Almost There!

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, folks.
Pray that it isn't a train.
I made it through scary events number two (fundraiser) and three (Easter).
Ok, they weren't really scary but just stress inducing.
The fundraiser was, in a word, awesome!  I have my amazing family and teammates to thank for that, because I was as near a total meltdown as I have ever been that night. 
Normally I like to think that I am quite calm; it takes a LOT to ruffle my feathers.  I take great pride in the fact that I'm not an over reactor.  But you know what they say about pride...  I think that if you asked me my name in the hour before the event, I would have been hard pressed to think of it, let alone spell it correctly.  My wonderful cousin took the day off of work to help me out.  She and a teammate of mine set up all the food (chafing dishes of hot dogs and wings, plates, cups, ice, waters, chips, sandwiches..) and then re-arranged everything when the wind started blowing the sterno out!  All while I stood there staring into space, drooling, and forgetting what I was supposed to be doing next.  I honestly would not have managed without them!
But... I made it through!
We had fun!
We ate chocolate fondue!
AND... raised nearly $700 when all was said and done.
I was honestly hoping for more.  So many people put in so much effort for this event to come together.  I was hoping for $1200, but I'll take $700 - it is more than I had on Wednesday!
The bottom line is that we all had a great time, right?
I have to give a few major should outs to my amazing donors.
First of all, Thirs-tea corporation provided all the beverages for the event.  Not only that, but the president of the company helped me set up, clean up, and he provided the flyers for the event at no charge.  What a great guy that Ray Welch is, easy on the eyes, too.
Second, the owner of Boca Raton Melting Pot was there himself, serving chocolate fondue to all of my guests.  Yes, you read that right - delicious melted chocolate, served over your choice of fresh strawberries, pound cake, marshmallows, brownies, or rice crispy treats.  Oh, joy!  Not only that, but he provided an amazing gift basket for a raffle prize. 
Finally, Alise from Putt'n Around Delray Beach, the venue for the event, was so amazing.  Not only did she let us have the run of the place (I'm not sure their landscaping will ever be the same), but she gave me a donation back based on the number of attendees at the event, AND provided a four-pack of mini golf as a raffle prize!
My amazing, inspiring teammates were there in force to assist me - so much purple in one place - it was great!  I am humbled by their support, and forever touched by their kindness.

Saturday morning was another one of those long bike rides - you know, all this training is getting in the way of the fundraising and socializing (ha!). 
We rode sixty miles on Saturday.
Yes, 60.
On bikes.
All at once.
(Ok, we had two pit stops for food and potty breaks)
We rode our bikes from Boynton Beach to Ft. Lauderdale and back.
Seriously?
When we reached the turn around point, I looked around and realized just how far I have come.  I also realized how far away from home I was, and how I was never going to make it home by 11:00 AM, like I told my family.  One of my teammates looked at me, and said "We just freaking rode our bikes to Ft. Lauderdale - I don't even like driving this far." 
I cracked up laughing.
Well, it was that, or cry.
What else could I do? Call a taxi?
I forgot to mention the wind.  Oh, it was windy. Like, blow you off your bike in a crosswind windy.
But, I survived (barely).  I realized that I am still having anxiety issues on the bike - probably from the crash.  I'm going to need to get over it (or take a Xanax before every ride).  I'm not sure I have time for hypnosis therapy before June 5th.  Where would I squeeze it in?

Finally it was Easter Sunday.
He is Risen.
As was a certain six year old at 5:30AM.
"Mommy?" she presses her nose against my face in the pre-dawn darkness.
Forcing one eyeball open, "Yes?"
"I think I hear the Easter bunny."
Listening hard I reply, "I think it's just the rain."
"Oh, ok. Yeah, it's rain. Can I see if the Easter Bunny came?"
"Um, sweetie, it's a little early."
"Can I get in bed with you, then?"
"Um, sure," rolling over to make some room.
"No. I want to be in the middle."
sigh
We arose when the sun came up, and sure enough, the Easter Bunny came to our house.  Candy, toys, and treats for all.  Luckily he also remembered to get the coffee pot ready the night before.
That's one smart bunny.

Long time...

