Tour De Cure 2011

Almost a couple years ago I participated in the American Diabetes Association's Tour de Cure in Fargo, ND with another friend.

This year, on June 4th, 2011, I will be cycling in the American Diabetes Association's Tour de Cure fundraising event. I will be riding with my sister, Steph, who was recently diagnosed with TYPE 1 DIABETES this past summer. Along with her hubby, and possibly a few other friends, we will be riding 25 miles in Minneapolis, MN!

Each mile I ride, and the funds I raise will be used in the fight to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. Through my sister, I have have learned that it is so much more than pricking her finger and taking insulin multiple times a day. I have seen how this has changed her life and how she is still learning to make the most of it. She has been so positive in almost every way possible.

I will not beg all of my readers to donate to this cause. However, if you feel the desire to support such a great cause, no matter how small or large, your generous gift will help improve the lives of nearly 24 million Americans who suffer from diabetes, in the hope that future generations can live in a world without this disease. Together, we can all make a difference!

If you are interested in making a donation, please refer to my fundraising site by clicking HERE and leave a comment with this post. And, thank you, in advance for helping to make a difference!

P.S. For those of you unfamiliar with my sister, check out her blog HERE.

Swim Practice, Tour De Cure, and Tri Training

Now that I waited 4 days before posting about Thursday's Swim practice, I cant remember what we did. Sorry! However, the temp was in the low 60's, cloudy and I learned a new drill. All in all, I swam 2200M that morning!

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Saturday morning was the Tour De Cure ride for Diabetes.

Check-in time was 8am and we left around 9:00am for the 32 mile joy ride! When we took off it was about 70 degrees, sunny, and not a single breeze. There were about 30 some riders that rode the 32 mile route. I finished in about 2:15:00, about 14mph speed. It was pretty slow, but a very enjoyable ride.

I want to thank EVERYONE for all the donations and wondeful comments! It was a great ride! Here are some pics from that day....

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Week 8 of Sprint Tri Training:
Monday:
REST
Volleyball
Tuesday:
Adult Swim Team - 2200M Total
4x200M (Free/Kick/Free/Kick)
4x300M w/:30RI (using pull bouy & swim paddles)
200M c/d
Wednesday:
Run - 1.27 miles
Bike - 5.07 miles
Run - 1.75 miles
Thursday:
Adult Swim Team - 2200M total
Friday:
Run - 2.6 miles
Saturday:
Tour De Cure - Bike -32 miles, 2:15:00, 14.22mph
Sunday:
REST

Pretty decent week. Knee is doing better, but still not 100%. I'm telling you, it's super weird.

A Whole Bunch of Randomness

3 weeks until the 32 mile Tour de Cure ride. Thanks again to all those who have donated thus far, and if YOU would like to donate, please feel free to check out my website!

I haven't been outside to ride my bike YET! That is rediculous. But, things have been crazy busy with end of school year stuff and busy weekends. Next week, I look forward to getting out there and enjoying the warmer temps!



Well I gone and did it. Just when I didn't think I could go and get any crazier, I joined a local swim team.

A few months ago, a friend-of-a-friend's was hoping to get some sort of adult swim sessions set up Tues/Thurs mornings with the Y, but it never worked out. Now this, my friends, couldn't have come at a more perfect time. It's 4 weeks long, Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 6-715am, and will finish up the week prior to my triathlon! And, it's at the outdoor pool so I hope it warms up by June 9th because it's going to be shock to the system at 6am!

Here's what it looks like:

Adult Swim Team: This program is for swimmers ages 19 and over who can swim 50 meters or more without stopping. It is for participants who wish to stay fit or who aggressively competein swimming or triathlons. Coaches will be on deck to improve stroke technique, endurance and speed. Workouts will be written specifically for all levels on the team.

I am so excited, but nervous at the same time. I really hope this is going to help with my swimming! I know that I have lots to work on and look forward to hearing what the coaches have to say! (I think)

Other than that, this week has been uber busy and I have been barely able to post, let alone comment on a few blogs here and there. Tuesday night I was busy with volleyball and I didn't go to softball because my Dad was in town on his way to the cities. Last night I had plans to grab a drink with the ladies from work, get groceries, mow my lawn, and get in my trainer ride. Today I was able to get in a 2-a-day with a morning speed work and afternoon trainer ride. And shortly, I am off to meet a couple dear friends for dinner!

Tomorrow is already Friday AND the last day of school! Saturday morning I am heading to the cities with a few friends to celebrate my sis' 25th birthday! Once I return Monday I will have more time to catch up with y'all in blogland!

Until then, have a wonderful weekend!

Tour de Cure and Sprint Tri Training

My training for the Sprint Tri in July is going pretty well. Overall things look pretty good and are feeling really good... which makes me really happy! I look forward to doing some even longer rides to prepare for the Tour de Cure in 4 weeks!

Week 3 of Sprint Tri Training:
Monday:
Run 1.5 miles
Bike 10 miles
Tuesday:
REST (was supposed to have our first set of games for softball this night but got rained out)
Wednesday:
Run 3.43 miles, 42:00, 12:14/mi avg.
Thursday:
Swim - 1200M
Friday:
REST
Saturday:
BRICK
Swim - 1200M, 22:00, 1:50/100M
SPIN- 23.09, 1:05:45, 21.07mph
Sunday:
Run - 4.53 miles (outdoors)

This coming week's workouts are going to be a challenge with leaving town for a long weekend. But, I will make the most of the time I do have. Then, the following week our pool is closed for a week which makes me very angry, but what can you do?!

