Habitat Halloween Ride

This past Saturday I rode 30.6 miles in the Habitat Halloween Ride in Durham, NC.  When I woke up, it was 48 degrees!  Brrr!  I haven't been out for a ride in those kind of temps in quite a while!  Good thing I have some biking pants and biking gloves with fingers.  It was also windy, but  it was thankfully also sunny to help a little bit.

This ride was quite challenging!  First, while we were still riding in the city before getting out to some country roads, there were a lot of pot holes and uneven pavement that was not marked at all.  Not fun when you're trying to coast down a hill and not use brakes to keep momentum for what's ahead.  I admit I used my brakes a lot on going down hills...I was just too nervous not to.  Finally outside of the city, we quickly got into some hills.  I know what goes up must come down if you start and end at the same spot, but many of us said that law did not apply on this ride.

Even though I was riding solo in this event, I met a new friend around mile 10 or so that said he was tired of me passing him on the hills.  That made me feel good!  We actually kept a pretty even pace, and so we decided to stick together after the rest stop.  That was really nice, as the turns were not marked well at all.  We actually missed a turn along the way, but realized it quickly and only added about a mile to our total.

The other big challenge of this event was once we got back into the city, they had us on some greenways.  These particular sections we were on were very narrow (no passing), very uneven pavement along with a lot of leaves, and sharp turns to get in and out on multiple occasions.  I don't want to be disrespectful to the event coordinators, but I think that was not very well thought out.

But I persevered and got through the hardest course I have ridden to date!  Thank you all for your well wishes and thoughts for me and both of my sisters on race day!  See you on the road very soon!

Halloween Race Weekend

Middle Sis Laura - Flight of the Vampire 10K - Brevard, NC

Baby Sis Cindy - Habitat Halloween Ride - Durham, NC

Big Sis Teresa - Tri-West 5K Monster Dash - Lizton, IN

Pin It and Do It Update - 2/3 Done

I meant to blog an update of my progress in Trish's Pin It and Do It Challenge before now - really I did.  But I actually have been doing my Pins, just didn't write about it before now.

I committed to pinning and doing 4 Pins during October, and I created Big Sis Teresa's Pin It Do It Board on Pinterest for the Challenge.  (Shameless plug: If you don't already follow us on Pinterest, go do it as soon as you finish reading this post.)

First up was Run with Jess's Virtual Ride for Breast Cancer. For this virtual event, you bike 50K or 31 miles during the month of October.  It can be anywhere you want, any type of bike - mountain, road, stationary, spin class - and it can be all at once or spaced out over the month.  Little sis Cindy also participated in this event.  I've been using Run Keeper to track my biking.  We had two East Side Bike Rides this month: on 10/2 we rode up the Monon Trail and back for a total of 11.02 miles; and on 10/16 we rode looped around downtown on the Cultural Trail for a total of 7.5 miles.  That puts me at 18.52 miles for the month, so I still have 12.48 to go.  I'm planning to ride Sunday to the B&O Trail and as far along it as I can go (it's not all paved yet), so that should finish this event/Pin.

Next up was the Haven Workout.  I created this myself (see the blog post from 10/4).  I modeled it after The Walking Dead workout which is popular on Pinterest, and tailored it to one of my favorite shows: Haven (SyFy, Friday at10pm ET).  It's been repinned several times, so hopefully other people like this too.  I have been doing it as I watch Haven on Fridays, and I like it.  It ends up being really heavy on the squats - they mention the Troubles A LOT.  If anyone else has tried this workout, please comment & let me know what you think - good or bad.


My third pin was this plank workout from Self magazine. I need a different strength training workout.  I didn't really like the one I used in my first half marathon training plan.  In fact, I don't really like strength training, but I know it's important.  It can help you be a better runner, and also help avoid injury.  It's not that I can't do most of them, I just find them boring.  I tried this one on Wednesday night, and I really did not like it.  Not only was it boring, but it felt really awkward.  One & done - I will not repeat this workout.


So - that's where I am.  Two pins done, one pin 2/3 done.  I'm on the lookout for one more strength training workout to pin and do, so post a comment if you have any good suggestions. 

2013 Walk to End Alzheimer's Recap

Our Granddaddy Teague

Yesterday I participated in the Walk to End Alzheimer's, a cause that is very personal to us since our Granddaddy Teague had this disease.  I walked and raised funds as part of a team from The John H. Boner Community Center, where I work.  We had 4 walkers, and with the support of our coworkers raised $243 to help fund Alzheimer's care, support, and research.

Start Line

We sold paper flowers and popsicles as well as collected donations.  We also had a day where everyone wore purple to work, but sadly due to time commitments were unable to get everyone together for a Purple People Picture.

Opening Remarks

It was a gorgeous day for the walk, which started at Military Park in downtown Indianapolis and went along the Canal and back for a total of 3 miles (there was also a 1 mile option).

Flowers Raised

Before the walk, opening ceremonies included fundraising awards and short remarks by families and patients with Alzheimer's; then a very moving moment where we raised our flowers in tribute.  I posted some pictures I took with my phone, but it's hard to really capture the size, scope, and emotion of that moment with a phone.

Flowers Raised

As we walked along the Canal, it was amazing to see the sheer numbers of people participating.  We were near the front of the pack, yet very early on we already saw people on the other side of the canal who had made the turn & were returning to the park.

At the turn, looking back

I have posted more pictures, but again it's just impossible to capture the scope of this walk from ground level with a camera phone.  It's also hard to capture just how beautiful the day was, and how beautiful the Canal Walk is.  It's one of my favorite places in Indianapolis.

From above, at the end

At runs and walks, I always love to see the outfits people are wearing, and this one was no exception.  There was a lot of spirit at the walk: many families and workplace teams in matching t-shirts, or wearing personal tributes to loved ones with Alzheimer's.  One team, which won a fundraising award, was all decked out in tutus.

Always someone in a tutu...

There were also a lot of dogs.  Maybe next year I will bring Sampson.  We even saw one dog jump in the canal and go for a swim.  I wasn't fast enough to get a picture of that, though.

 My heartfelt thanks to family, friends, and coworkers who supported our fundraising efforts this year and in past years.  Someday we will see the end of this disease.

Finish Line

Haven Workout

There's a Walking Dead workout that's popular on Pinterest (do 10 jumping jacks when someone kills a walker, etc.); and I've seen similar workouts for other shows. One of my favorite shows is the SyFy Original series Haven (SyFy, Fridays at 10 pm Eastern). I searched online for a Haven workout but couldn't find one, so I decided to create my own as part of the Pin It and Do It Challenge Trish is hosting. 

I'm going to try this out tonight while I watch Haven. If you are a Haven fan also, please Pin, Share, and Tweet, and remember to use #DiscoverHaven so we can get it trending again and get a Season 5. After you try the workout, come back & leave a comment -  let me know what you think. 

And if you aren't a Haven fan yet, what are you waiting for?  Seasons 1-3 are on Netflix, and you can catch up with season 4 on Here. #DiscoverHaven