Success!

Well, in keeping with my tradition started last year, I successfully completed my Livestrong Challenge ride. And once again, I was a long way from the first one to finish, but I was not the last person either. In fact, I believe I had a few more people behind me this year when I crossed the line than last year.

Our morning started out with the buses leaving at 5:00 AM to take us to Dripping Springs High School in the Texas hill country, the start and finish for the ride. The ride kicked off a few minutes late at 7:45 AM. I crossed the finish line a little before 3:30 PM. The volunteers were great and there were about 9 rest stops along the way.

The Texas hill country lived up to its name and the rolling hills alone would have been challenging enough, but add in the rough chip and seal pavement and the Texas winds, and the last few miles were a real fight. I did have one minor hiccup along the way. At about mile 8, we had a low water crossing that actually had streaming water running across the roadway. I slowed to cross but everyone started yelling to walk. Attempting to walk (at least at that point) was probably my key mistake. My front wheel was already in the water when I unclipped my left foot. As soon as the metal of my bike cleat hit the concrete, it was as if I was trying to plant my foot on ice. I went down, but only sustained a minor scrape and a knot just below my calf muscle. Fortunately, I did not take anyone else with me. So, up I got, a little damp, and continued on.

At this moment, Jana and I are delayed in the Austin airport. We have to connect through Dallas Forth Worth on to Orange County and there are thunderstorms in the Dallas Fort Worth area delaying flights. We'll get home eventually, but it may take a trip or two to the airport to round up the luggage and the bike. See you all soon and as always, thanks for your support.

We're Here!

Friday was a very busy day. Our morning started around 4:30 AM to make a flight to Dallas Fort Worth and then on to Austin. Shortly after arriving, we had our picture and autograph session with Lance Armstrong. Once that concluded, we were off to a private BBQ party at a wild game ranch with music by Jack Ingram. This was a really nice treat. The 400 acre wild game ranch has a lodge built for such occasions situated along the top of a hill with beautiful views across the horizon, especially so at sunset.
One thing that makes this ranch unique is the owners also own and run Texas Disposal systems and apparently have been noted for their green techniques in handling waste. On part of the land is the wild game ranch with all varieties of deer, elk, antelope, and even a giraffe! It was something to be driving in on the single lane road and watch elk, and deer bound across the fields.
Today, at 11:30 was our private ride with Lance, which is a great treat and his buddies from Six riding club did a great job helping everyone along. The ride started at a local restaurant and winery. The food was great as was the socializing. The picture above was taken during the brunch.
Tonight we are off to the appreciation dinner for all of the Austin participants who raised $5,000 or more along with all of the Ride for the Roses group. Then, tomorrow, the ride! The country side is beautiful, but the wind and rolling terrain are a little concerning. I've already told Jana to plan on socializing with friends all day because, I'll be on the bike...... ALL day!

How Hard can it Get?

Wow!  Packing my new bike has turned into a 3 ring circus.  Earlier this year, I purchased a Specialized Roubaix Pro bike.  The idea was to get back to a more traditional road bike from my flat bar road bike, which has become my commuter.  I knew the design of the Roubaix was different, but had no idea how difficult it would be to find a cased to pack it in.  The case I used last year with my flat bar bike, was a definite no go.  I searched and found another case at Performance, brought it home, and it is a no go as well.  As my last resort, I made contact with a local bike shop to rent their case.  It is a professional level case, which means it has plenty of room and should work.  The bad news is it is so large; it looks like I’m pulling a small coffin behind me.  I can only hope there is enough room in the PT Cruiser for the case, the luggage and Jana and me at the same time!  I’m glad I started to attempt the packing in advance.

 

The Week is Upon Us!

Well, as you can see by the photo, I am in the process of disassembling the bike and getting it ready for the trip. The good news is it looks like it will fit in my travel case. I was a little concerned as I have not traveled with this bike yet. I still have some creative packing and padding to do, but it looks like it is a go.

Training over the last few weeks has gone pretty well. I've managed quite a few rides in the 50 to 60 mile range, and one ride of 75 miles. My total for September was just over 500 miles of cycling which is probably my best ever recorded month. Granted, they were slow miles but they were miles. I should get another ride in this week by commuting in to work. Mainly, I need to focus on getting rest and stretching between now and the ride.

It promises to be a fun weekend with lots of activities. We should be getting a final itinerary sometime tomorrow. I plan to update this blog several times between now and the end of the weekend. Hopefully, there will be pictures depending on cell phone access and how quick we are with the camera. Thanks to everyone for your support! Check back soon!

Milestones Reached!