Yes, I know...  I haven't updated in a while.
It's not that I haven't been thinking of you all, because I have, really.
I just don't know where the time goes! 
Oh, wait, yes I do.
I'm a working mamma, married to a traveling man, trying to get in 20 hours of endurance training a week.  Not only that, but this week my own Mamma (my rock steady backup, babysitter, support system) has been out of town at my sister's house, AND I have been prepping for a fundraiser this week, AND I had my first triathlon of the season last week, AND I am trying to get ready for Easter, too!
I love you all, I really do, but...
This girl's gotta sleep once in a while!
Fortunately, my good friend and awesome teammate, Andi is VERY good about regularly updating her blog about training for the Tahoe ride.  I thought about simply posting a link to her blog and leaving it at that, but I don't want to seem rude.  Believe it or not, I blog a lot in my brain - unfortunately the thoughts never actually make it onto this site.  Maybe I'm more of a Twitter blogger - 140 characters, posted throughout the day, to keep you all up to date.
Nah, I wouldn't keep up with that either.
So, when we last left our hero (me), I was healing nicely from a bike wreck, but still complaining about it to whoever would listen.  I was breaking in a new bike (yay), and was waiting to effortlessly break the sound barrier.  I was beginning to stress about two big dates - the first April 17, the date of the FAU Wellness Triathlon (my first of the season), and the second date was April 21, the date of my big fundraiser.

Finishing the run at FAU - don't I look happy?

Well, the first scary date has come and gone... and I survived.  I was a little (ok, a lot) nervous about this race.  I signed up for this MONTHS ago, before I had even considered signing up for another Team in Training event.  I figured that is a sprint race (1/4 mile swim, 10 mile bike, 3.1 mile run) and it is practically in my backyard, so I had to do it!  And then... I signed up for a century ride.  And all of my spare time is suddenly being spent on a tiny hard bike seat (believe me, it's even more uncomfortable than it sounds) going 19-20 mph.  So, I didn't exactly get much swimming or running in before this race.  But, I did fine.  I finished strong and happy, and I'm sure I have my awesome bike coach to thank.  I am more fit now than ever.  I averaged 18.5 mph on the bike course which more than made up for my abysmal swim time.

Now, onto the next stress-inducing item... A Fundraiser!!  Because I just shook everyone in my address book down for donations to help me get to the Nation's Triathlon, I was a little sheepish about asking you all for money again, and decided to try and make it work this time around with a few fundraising events.  Tomorrow night is Putt'n for a Cure in downtown Delray Beach.  Yup, we're taking over the mini golf course for a good cause! I have had lots of donations of food and drinks, and a DJ, tons of raffle prizes too!  My incredibly awesome teammates are also coming along to help out; serving food, selling raffle tickets, and picking pockets if they have to.  I have most of the stuff ready to go, and just have to make it through to tomorrow evening!
If you live in the area, come on by!

I hate to look too far ahead, but I did sign up for another triathlon a while back (what was I thinking?).  This one is NOT a sprint race, though.  It's an olympic distance (1 mile swim, 25 mile bike, 6 mile run) race.  It is May 1st, and I am so not ready for this one, but what can I do?  I've paid the race fee, I have an offer to carpool and a free hotel, so I'm going.  I'll survive.  As long as I make it through the swim in Tampa Bay (ick), I'll be fine.  I'll be channeling Dory from finding Nemo (just keep swimming, just keep swimming).  I know I can bike the course, no problem, and I can walk the 6 miles if I have to, but I have to swim the swim - come on Dory!

How do I know I can bike the course with no problem?  Well, last week halfway through a training ride, I got a flat tire (boo).  Coach Bryan wanted to change it for me, but no, I insisted on doing it myself.  I could see him switch into "pateint parent of a stubborn toddler" mode when he realized I was going to delay him by 15 minutes or more as I learned to change a back tire.  We got it done, but I don't think I put it all back together right because my ride home was hard, very hard.  I could not get my bike faster than 16 mph, and even that was a struggle.  We were riding into a pretty significant headwind, but still, I was SLOW.  I figured that I was tired, maybe I was bonking, maybe I didn't train enough during the week, or eat the right foods last night.  Was it that ONE glass of wine? What was wrong with me? I beat myself up the whole way home, questioning everything, and then when I pulled in my driveway and got my bike out of the car, I noticed it.  My rear brake was rubbing on my tire the whole time. No wonder it was SO HARD!  So, yes, If I can ride 25 miles into a headwind with my brakes on, I am pretty sure I can manage that distance under normal conditions.

One of the many hills in Clermont, FL - it keeps going and going...

