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!