The Chocolate Tour

I have been saying "Yes" to a lot of new things this year.
I said yes to Cathy inviting me to do the Philly Tri as a relay, and we all know how that ended:  with my car window smashed, and my thong panties in a shop vac.  (You're going to have to read my previous post to hear the whole story.)  But then I said yes to her offer to visit her on the Vineyard and despite a long trip there and back it was the best part of my year!  Riding our bikes along the scenic coastline into Oak Bluffs for a girls lunch was amazing and I wish we could do it every weekend.
After doing the 35 mile Tour of Lebanon County early summer, I have been putting in a lot of miles on my bike.  Often I ride by myself but finally I organized a group ride with my friend and spin class instructor Linda and another lady a few Saturdays ago... and easily did 25 miles averaging 14.5 mph.  So when my husband suggested I do the 50 mile Chocolate Tour, once again I said "Yes".  And then panicked!
What, 50 miles I must be crazy?  But Cathy had just done a 50 mile ride on the Vineyard and she said "you can do it" so there it was: a challenge hanging in the air waiting for me to respond.  I checked the route on map my ride and felt confident.  The best part of this tour was that 90% of the roads I would be riding on were parts of my regular route.  It is easier to do a distance ride when you know what to expect from the terrain.    
This tour is a very scenic route starting out on back roads from Hershey to Colebrook with 1 or 2 short but steep hills, through Mt. Gretna past the lake to the first rest stop 25 miles in to the ride.  Then another couple tough hills, and out 419 towards Schafferstown and looping back to Cornwall right near our house.  Around this point, I thought maybe I would be tempted to just go home, but when the time came I still had plenty of energy.  More back roads through scenic and peaceful farm lands to the next rest stop at the Gingrich Mennonite Church, only 10 miles to go after this point.  Incidentally, this was the best part of the ride, in addition to the well stocked rest points we had real bathrooms with running water at both stops!  At the second rest stop I had to stretch out my back and my neck was getting sore, but my legs were fine, I was feeling very strong.  I easily did the last 10 miles with my only issue being my sore neck and was happy to see that I averaged 13.1 mph, very respectable for my first 50.
So how does a typically low carb eater get enough fuel to do a 50 mile ride?  Well the day before I ate bread (gasp) as well as beer and pizza the night before.  The day of the ride I had 4 pieces of whole wheat toast, and half a banana beforehand.  During the ride I had 1 Detour Smart bar with 18g carbs and 10g protein plus an all natural fruit stick within the first 25 miles.  At the rest stop, another half a banana, and a bag of potato chips for sodium.  Then between the first and second rest stops another Detour Smart Bar.  Second rest stop, half a peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat and another bag of chips plus more banana.  Then on the last 10 another all natural fruit stick.  My basic principle was to drink fluids (Yoli Fun with electrolytes and Yoli Passion with caffeine) at least every 20 minutes and eat some fuel about every 40 minutes.  You must hydrate before you feel thirsty!
Later I calculated that I had burned around 1800 calories on my ride.  I was so pleased with my performance, I truly think the hydration and well spaced fuel played a major part in my success.  Aside from a sore neck, and a little sciatica at the end I think I could have easily done 60-65 miles.  After I returned to the venue, I ate a piece of pizza and pasta salad plus 2 bottles of water while I rested in the grass waiting for David to return from the 100 mile ride.  No, I am not ready to do 100 (yet).  

Swimming for Dyslexia

Happy to help support Dean on his last swim leg!

My husband Mike and his Mom have recounted the stories of his 1970s childhood when he was diagnosed with dyslexia and she would sit down with him at the kitchen table to try and help him read.  Back then, the advice given was simply "try harder" or "get new glasses".  Needless to say, it was a frustrating and tearful experience for both.  Just like we now know a lot more how to optimize performance in endurance sports, there are now much improved methods for helping dyslexic children to succeed.

A Vineyarder, Dean Bragonier, who also suffered as a child has taken up the cause by founding NoticeAbility, a non-profit that according their website was "Inspired by the neuroscientific discoveries presented in The Dyslexic Advantage, NoticeAbility’s curricula provide authentic inquiry experiences in vocational subject matters that capitalize on the neurological strengths of students with dyslexia: entrepreneurship, engineering, architecture and the arts."  To gain publicity for his cause, he spent the last month swimming the 50 mile circumference of Martha's Vineyard, 2 miles at a time.

I've become intrigued with marathon swimming lately after picking up a freebie book at the library about Lynne Cox, who at age 14 swam the channel between Catalina Island, CA and the mainland and went to break the English Channel record at age 15 in 1972 and again in 1973.  She then went on to accomplish many other swimming firsts, including swimming the 2.3 mile In the Bering Strait between Alaska and the Soviet Union in 43 degree F water in 1987 as a means to bring the two Cold War countries together.  She allowed for a lot of ground breaking cold water temperature experiments to be performed on her and ultimately became the only person to swim 1.22 miles in Antarctica's 32 degree water!

So after reading this, plus following two other stories this summer about one 63 old swimmer who attempted to swim the 14 miles from Martha's Vineyard to Nantucket in one shot (he unfortunately had to abandon his attempt with 3 miles to go) and a 28 year old swimmer who swam 25 miles from Cape Cod to Nantucket in just over 12 hours this summer, I became intrigued with Dean's story and followed his video blog (http://www.noticeability.org/blog/ )

Dean finished his swim on August 16 and invited the community to join him in the last swim leg along scenic State Beach, my favorite place to swim.  I opted for the 1.25 mile swim (after a 36 mile bike ride!) and while I couldn't keep up with him, I had people cheering me on along the way.  I finished around 50 minutes, which beats my Vineyard Tri 1.2 mile swim last year by 22 minutes (albeit the Tri was much tougher conditions!).

It's perhaps no surprise that people who have had to overcome dyslexia go on to overcome other aspects of adversity and become successful in their careers and endurance athletics.  NoticeAbility’s website says that 35% of entrepreneurs, 40% of self-made millionaires, and 50% of NASA employees have dyslexia.  But there is a flip side:  35% of children with dyslexia do not graduate from high school, and 50% of adolescents in juvenile detention centers and 60% in drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers have dyslexia. 

Just like the proper coaching methods make all the difference in athletics, the same is true with dyslexia, which is why Noticeability is making a difference to unlock the potential of students with dyslexia.