Speaking of difficult riding conditions, check out Andi's blog about our team trip to Clermont, FL a few weeks ago.  This was our chance to takle some real hills (yes, there are hills in FL), and it was a blast!

In the few moments before drifting off to sleep last night, I had a major "Bad Mommy" moment.  I can't believe I'm actually writing this down and admitting it to the world, but I realized that I have done NOTHING to prepare for the Easter Bunny's imminent arrival in my home.  Not one egg colored, no chocolate purchased, no basket at the ready.  I have no secret hiding closet full of plastic Easter grass, or a plush bunny rabbit (bad mommy).  Fortunately for me, it's only Wednesday night and Walgreens is open 24 hours a day. 
So, for those of you who ask me, "How do you do it?"  The answer is - I don't.  I just fake it really well, and depend on my awesome husband and my incredible mother to get me through.
Sigh.. until next time.

Hold onto your hats

I'm going to cram as much info into this blog as I can and STILL try and and make it to bed at a resonable hour...
My friend Mark calls blogging "shameless self promotion," and I can't help but think "Duh."  at least Mark's blog is about food and wine and stuff everyone appreciates.  Mark's blog has useful things like yummy recipes and wine recommendations (and believe me, he won't steer you wrong).  Mine is about me, me, me (and sometimes my family).  My life, my workouts, my bike, my fundraising (come on, send a donation!), me, me, me!  At least mine is proofread (most of the time) and generally grammatically correct, which is more than I can say for A LOT of the blogs out there.
Oh-well; I guess if you aren't interested, you don't have to read it.

Anyway...
My Fundraising is going well - I am 1/3 of the way there (can I get a whoo-hoo?), and I have a fabulous fundraising event coming up next month.  Stay tuned S. FL peeps, because you are invited to a fun-filled, family-friendly, festival of... wait for it... miniature golf!  That's right!  Mark your calendars to be in Downtown Delray Beach on April 21 at 6PM - yes, it's a Thursday night but the kids don't have school the next day.  I will have more info in my next posting.  I had hoped to post the actual flyer for the event, but apparently I had a copyrighted phrase on there (whoops), and I have to fix it.  Who knew that Putt-Putt was copyrighted?

Last time I offered to post my gory wreck photo (or not) based on which side voted with the most donations.  Well, the ayes have it.  You have spoken. So here you go...



Pretty, no?

Don't say I didn't warn you.  It's not too bad, actually.  The gash has mostly healed, thanks to the second skin-type bandage my MIL gave me, and the bruising has migrated down my leg and is now a lovely shade of yellow-green.  Still, I don't think I'll be modeling bathing suits anytime soon (okay, ever).
But, I was glad that the wreck happened when it did.  If it was a few weeks later, it would have happened to my NEW BIKE!!!

My new baby.  I haven't named her yet.  Any suggestions?

That would have been tragic.  I took the new girl out for a spin tonight with some friends on A1A.  We only rode about 16 miles, but it was a good ride.  I am not as fast as I hoped to be on the new bike, but I figure I just need time to adjust. Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely faster, but I was kind of hoping to be lightning fast on the new lighter ride, but guess what?  Even brand new bikes, paid for in cash with money you have been shaving off your paycheck  for months still require you to do ALL the work (pedal, pedal, pedal)!  The nerve!

Just in case you want the specs, she's a Trek Lexa SLX, a step below full carbon, but soooo much better than the blue steel dinosaur I have been riding!  Yay!!
I promise that I will no longer brag about my new bike.  I am just so VERY excited!

I am off to bed, as the reasonable hour has passed, and it is getting into way too late for me.
I have to be up at 4:00 AM tomorrow to leave for the airport.  I am going to Charlotte for my "nephew's" Bar Mitzvah.  Isabella and I have a 7:15 flight tomorrow (ick), but it will all be worth it to hang out with my best buds from college for three whole days.
Can I get another whoo-hoo?

Well, it was bound to happen.
I guess this makes me a real road warrior, now.
Yup, I've finally broken the seal and had a full-speed bike wreck.
You might remember a month or so ago when I first started training for Tahoe.  I embarrassed myself with a static (i.e. standing still) fall.  I had a few bumps and bruises - mostly to my ego.  Since then, we have been getting progressively faster and stronger.  We have been growing closer as a team and trusting each other.  On our last day at the training grounds (way out west in horse country), Bryan set us up for our first "time trial".  This is just you against the clock for whatever the course is - ours was set up to be just under 3.5 miles.   It was fun, and I averaged over 19 mph for this time trial.  I was pretty excited, especially because I am still on old blue Schwinn - I swear that bike must weigh 35 lbs!