On Monday, the Helms family managed to hit a few milestones. I managed to increment my birthday candles by one (for a total of 44). That is not a particularly impressive feat since it mainly just requires one to keep breathing! But Jana completed her first half marathon by finishing the Disneyland run on Monday as well. If you are interested, check out the results. She did well for her first attempt and did so in sweltering heat. It had to be at least 80 degrees or warmer at the 6:00 AM start time. She is now trying to get me to do the Huntington Beach half marathon in February. The crazy thing is I am considering it!
But, I still have a century to complete. Training is going pretty well. Last weekend I was able to get in a 60 mile ride and this past weekend I managed a 54 and a 20 mile rides on Saturday and Sunday. Those days were not exactly cool either.
I was officially notified yesterday that I have been invited to participate in the Ride for the Roses Weekend again this year based on my fund raising level. Jana and I both are excited about that opportunity. In addition to the century ride in Austin, we get to attend some limited attendance events, and one of which is a small group ride with Lance Armstrong. Quite a treat! Thanks to everyone for your support!

More of Livestrong in the Presidential Election

I received this information this morning....

Watch Meet the Press with Tim Russert. I will be a guest on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday, August 26, talking about the LIVESTRONG Presidential Cancer Forum. Check local listings for times and channels.

Watch the LIVESTRONG Presidential Cancer Forum. MSNBC will webcast the LIVESTRONG Presidential Cancer Forum live at 10:00 am CT on August 27 and 28. MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews will be broadcast live from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, each night. >> Click this link on Monday, August 27, and Tuesday, August 28, to load MSNBC.com's video player to watch the Forum. >> Check MSNBC's local listings for times and channels to view Hardball with Chris Matthews on MSNBC on Monday and Tuesday evening.

Summer Time Colds Stink!

I've spent the last 4 or 5 days fighting off a summer time cold that started as allergies, or so I thought. One thing for certain is that colds stink and I think summer iterations are the worst! I'm pretty much on the back side of it now and was able to ride the bike into work this morning, my first ride since last Saturday. The good news is that is was my fastest time ever for that particular loop. I suppose taking a couple of extra days off really rested my legs. Don't get me wrong, I'm still slower than Christmas, but it was a fast ride for me.
With just over 7 weeks to go, I will be increasing distance this weekend. I'm shooting for at least 60 miles. I also need to increase from there for the next several weeks.
On the weight loss front, I have made a little progress, but only about another pound. I seem to be staying in the 187 to 188 range the last week or two. The good news is the goal of 180 or less by Austin is still a workable option.
More importantly, I thought I would pass along some Livestrong news. You have probably already heard by now, but if not, the Livestrong organization is hosting a presidential candidate debate focused on cancer agendas of the candidates.
From the Livestrong organization:
"As of this week, Democratic candidates Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator John Edwards and Governor Bill Richardson have confirmed their participation for the Democratic LIVESTRONG Presidential Candidate Forum on August 27. Republican candidates Senator Sam Brownback, Governor Mike Huckabee and Governor Tommy Thompson have confirmed their participation in the Republican LIVESTRONG Presidential Candidate Forum on August 28."
It will be carried on MSNBC so, tune in to see what the candidates have planned!

Ouch!

Today, I lost a faithful friend, one that has accompanied me on many rides. Early morning commutes, and heated afternoon rides were never too much to ask. My friend sacrificed his shell (and himself) this morning near the end of my commute. I was actually at the end of my ride and I was wheeling through our open factory area toward my office, when I had just cleared one obstacle (a fork truck) only to have my handlebars corralled by a metal cart.
As the law of inertia states, a body in motion tends to stay in motion unless acted upon by an outside force. My bike was acted upon by the metal cart. I was acted upon by the concrete floor! The good news is the helmet did exactly what it was designed to do. It absorbed the impact of my head hitting the concrete floor thus cracking the helmet. The bad news is that I had to go buy a new helmet tonight so that I could ride Saturday morning. So, here's to faithful old friends! Now where did I put that new helmet.....

Linking to My Ride Data

In an earlier post, I mentioned I had a new tool. Well, I thought I would try posting a link to some of the data. It is pretty interesting if you're into things like that. Be fore warned, the performance data is not very impressive but how the software extracts the various pieces of information and presents them is. Hopefully the link to my training data takes you to the motion based web site and my ride info. The ride is one of my more challenging rides which goes through Santiago Canyon.

Nearing 10 Weeks to Go!

Well, I just checked the calendar and this Saturday will mark the 10 weeks to go mark. My training for the month of July has not been too bad. I was even able to get in a ride or two during some vacation time. During July, we were treated with a visit from my brother and his family who traveled down from the Sacramento area.

The picture posted here is my son Dallas on our trip to Las Vegas. He is turning 16 tomorrow!

As I said, July was actually a pretty good month as mileage goes. In the past 18 months, July was my second highest mileage for a month. The only higher month was last June and that was because that was the month of my 2006 LiveStrong Century.

I have also set another target for this year's LiveStrong century. I want to be at or below 180 pounds the day of the ride. So far, I've managed to drop about 3 to 4 pounds over the last several weeks from 192 to 189. I may not be much faster, but reducing the weight I'm carrying by 12 pounds or more has got to make things a little easier. Over the next 10 weeks, I'll try to post more often to update my progress on both fronts, mileage and weight! Thanks for reading. If you have not had a chance, visit my fund raising site.

