John Fullerton

This post will be about others who participated in the day’s events.

This has been a rainy spring and Saturday morning was no different.  It rained throughout the night, presenting some challenges in the morning.  The weather was less than perfect but riders and volunteers came anyway. The forecast predicted better weather by the time we began and it had cleared up some by the time the first group left St. Vincent’s 119.  The rain ceased by the time the 37 mile and 20 mile group left an hour later.  I had originally planned on riding 64 miles but then on Friday changed to 37 miles.  In the end, I rode 20 miles.  Because of the weather, my role as chair of the event, and wanting to be back at 119 to help with anything that needed to be done, I turned around at the first rest stop.  My co-captain for Team Red, John Fullerton, also decided to turn around at that point.  We rode back in together.  John led the team to raise over $20,000 this year.  It is an honor to work with him on this event.

I also want to recognize Michael and Angie Rosen.  They were new members on the Tour de Cure committee this year.  Michael’s  team, Team Phoenix, raised over $16,000 with Michael raising over $10,000 of that total.  He and Angie put their hearts and souls in making Tour de Cure a success and I cannot thank them enough.

Why we ride

We have great support from local bike shops.  Bike Link was out doing pre-ride adjustments on bikes and Cahaba Cycles was on the route for SAG support.

Donna Sibley leads and organizes volunteers. This is a huge job and she is fantastic at doing it year in and year out.

We also have a fantastic group of HAM radio operators and SAG drivers who patrol the route, stop traffic at busy intersections and work to keep all of the riders safe.  JVann Martin leads this dedicated group of volunteers and we appreciate them every year.

Finally,  none of this would be possible without the dedicated staff at the ADA office.  Aimee Johnson, executive director, leads a group of staff and interns who work for hours and hours on our events.  Taylor, Virginia, Lindsey, Rachel, Katie, Angie – I know I am missing some of the interns and apologize for that.

We ride to raise money to support programs and to fund research to find a cure for diabetes. This year our goal is $170,000.  So far, Tour de Cure participants and sponsors have raised $157.000 towards that goal.  We still have a month to complete our fundraising efforts and, hopefully, we will reach that goal.

Bike Link

Finishing the ride

Michael Rosen and Millie Jackson

I met Jerry shortly after I came to Tuscaloosa and before I took up cycling.  Once I started cycling, I saw him out on the roads and rode with him many times.  We shared a passion for raising awareness about diabetes and for finding ways to educate people about the disease.  Jerry and I spoke quite a bit about fundraising efforts and how to get people involved in Tour de Cure. We shared our successes and our frustrations in our efforts. The morning of Tour de Cure he told me he had 26,000 miles on his hand cycle and that it was time to buy a new one. He also told me that he wanted to be an inspiration to others – he wanted people to see that diabetes was not a limitation for living life to the fullest.  Jerry did inspire all of us and will continue to.  This year, as in the past, he spoke before the riders left. He also spoke at our kick off event.  In fact, I think he tried to encourage people every chance he had to do so.

Jerry speaking at the kick off for Tour de Cure

Jerry inspired me to try harder and to continue to work to raise awareness about diabetes.  He was a man of faith as well.  One of the last things he said to me this morning was that no matter what was going on in our lives there was always someone who had something worse. He believed that God watched over him and I know he did.   As I sat and waited at the emergency room for his brother to arrive, I had an image of Jerry’s smile in my mind. I think he now looking down over all of us, smiling.

Live life to the fullest.  Find your passion and pursue it.  Don’t let your circumstances limit you. This is how I will remember Jerry and will try to honor his memory by following my passion.

photo by Jenny Ruley

This is the third year that I will participate in Tour de Cure, one of the main fundraisers for the American Diabetes Association.  I have chaired the Alabama committee this year, though I have fantastic committee members who have really done most of the hard work in Birmingham.

Tour de Cure Alabama kicks off at 6:30 am Saturday morning.  There is still time to come out and ride with us.  There are several routes ranging from 20 miles to 105 miles.  The ride is well supported with great SAG and ham operators.

Why do I ride in Tour?  Because of all my family members who are diabetic.   Because I want to see funds raised for research to find a cure and to provide education and support for those living with diabetes. I have seen first hand what this disease does to a person’s life and it is not pleasant.  Let’s help find a cure together.  Come out and ride with us Saturday if you live in Alabama or find your local Tour de Cure and participate in it.  You can also donate to an individual or a team through the link above.

I arrived at Lake Guntersville on Friday afternoon. The rain had not yet started and I was hoping that maybe it would hold off.  I talked to the Race Director who said the swim would now start at the boat launch instead of the dock.  It turned out to start from the dock though on Saturday morning.  I’m not sure what changed.  I drove the bike course and tried to drive the run course but I think the run course might be partially on a trail.  The first three miles of the bike course are in the state park and are fairly hilly.  There were some sections of flat road outside the park but also some more hills.  In the rain I knew the course would be treacherous. Krista Schultz called me on Friday evening and we chatted about the options. It was good to talk to her about the race and other things.