Here's me struggling up Water Tower Hill. 
That's Coach Bryan in the lead

 After saying goodbye to our training grounds (sniff-sniff), we moved back out to the roads to get some serious miles in.  Two weeks ago, we rode from Jupiter, up to Hobe Sound, FL - roughly 30 miles round trip.  However, because we need to start getting some hills in (and good luck finding those in South FL), Bryan detoured us a few miles to a little place called "water tower."  This is basically a very long driveway with a very steep hill.  We were supposed to climb it 10 times, I managed 8 and called it a good effort.  We then rode home into a 25mph headwind (whoo!).

Just when we were all feeling pretty good, Bryan had to remind us about the 8 mile climb in Tahoe (gee, thanks) and how that's like doing about 100 water towers back to back.  Sigh...

That brings us to last weekend.  Saturday's ride was actually turning out to be great.  It started out cold (50's) with a 15 mph or so wind out of the North.  We ride north to start, so we struggled, but knew that we'd have an easy ride home with that wind at our backs.  Bryan (of course) detoured us to the Lake Worth Bridge and made us go over it 4 times, and told us we would be going over it 10 times on the way home.  Hey, it's South Florida - we've got to get our "hills" in where we can.  We made it 17 miles to the turn around point at the Lake Worth Inlet, and stopped to regroup and fuel with enery gels, sport drinks, water, whatever.. It was time to head home.  The wind was at our backs, yay! 
We were averaging around 19-20 mph and feeling good, joking around, maintaining a tight pace line, we even picked up a rider who was out there by himself and decided to draft us for a while.
And then, I heard it, and had just enough time to see the bike in front of me go down and think "NO!"
And that was it.
The next thing I knew, I was sitting on the grass looking in our Team Mentor's face - Kristen looked really scared and she was asking me if I was ok. 
I thought about it.
My head hurt - a lot. But, I didn't appear to have any broken bones, and I was concious, so yes, I was ok.


Remember this the next time you are
tempted to ride without a helmet.



We were all really shaken up.  Of our pace line of 5 (plus a hitchhiker), three of us had wrecked.  The hitchhiker stopped long enough to make sure we were okay, and then quickly got out of there - probably counting his lucky stars that he was at the very back of that pileup and had enough time to avoid it.  I don't think he'll be tagging onto another pace line anytime soon!

Upon further inspection, I was pretty banged up, and my helmet was cracked clear through.  Yup.  I hit my head hard enough to CRACK MY HELMET.  The egg on my head went down today (day four), and I don't think I've lost that many brain cells, but you never know...
I have one more picture I could post - but in the interest of not grossing you all out, I will refrain.  Despite wearing long sleeves, and long pants, I still managed to lose many layers of skin, in several different areas.  I'm not sure what I hit my hip on, but it looks like I was beaten with a baseball bat. 
Hmm, maybe I should post that picture.  Something like that is sure to get me some sympathy donations, right?  Plus it is pretty risque (well, sort of).  I'll have to think about it...
Coach Bryan did actually post a picture of my hip (and some other parts of my anatomy) on his Facebook page - however, he took it down after my not so gentle request.  So, if you are friends with him, you've seen it.  But, of course the pic he posted was fresh (ie: bloody) but not bruised.  Now, well, it kind of looks like Isabella went a little psycho on my leg with several (red, blue, purple, green) magic markers.
Maybe I should put it to a vote -
Let's see... How about I will post (or not) based on how much money I raise on my fundraising page?
It's easy!  Simply click on the fundraising link up in the upper right corner (or go to http://pages/teamintraining.org/pb/ambbr11/leannewelch).  Make a donation (any amount - $1 - $1000), and post your vote in the comments section (post that picture versus burn that picture).  By this time next week, based on which side raises the most money, I will change my profile pic to the bloody bruised (and somewhat dirty) naked hip photo, or I will not.  Your choice.

Good Times

These tickets can be yours!
Keep reading to find out how.