Less Than 14 Weeks to Go!

Well, it has been a few weeks since I last posted. Since I returned from Europe, I had the pleasure of having my son, Dallas, visit from NC for about two weeks. It was unfortunately a short visit, but it was a good visit. Next week, my brother and his family are coming down from central California for a visit, and we're really looking forward to spending some time with him and his family.

I'm still able to get several rides in each week by commuting to work once or twice as well as a longer ride on Saturday and occasionally a Sunday afternoon. This past weekend I was able to get in a 44 miler on Saturday to the beach, and a 25 mile loop on Sunday afternoon. Earlier in the week I rode to work on Tuesday and then a mountain bike ride with my son on July 4th. So all in all, last week was pretty good.

This week I made a partial ride into work, but at mile 16 of 24, I had a flat. Despite having spares, air and patches, a series of unfortunate events, led to me walking a few miles and calling for a pickup ride! I hope to get in a couple of rides this weekend as well.

Over the next week or so I will be making a little more detailed training plan for the 12 week period leading up to LiveStrong ride in Austin. I also must ramp up my fund raising, so watch your inbox for incoming requests!

By the way, training with the Garmin Edge 305 unit is really a treat. I'm still slower than Christmas, but it's really interesting to look at the data. If I can figure how to post a ride and make it available to the viewing public, I'll post one of my less embarrassing endeavors.

Back from Europe

Well, I just returned from Europe this past Saturday evening. It was an interesting trip and it was good to meet many people face to face that I had previously only shared emails with. Unfortunately, there was no training to be had. The best I could manage was a few strolls around town in Limberg Germany. Not exactly a bike ride, but some of the hills are a steep walk. It was, however, very beautiful country.

This week, my son Dallas arrives for his summer visit. Unfortunately, it will only be for about two weeks, but it will be good to spend some time. Maybe I can get him to accompany me on a ride. The only downside is that he will probably out ride me even though he has done no training. But, as a wise man once said, youth is wasted on the young (or something like that...)

Anyway, the next week or two will probably be hit or miss on the training in order to spend some time with my son. After that, the regular training will need to kick in. I think after my son returns, I have about 14 weeks. End result, I've got to get training AND fund raising!

Off to Europe

Well, this week I am in Europe, so training will definitely be an after thought. I have been pretty regular over recent weeks, so hopefully, a week off will not be too bad. I imagine it will be more psychological than physical. I have also found the information from my new bike computer to be very informative. It is early yet, but I do hope to find that sliver of data that may show some improvement soon!

Today, I am in Northampton UK and will travel to Diez Germany on Wednesday. We are proposing some system changes in the company I work for and I am visiting our two locations in those countries. So far, UK has been very interesting and I am adjusting to the whole right side drive cars and driving on the left side of the road. I arrived on Sunday afternoon and things were pretty quiet. So, other than car travel in general, nothing of note.... yet, but I'll keep you posted!

A New Toy ... I mean Tool

Well, I have been considering purchasing this new device for some time now and I finally took the plunge. The device is a Garmin Edge 305. It is an all in one bike computer that keeps track of heart rate, cadence, speed, altitude, distance and includes a GPS. You can then easily download all the data into a pretty neat array of software.

The graph is just an example and this particular one shows one of my shorter training ride loops. (You should be able to click on the image to see a larger version.) It is only 24 miles and everything goes fine until around the halfway point and I have to make my way back. Hopefully, by recording my rides in more detail I'll gain a little confidence or at least have a better understanding of the terrain I'm training on. The other nice thing with all this data is surely, I can find some glimmer of improvement somewhere!

Dual Challenges

I thought I would also mention that I am participating in a second challenge with my wife Jana. That challenge is we are pursing adoption through the Independent Adoption Center. Much of the challenge has been in preparation which has included paperwork, tests, home inspections and of course, our birth mother letter along with our web site. We have finally completed all those components and now are waiting and networking. As part of our networking, I thought I would make mention of it here and include some links here.

A link to our adoption web page is located in the Links section of this page as well as below:

http://web.mac.com/sbhelms/iWeb/SteveAndJanaHelms/Welcome.html

To find out more about open adoption, visit

http://www.adoptionhelp.org

Until next time!

Blogging Renewed!

Well, I have officially launched my fund raising for the 2007 Livestrong Challenge. So, I thought I should also renew my updates in the off chance someone might be interested in how things are going.

This year, I will be riding in the Austin, Texas Challenge. The Livestrong Challenges have been decreased from the 5 events held in 2006, to only 3 in 2007. Of the three, I thought Austin would be the most fun and is actually just as close or closer than the other two. It also coincides with the Ride for the Roses Weekend in Austin. If I meet my fund raising goal, I will be invited to participate in those activities as well. The picture above was taken at the 2006 Ride for the Roses Weekend. About 30 participants had a short private ride with Lance on Saturday morning. It's not everyday that you get to ride beside a 7 time Tour de France winner!

Thanks to everyone for your moral and financial support!