Today I managed to complete my 30 mile ride. We started at Marymoor Park near Redmond and rode down the east side of Lake Samamish through Issaquah and a little past the Hang Glider parking lot and back. I had a new saddle and I am sore now (although it still wasn't as bad as the first time when we only did 13 miles). I also had new foot cages for the pedals. The right one was a real help when starting as I could pull the pedal up into a better position. The left one is being removed before the next ride as I had so much trouble getting it turned in the right position for putting my foot in with the result that it dragged a lot. The last few miles I was getting cramps in my right back and periodically had to stop and stretch and walk it out a little before getting back on the bike. Thank goodness for all the good support we have with Team in Training. The others in my group kept waiting for me even though they could easily have finished way before me. Thanks too for everyone's prayers which helped keep me going.

Sunday I was so tired after my Saturday ride I made it a day of rest.

Monday I went to an ANG meeting. Afterwards some of us went to a nearby nursing home and shared our stitching with the residents there as part of National Embroidery Month. That evening I went to the YMCA and spent some time on a stationary bike so as to get in some pedaling exercise as it was too rainy and dark outside to ride outside (at least for me).

This morning I had a pilates class. This is for strength training. It is the type done with an exercise ball. This means that leg lifts, pushups, etc. are all done while balancing on a large ball. My very smart teacher put me next to a wall which I definitely needed for some of the moves. One of the exercises we did today was pushups from the ball which reconfirmed what I already know: I have very little arm strength. Things will improve.

In the afternoon I went to a luncheon at St. Stephen's and had a great time visiting with a lot of old friends.

I am starting this blog as a way to keep my supporters updated on my training schedule for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Team in Training (TNT). I first got involved with TNT in 2003 when my daughter talked me into training with them for the San Diego Half Marathon that year. I went from complete couch potato to walking 13.1 miles with the help of the coaches and the support from TNT. My next foray was in 2007 when I did the Nike Women's Half Marathon in San Francisco. When I saw that there was going to be a Rock 'n Roll Marathon in Seattle I considered signing up until I saw they had a 4 hour time limit. I am very slow and there is no way that I could complete that in 4 hours. However when I was talking with my daughter I mentioned that the Seattle to Portland Bike Ride looked interesting but I was very unsure about my ability to do it as it had been years since I had been on a bike. So she put me in touch with the coach and he convinced me that maybe I could do it. Therefore I am now committed to training for the Seattle to Portland Bike Ride in July, all 204 miles of it.

Why am I doing such a crazy thing? In addition to being good for my health I like to feel that I am doing good for others by raising money to combat Leukemia and other blood related diseases. My son-in-law is alive today because of the strides we have made in leukemia research and I want those benefits to continue for others.

My first training ride was 2 weeks ago. It was about 13 miles and I barely made it. Yesterday we went on a training ride around Lake Samamish (about 24 miles) and I did much better. I am still the last one in but I did not feel as tired as I did on the first training ride. I am now much more hopeful about surviving this training and accomplishing my goal. For anyone who wants to donate the web site is: http://pages.teamintraining.org/wa/stp09/kandersetm . Both my daughter and I are fund raising for the cause. She is running in the Seattle Rock 'n Roll Marathon in June and I will be doing the STP in July.