I checked into the Lodge and had dinner.  My room overlooked the lake and had a balcony.  I got all my gear together and tried to figure out how much I needed.  I had gone home to pick up a few more cold weather pieces but I wondered how much good they would be in the rain?  The rain finally started and it rained all night.

At 5:15 am I woke up, stepped out on the balcony, listened to the constant downpour and felt the 40 degree cold and wind.  I  went back inside, texted two friends who were also planning on racing and said I was going back to bed.  I have nothing to prove here and I don’t want to get sick or injured just to do a race. I sent an e-mail to the race director so he would know I was not coming.  Then I went back to bed.  I heard from both friends.  Neither one raced.  Both went and set up and then also decided it was not worth it to be out in the cold and rain.  Later I saw another friend who also decided not to race.  And when I arrived home I heard from a friend who was the USAT official for the race who said several people either stopped or dropped out on the bike course.  It just was not a good day for racing.  I know there were people who finished.  Good for them. I had to decide the best course of action for myself and that course was not to put myself in a situation where I might face injury.  The roads were pretty wet and slick and there were puddles all over.  It would not have been a good ride for me.

Raleigh 70.3 is June 2, less than a month away, and that is where my energy will be focused for the next few weeks. As Sam told me months ago, all the races leading to Raleigh would just be training days. I’m looking foward to the trip and the challenge of the race.

I was almost last in line.  There were 3-4 guys behind me and they all looked like they could swim right over me.  That made me nervous. (One was actually back stroking so I probably would have been ok.)   I really dismissed the news article that appeared yesterday because I know that Team Magic is not going to put us in a river where we would be put in danger. The other thing weighing on me was jumping in the cold water, even with a wet suit on, and being too stunned to move or losing my googles.  (Losing my googles in a major fear since I only have sight in one eye. I can’t see much without my glasses as it is.)

We were supposed to jump out away from the boat.  I was wondering what would happen if we didn’t get far enough out. Would we get sucked under the boat?  That made me nervous. What if I couldn’t jump out away from the boat?  I really didn’t think I would sink that far with the wet suit on but I knew I would go under water. But when my number was finally up, I just could not do it.  It looked too far – both down and back to the dock.  We had to round a slight bend and my depth perception was giving me problems with seeing. I knew that when I got in the water that I would just being looking for the next buoy and be siting for the tent in the park.  I also knew a jet ski or a boat would be near by.  The designated last place finisher went in but I still couldn’t.  Everyone was very kind and tried to help me and encourage me.  I could have gone in from the sprint start just to get in the water. It was not my day to jump off a boat into a cold river though.

I have never been much of a jumper.  My mom kept from jumping off things as a child or out of trees or things that most kids do.  She was so afraid I would get hurt or would lose the sight in my good eye.

I could have also gone ahead and done the bike and run but I was pretty drained from trying several times to make myself jump off the boat.  In the end, I just gathered everything up and went back to my room and packed.

One of the cardinal rules of triathlon is “don’t do anything new on race day.”   I had several new things on this morning that I really had no way to practice ahead of time.  The river venue didn’t allow for getting in the water before the race like other venues do.  This is a great race venue, by the way, it is just not what I have been used to doing.  Getting in before the race helps me calm down some.  I was repeating, “it’s only water” to myself and I know that is true. I also have brand new tires on my bike, but I am certain they would not have been any problem at all.

The positive side was meeting other team members from e3tri.  How fun!  And they all had great races!  I also felt very supported by the Team Magic group, Cathy Pagani, Brian Darr, and by my friends who posted on Facebook.  Thanks to all of you. Special thanks to Trish Seay who came to cheer for me and found me when she couldn’t spot me on the course.

Oh, and I learned how to put on my wet suit. Not all was lost.

So, now I go forward.

I have also been riding quite a bit.  My training is increasing as I get closer to Raleigh.  Last weekend I rode in the Old Howard 100. I only rode 45 miles but it was a good ride.  It was colder than I thought it would be and it was fairly windy that day – going out and going in.  Odd how that happens.

I also finally visited Greensboro.  We rode through the town but I stopped on the way home to visit HERObikes and Pie Lab.

I have also rested this week.  I found that I was fairly exhausted between training, work, other commitments and the end of the semester.  I just needed a bit of rest.  I’m ready to get going again.

Transition area

I arrived right as the transition area opened and choose a spot near the bike out and run out.  That means I had to run farther from the pool, but it had me closer to where I needed to be for exits to the other legs.  I set up my area before many people arrived and took my extra things back to the car (like my tri bag).  I was glad I left my jacket for later because I did need it for the bike.

