" on my own two feet again. I was given the go ahead today to start putting weight on my foot/ankle again. So now I am walking on both feet with the help of crutches. I will be starting physical therapy tomorrow to getting the muscles moving again. My ankle is pratically in full rigor. I can bearly bend it at all. So finally I am out of the boot and back into a running shoe.

One day!

Hopefully I only have a little over one day left on these crutches!! I am dying to walk on my own two feet again!! My doctor's appointment is on St. Paddy's day at 10:30 - wish me luck!

New Job!

I was able to start my new job today. I think it will be really great. I will be working in a smaller law office but for one of the largest law offices in the nation. I am pretty excited.

I am also getting more excited as the minutes tick by bringing me closer to getting on my own two feet again. I am dying to get outside and do something physical.

Two More Weeks!

Only two more weeks and I will be free of my crutches!!! I am so excited. It should go pretty fast because I will be starting my new job this Thursday. I will be on a modified schedule for a couple of weeks and then FINALLY - I will be back to normal! Yeah!! By the way - doc thinks the ankle looks great and should be able to JUMP right back into things!

Boredom!

It is official! I am going crazy from boredom. My butt hurts from just sitting. I have read books, watched movies, surfed the net and taught myself to knit. But still - I spend hours just staring into space. This cannot be good for my mental health. To think - in the month of February I only left the house twice! Both times for doctors appointments.

Then to top it all off, if I am not able to get moving more and start my new job with in the next couple of weeks I will end up losing it. They can't afford to wait for me - which really sucks - considering I really need a job because we will lose our house if I can't start working soon.

Screws and Plates

Today I went back to the doc. They took some x-rays and then removed all the staples - 22 total. The x-rays look really good and the bones are perfectly lined up - Doc was really happy. I have 5 screws and a plate in my ankle now holding everything together. I will be on chair/bed rest for 6 more weeks. I can't do anything weight bearing activities at all. I basically have to keep still and avoid bumping my foot on anything.

What I am I going to do for 6 weeks to keep myself from going crazy?

Healing

Well, I am on my way to healing the broken ankle. I had surgery on 2/4 where they put it all back together with screws. I haven't seen the x-rays yet, but my sis and hubby said that there are definitely more than three in there. I got a good look at the incision sites yesterday and I am sporting at least 24 staples. I will end up with two long scars, one on each side of me ankle/foot. I am also multicolored as a result of the bruising - my brother in law Neil suggested I stop playing the the yellow paint!! I have started drinking pineapple juice with the hopes that it will start to heal the bruising. There is a enzyme in pineapples that breaks down clots.

As the the century ride - I think I will be asking for a deferral until next year. I am pretty scared to get back on a bike right now. I really need to concentrate on losing some more weight and getting a lot stronger.

Broken!

Here are the details:On Saturday morning at the end of a great training day with the cycling team, I was coming back from Hospital Hill (TNTer's know this route) and was starting up the short but very steep incline back in to Woodward Park I was having some difficulty shifting my bike in to a lower gear and decided to stop. I coasted over to the curb on the right hand side where I put my right foot out to balance myself. Well - my foot missed or got caught or landed wrong or something because the next thing I knew I was falling in slow motion and my leg/foot was in excruciating pain. As I landed I rolled to my left side and while rolling I was watching my foot go from being 90 degrees the wrong way back into place. I just about passed out. Special thanks to coach Sherri and Steve who were there with me and kept me calm while waiting for the ambulance. The ambulance finally arrived after 11-12 minutes (FYI don't get hurt back here because it is hard to find you, even though VCH is less than 2 miles away) they stablized me and took me to St. Agnes where I was x-rayed, pumped full of morophine and put in a three sided cast and sent home with instructions to call the surgeon on Monday. I broke both the Tibia and the Fibia in a total of three places. I will be having surgery sometime this week to put some rods and bolts in to bring it all back together to heal. I will be out of commission from 6 to 12 weeks depending on the healing. Anyone who wants to bring me coffee, magazines and movies will be greatly appreciated!!

I will be going in for surgery on 2/4 to repair the break. Wish me luck!

Here I go again!

After an awesome season with Team in Training which was wrapped up by my completing of the Nike Women's Half Marathon I have decide to return to Team in Training and this time I am doing a century ride. What is a century ride you ask? It is 100 miles on a road/racing bike! Think Tour de France and Lance Armstrong - but I will be going around Lake Tahoe and I will be no where near as fast as Lance. Why am I doing this? Well, they still haven't found a cure for cancer therefore they still need help raising money and awareness so I am back to raise another $2500 and hopefully more - while learning a new skill - cycling.

I have already ridden 12.5 miles on this journey and I am sure I will ride at least 500 more before the event. Please check back often as I will be posting about training and more importantly I will be posting about fundraisers! I need your help to make a difference!

First Fundraiser: COOKIES for CASH!!
Details are as follows:

1. Now through Feb 13th donate to the cause and get cookies in return.

2. Donation break down:
-- 25.00 - you get a dozen homemade cookies
-- 50.00 - you get a two dozen homemade cookies
---100.00 - you get two dozen cookies for the next three months!!

3. Cookie flavors are: Chocolate Chip; Double Chocolate Chip; Snickerdoodles; or Oatmeal Raisin.

4. How it will work: You go online to http://pages.teamintraining.org/cca/ambbr09/cdolliver and make a donation or contact me to get a donation to me. Once I have confirm your donation I will contact you and find out what flavor cookies you would like. I will make and deliver the cookies to everyone the weekend of the 21st of February. If you are a $100 donor your first batch will be delivered that weekend and the follow batches will be delivered in March and April.

5. AS A BONUS - THE 1ST PERSON TO DONATE $100 WILL ALSO GET A $20 STARBUCKS CARD TO GO WITH THE FIRST BATCH OF COOKIES!!

COME ON PEOPLE! HELP ME RAISE THE MONEY!!