Touring and Curing

Hey Jeni! 

Doesn't time fly when you are having fun! I checked out the blog today to learn that I haven't written you in two weeks. Where the heck did the time go? 

Oh yeah, that's right! I've been cycling, working, and then working at the gym even harder (oh yeah!). 

My vacation to Belgium is in a week and I half and my bag isn't even packed! But I have been getting ready to debut that summer bod! 

But let's go back to the Tour de Cure. I am happy to report that I had a very very successful ride this year. We rode the metric century (62.5) miles at a 15mph pace while supporting a wonderful cause (American Diabetes Association). 

Here we are at the starting line:

Here we are at rest stops throughout the way:

And our lovely bikes that got us through:

Overall I am very pleased with how everything went. I rode with my teammate Keri throughout the entire ride and met with other cyclists that I knew during the ride. 

Two things improved from last year

#1 I raised more money to stop diabetes! 

#2 I completed the ride faster and with less pain compared to last year 

Both of these things make me very happy. 

How have you been? How is your bike? Any biking plans coming up? 

Xoxo

Jenne

"Tour"ific Training Thursday

Hey Jeni!

Glad to finally hear from you. I love your hydration pack, I see those often on runners. You'll have to keep me posted on how it works for you.

Right now, I am a month away from my metric century Tour de Cure ride for the American Diabetes Association. The focus is on training and working out all the kinks so I have a smooth ride! I also need to give a shameless self promotion here to my donation page as I am trying to raise $1,000 to stop diabetes!

Some of my tips as below:

1. Hydration- I try to always keep hydrated at all times so I can be ready to go. I typically drink at least half of my body weight in water daily.

2. Be mindful of the kinks and address them ahead of time- I seem to have hip flexor trouble so I ensure that I am stretching my problem areas. I have noted a few kinks when I ride so I am planning on a bike fit. I also use knee braces to ensure that my joints stay supported and moving the way they are supposed to.

3. Comfort-I focus on comfort while riding. My bike purchase was all about the feel of the bike. I have found my preferred pair of bike shorts (Louis Garneau). I am a bit concerned about your blisters and chaffing! Have you tried any of the chaffing prevention? I used to use chamois butter while biking but I grew out of it.

My training ride went great! I felt full of energy. Here is a picture of a part of our group:

I am also planning on taking a longer ride on Sunday. We'll see how I make it. I will have to continue stretching and recovery as I get into the cycling season. I often find that yoga keeps my honest with the status of my joints and muscles. 

I'm glad you like the recipe! I have another one that I will share with you tomorrow. Do you have any good recipes that I need to know about? 

Keep up the good work and keep me posted on everything!

Xoxo

Jenne