Swim

I looked at some of the people behind me and realized I had overestimated my time but I was not terribly nervous about it.  I was number 161 so I had to wait quite a while to get in the pool.  I took the time to mark areas so I could tell where I was.  The Ole Miss symbol was about one third of the pool length and the Ole Miss sign was another third.  That really helped as I swam.  I was finally to the front but did not look at the clock before I got in.  I had also decided to just let the chip time me and not wear my watch.  This is unusual for me but I think it helped me remain calmer.  I was immediately passed by the high school girl behind me but we had been talking and I had told her to just go around me and I would stay to the side.  I had thought through the things Sam has told me over the past three years and I swam as he has been having me practice with a catch-up as we continue to work on my stroke.  My googles filled up with water about half way down the lane.  I’m not sure what was going on but that slowed me down a little bit.  I also had some trouble at the walls. I had practiced on Friday but hadn’t practiced going under lane lines enough.  Since most of my races are open water, lane lines are not an issue.  That probably cost me about 2 minutes over all though.  The very good things were that a) I did not freak out in the pool, and b) I did freestyle the whole way for the first time.  There were people passing me but I expected that.  I passed some of them in later lanes as they did breast stroke and back stroke.  I just kept going, one lane at a time.  The other good thing was that I could get out of the pool without the ladder this time so I didn’t lose the time going back to the ladder to get out.

Ole Miss Pool

T1

I don’t have my transition times yet.  They were a bit slower than I would have liked, but faster than other races. Combined they were around 6 minutes so faster than the last time, and maybe most of my races so far. I did have to put on my jacket because it was colder than anticipated and the wind was fairly brisk.  I figured with a wet top that the jacket would help and I was very glad I had it.  I had everything set up to get into pretty quickly.  The slowest item is my gloves.  I need to get those on faster but I just bought a new pair that are actually tight like they are supposed to be.

Bike

We rode the route yesterday and it had been really windy and there was lots to traffic.  Today was better.  There was not much traffic and the wind was not as bad, though there was a strong head wind returning.  As I expected, I did better today because I was able to get on my aero bars and go.  I had a few issues trying to get past some beginners; however, I passed a lot of people who had been ahead of me in the pool.  My max speed was 27.2 miles per hour – I did have my bike computer.  Coming back there is a residential area and it was a bit congested with traffic.  The bike lane ends right before you have to turn onto Jackson Ave and go back into campus up a hill.  It’s a bit hard going but I made it through.  The hardest hill again was Sorority Row.  I think it is because it is so close to the end.  It is not very long but it seems steeper than it probably is in reality.  I made it back to the Turner Center, dismounted at the bike line, did not fall off my bike as I did the first time, and went on to T2.

T2

I really just had to put on shoes and socks.  When I arrived at my bike spot someone had their bike in my spot.  Since she was standing there, I just asked her to move her bike over and she did.  I left my jacket on and probably should have left it there but I did not want to take the time to take it off.  It was still a bit chilly.  I proceeded to the run out and was on my way.

Run

Ole Miss is hilly.  The run out goes right up a gradual hill and I ran up the whole thing.  I was feeling a little slow at the beginning.  My legs had really been burning during the hills on the bike this morning.  There were lots of students out working the event who cheered at every turn and that really helped me keep going. I even ran up Rebel Drive.   After the second water stop, my speed picked up.  I still didn’t have my watch but I could feel myself picking up momentum.  My run has been slower the past few weeks but I have started heading back to lower times.  Once I reached the Grove I knew that I didn’t have far to go and that there were not anymore brutal hills.  I finished the race in 1:59:59, good enough for 3rd in my age group.

Nutrition

This is the first race that I really executed a written nutrition plan, thanks to Krista Schultz’s help.  I think it really helped.  I still need to figure out what to eat on the bike and how to get it. I had a protein shake and yogurt for breakfast and then started drinking Heed while I set up.  Before the swim I had some shot blocks. On the bike I had Osmo and while I ran I had some more shot blocks and water at the water stations.  I had planned on eating the shot blocks on the bike but I only drank on the bike.

In sum

I’m fairly  happy with the results of this race.  I really thought about it as another training day because my big race is coming up in June.  I would have liked to be a bit faster in the pool and on the bike but those are goals to continue working towards. I was much calmer than I think I have been for most of my races to date.  I went out to have a good workout and to have fun this morning. It was great fun to stay with my friend Carol and to hang out with and race with Ashley.  After the race I went to Square Books to meet John Pendergrass, a 6 time Ironman who started racing Ironman at age 60.  I bought his book and talked to him for a while.  His story is inspirational and I am looking forward to reading his book.

Next up for triathlon is the Capitol of Dreams Olympic Distance in Montgomery.  The swim is open water and wetsuit legal. It should be an interesting challenge and I will work the next few weeks to prepare for all three legs and the transitions.

Swim 16:57 (3:05 faster)

Bike 51:45 (17:20 faster)

Run 43: 51 (2:07 faster)

Ashley and Millie before the race

3rd place in Age Group

Here are more signs of change:  The photo on the left is my transition area and bike in 2011. The photo on the right is my new Felt tri bike and my very scaled down transition area.  I don’t think I was entirely set up in the 2011 photo. I can’t imagine that even then my helmet was on the other side of my bag. But I had a lot of stuff and had to put on clothes in-between the swim and bike.

This morning started out at Big Bad Breakfast again, this time with Carol and Ashley.  Then we drove the bike route.  There are now bike lanes on part of the road. There are a few hills, but nothing bad.  Later today I will go pick up my packet and get in the pool for a short swim. Hopefully I will also get out on the bike today.  It is a beautiful weekend.

Big Bad Breakfast

More to follow.

Carol