One Month

Hard to believe there is only one month left until Trans Iowa. In late August I underwent a Bankhart procedure to repair my chronic dislocating shoulder. A week later, with my arm in a sling, I was on the spinning bike at the gym. The week after that I was on the back of a tandem. I knew I needed a goal to keep me motivated through my therapy and to keep my weight down. I remembered reading about the Trans Iowa race and decided to give it a try. I have lost my my sister, grandmother, and aunt to cancer. Late last year, my mother was diagnosed with cancer. Therefore, I decided to also use the race as a fundraiser for The Lance Armstrong Foundation. Here is the link to my fundraising page: http://www.livestrong.org/grassroots/transiowav3. I started my training and weight loss schedule in December. My goals were to lose 20 pounds by race date, stay healthy, and be riding 25 hours a week in March. Two out of three ain't bad. No injuries (despite a few crashes) and I have lost 22 pounds since my surgery. Between work, family, and our great Michigan weather, I have fallen short on my time in the saddle. I am not complaining, just stating the facts. My mileage for the year is at 2335. I am still working on getting the Rig ready for the ride. I put aero bars, extra water bottle cages, a different stem, and seat pack on last weekend. Today I took the bike out for an hour ride, and I like the setup. I have decided to go with 36:16 gearing with tubeless Crow tires for the race, weather permitting. Tonight I went to Austin's wrestling banquet and took Avery to the school playground to play. Avery enjoyed the slide, but got a little too dirty for mom.