Has it really been three weeks?
Well, dear reader, it has been a busy three weeks!
Traning is going well, Coach Bryan is proving himself to be an excellent coach (not that I had any doubts, TNT doesn't hire any slackers), and I have managed to stay upright on my bike long enough to let my boo-boo knee heal.  I am still plodding along on my trusty old Schwinn, but my bike savings account is big enough now where I can start shopping!  Who doesn't love shopping?! 
I must admit that I am a little nervous about the shopping part - isn't that weird?  It's kind of like shopping for a car, I guess.  I know basically what I want, and how much I have to spend, but as for the rest of it, I'll have to trust my local bike shop to not rake me over the coals, and make sure it fits me right.  Thre are so many different components to know, and pick, and price - do I want an "off the rack" model or can I get a better deal by getting all the parts separately?  I promised Coach Bryan that I would not base my decision solely on the color (maybe I had my fingers crosed a little).  I'll probably start shopping this week - stay tuned!
My fundraising is off to a very slow start, but that is my own fault - I haven't been pushing anyone too hard (you're welcome).  I'm planning several fundraisers, so hopefully those will get me most of the way there.   
I had my first fundraiser this week - a jewelry party at my house.  I invited lots of people, and had 12 women attend the actual party.  We had so much fun playing games, drinking wine, eating snacks, and trying on all the beautiful stuff. Many who couldn't make it to my house pre-ordered from the catalog, and at the end of the night, we totaled over $1100 in jewelry sales!  The Premier Designs consultant is going to donate 25% of sales to my fundraising and I sold raffle tickets to win one of my free hostess gifts.  At the end of the night, I had raised over $400 towards my goal! Whoo-hoo!
My next fundraiser is a raffle for two pairs of AMAZING seats to the FL Panthers game on March 10.   These seats are in row 13, section 116 - close enough to see ALL the action, but not close enough to get any blood on you (always a good thing).  And, dear reader, these tickets can be yours.  Simply click on my fundraising link (over on the top right) or go here: http://pages.teamintraining.org/pb/ambbr11/leannewelch
and make a tax-deductible donation of at least $5.00.  For every $5.00 you donate, I'll give you one ticket for the raffle - the drawing is on March 3, so don't delay!  You know what?  I'll make you an even better deal!  I'll give you THREE raffle tickets (yes, three) for every $10.00 you donate!  Now, how can you pass that up?
Disclaimer: Two prizes available: each consists of two tickets for the March 10, 2011 FL Panthers hockey game.  Prize does not include transportation to the game, but does include parking.  Prize does not include beverages or food, so you're on your own for the hot dogs and beer - Hey!  It's a fundraiser, folks!

It hasn't all been fundraising and bike training, but I don't blame you for thinking that - I'm getting a little obsessed.  I did manage to take a trip down to Miami last week to visit with some of my best girls for a little girls getaway.  Well, you can get the thoughts of bikinis at the beach, and cute cabana boys out of your head.  The actual purpose of this weekend was getting some peace and quiet and the chance to work on our scrapbooks for a few uninterruped days.  The only problem is that I don't scrapbook.  I worked on one page (a gift for someone), made Isabella a friendship bracelet (these are all the rage among 6 year-olds), tried to remember how to cross stitch (I'll finish this one in a few years), and mostly watched in awe as my friends made magic on their own scrapbook pages.  I probably annoyed the heck out of them as well, but that's what friends are for!  It was a relaxing getaway, and a reminder of how truly blessed I am to have such good friends, and a wonderful husband who not only did not gripe about me leaving for the weekend, but cleaned the house, did the laundry, and finished Isabella's homework with her! 