I am off to enjoy the sun and warm weather on my patio with a book. I sure wish I had some nice patio furniture but my camping chairs will have to do! That stuff is super expensive!

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! Only 9 more days left of school! Lovin' it!

Tour de Cure, Super Blog, & Meme

I want to shout out and say THANKS to those who have donated to help me in the fight against Diabetes. I have been thinking about the Tour de Cure for the past couple of days and look forward to building my long rides to be ready in June! If you are interested in donating, feel free to check out my last post, or just click the picture on the sidebar to the left! THANKS AGAIN, fellow bloggers!

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Ashley, over at Journey to Better Me has given me an award! She says my blog is SUPER! Now isn't she so sweet? What a doll!

The rules are: tape the award on your blog somewhere and pass it along to 5 fellow super bloggers. Then comment on their blog to let them know how lucky they are today! When you present your Super Blogger awards, link back to the Super Blogger who gave it to you :)

Choosing 5 fellow blogs to pass this award onto is super hard. There are so many great blogs out there! But, as required, I have narrowed it down to the "required" 5:

1. Amanda over at Run To Finish.... I love reading her blog and not just for all the give-aways she has! She is constantly sharing recipes, challenging bloggers with her nutrition challenges, sharing product reviews, talking about her running, and I love reading her gratitude list! ... In my mind, she lives life to the fullest with such a great attitude! It's starts to rub off on a person after a while! :)

2. Kelsalynn...is awesome! She is constantly pushing herself above and beyond, and is a great source of motivation for me and many others!! She rocks when it comes to CrossFit and keeps reminding me of how great it is... and she can do 170 real push ups!

3. Steve over at Steve in a Speedo?! Gross... this guy is always up for a challenge! He's fast! He's hilarious! and he's Gross! And he's now organized a Triathlon Training Club! You never know what he will be up for next!

4. Carolina John at Smoke Training... I look forward to each and every one of his posts. Sometimes I find myself laughing out loud reading them. And he's got some mean gardening skillz! He is training for B2B Half Iron and almost got me to sign up for it this year. This man is the guy who introduced me to Tri Power... which in return "fixed" my knee. What else can I say about the guy... he is pretty high on my pedestal. (plus, I think he shaves his legs more than I do!)

5. Jess over at 21 Days... I think I have been following her blog since I started blogging a few years ago... and vice versa. She is a fellow runner, avid reader, awesome bowler, and very witty! And... she's expecting her first baby! 10 months out of the year I find myself jealous of the warmer !

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I have seen the following meme floating around blogland for the past month or so, and just thought I would dive in myself. I know. You guys are super excited to learn more about muah!

8 things to which I'm looking forward....
1. The end of the school year... the next 10 days are going to be long.. .the kids have already begun shutting down.
2. The Tour De Cure ... 32 mile ride to fight diabetes!
3. My first outdoor triathlon ... July 11, 2009
4. Family trip to NYC in July
5. Teaching summer school
6. Spending many afternoons on my deck this summer
7. Getting my own puppy
8. Going to a Twins game

8 things I did yesterday....
1. Ran on the treadmill
2. Tri Power strengthening routine
3. Worked
4. Played with the dog
5. Read a bit from the book Culture Jam... for book club
6. Did some much needed blog reading
7. Watched American Idol
8. Fell asleep watching the Twins

8 things I would like to do....
1. buy furniture and grill for the deck
2. Read more classic books
3. Work towards my ASD Credentials
4. Do another Half Marathon
5. Train for a Half Ironman, before I turn 30
6. Do a Contiki Tour in Europe
7. Cycle in Europe
8. Take a couple weeks to backpack, hike, and camp in the mountains

8 shows I watch....
1. Mike & Mike in the Morning
2. American Idol
3. Dancing with the Stars
4. Two and a Half Men
5. PTI
6. Medium... when I am still awake for it
7. Today Show
8. Anything sports related.....

8 people I tag...
This has been going around for a while so if you haven't done it yet, I tag alls y'all! :)

Tour De Cure

In December, I had jotted down a list of races and events for 2009 that I would potentially be interested in doing. About a month ago I looked over that list again, knowing that my knee is healing fast and I am feeling strong enough to get back into training.

That was when I came across the Tour de Cure on my list. Initially, I struggled with choosing the distance I wanted to ride as well as the idea of having to "ask" people to help me raise the required $150. It wasn't until now that I made the decision to participate, full-fledged.

On Saturday, June 20, 2009, I will be riding 32 miles in the American Diabetes Association's Tour de Cure fund-raising event. I am not going to beg you to make a donation, but want you all to keep in mind that even $5 will make a difference if you choose to do so. I think it is possible to raise twice the required denomination, setting a goal of $300. If you would like to donate, click here to go to my Tour de Cure web page and proceed to click the "Click Here to Sponsor Me" button. I have also placed a link in my sidebar if you choose to come back later and donate. All donations are tax-deductable.

Our efforts will help set the pace in the fight against diabetes. No matter how small or large, your generous gift will help improve the lives of more than 23 million Americans who suffer from diabetes, in the hope that future generations can live in a world without this disease. Thanks!

Sidenote: If you have a friend or family member affected by diabetes and would like me to ride in "honor" of them, please feel free to share their name and/or story by emailing me at teacherwoman80@gmail.com, or leave a comment in this post. Between now and June 20, I will be taking stories and names, and will figure out a way to have those with me on my ride.

Thanks again,

Stacy
(aka. Teacherwoman)
http://main.diabetes.org/site/TR?px=4461255&fr_id=5600&pg=personal