Ouch

So the big lesson this week was a physics lesson; the law of gravity to be more specific. 
One pays a price for breaking the law.
You know me.  I am brave, but not a daredevil.  I am not blessed with a great sense of balance, and I respect this.  I also respect gravity.  I do not like the sensation of weightlessness (unlike the rest of the daredevils in my house).  I avoid "falling" type of rides; you know like the Tower of Terror, Dr. Doom's Freefall, any sort of catapult or bungee, and there is NO WAY you would get me on ANY of the rides on top of the Stratosphere in Las Vegas.  You can forget skydiving or bungee jumping.  I can't even watch it on TV!
This "safety switch" so to speak, has served me well.  I managed to get through an entire season of triathlon training without falling off my bike.  There were several times that I had to use the "Force" to stay upright.  But I did not fall.
Until Saturday, that is.
Sigh...
I should have known before I even got to practice.  We were meeting at 7:30 AM (or so I thought).  I was happily making my way to the training ground early Saturday morning; listening to some tunes, drinking my coconut water, and munching on my peanut butter and toast.  I received a text from one of my teammates that said, "R U Coming?"
I thought, what is she talking about?  It's only 7:20, I'll be there in 5 minutes!
Then I panicked - uh-oh!  Maybe I should check my paperwork at this red light - ARRGGHH!  We were supposed to meet at 7:00!!!
I'm Late!
To the first official training!
Cue the stomachache and cold sweats.
I almost turned around and went home in shame.
But, since I was 5 minutes away, I perservered. 
As I pulled into the parking lot, I saw everyone was just getting on their bikes.  The coach came over and I'm sure he said some thing clever.  I couldn't hear him over the frantic apologies (mine).
The bottom line was this: They weren't going to wait for me, but I could catch up.
Good enough for me.  The time alone on my bike gave me a few minutes to compose myself and promise NEVER to do that again!
I eventually caught the group and was christened "The Snail."  I could live with snail.  I like snails.  They are kind of cute. And delicious with a little butter and garlic.
We warmed up with a 7 mile ride and started the drills designed to get us more comfortable on the bike (ha-ha). One foot pedaling, balancing, gearing up and down, sprinting and stopping... I actually did okay.  For a while.  And then I didn't.
Funny thing about being clipped into your bike.  You can't get your feet out when you are panicking. Without your feet free, you stand absolutely no chance of getting free of the bike as it is falling.  Even when you aren't moving forward.
Gravity is not just a good idea - it's a law.
So for violating the law, I paid the price.
Twice.
Ouch.
They call what I did a "static" fall.  This is the least dangerous, and the most embarrassing (of course) of the ways to fall off your bike.  Somehow I managed to land on my left knee both times.  I must remember to tuck and roll the next time gravity starts enforcing its law.
I am okay. Nothing is broken. I was wearing my running tights over my bike shorts, so the abrasions are not nearly as bad as they could be.  The swelling and the limp should be gone by tomorrow, and I will have to get back in the saddle and try again.
The bruising should be spectacular, though!

Here we go again!

Yup... I've committed myself to another event with Team in Training.
(Is that a collective groan, and slamming shut of checkbooks and wallets everywhere that I hear?)
This time I am participating in a century ride.  In case you were wondering, that is a 100 mile bike ride (yes, all in one day). 
This one is called "America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride" and takes place around Lake Tahoe.
I do realize that Lake Tahoe is in the mountains.  And, yes, I also realize that it will be cold.
Yes, I will be training for this in S. Florida.
(there are no hills here)
I must remember to check the elevation of the ride - how much oxygen is in the air up there?
I'm a sea level kind of girl.

Well, this is all about challenging myself, right?
If you followed my adventures while I trained for my last event with the Team, you know that I was a little, well, challenged on the bike.  Maybe pathetic is more like it.  But, I stuck with it and perservered.  I did not crash (many did), I refused to fall, and even when my bike computer (speedometer) quit working at mile 9, I kept on pushing.  I finished strong and with a smile.  I did not set any course records, and I was passed by many while I was out there, but I did it.
More importantly, with your help, I raised over $4500 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!
Money that was used to fund cancer treatments, research, patient education and support, and to bring us one step closer to a cure.  How awesome is that?

And, that's why I'm doing it again.
Because every four minutes, someone new is diagnosed with a blood cancer, and every 10 minutes someone loses their battle with leukemia, lymphoma, or myleoma. 

And, despite my issues on (and with) the bike, I CAN do this.  And I am going to do it for those who can't.

We had our first training ride on Saturday, and it was a humbling event.  Our cycle team is made up (so far) of half alumni and half newbies.  The alumni (me included) have decided to really challenge ourselves on the bike and form an "elite" bike team.  This team is committed to maintaining at least 18 mph on the bike for the entire ride.  We all met in Jupiter on Saturday morning, shivering in the sub-60 degree weather.  Go ahead northerners, scoff away!  We were chilly! 
The ride was cold, fast, fun, exhausting, and yes, humbling.  My coach told me that I was "white knuckling" the whole ride (duh).  I told him to ask Coach Lisa how far I have come.
I found out that I cannot average 18 mph on the bike, despite my best efforts - even on the flat surface of A1A.
I cannot do this... yet.
But I will.
Come along with me.
http://pages.teamintraining.org/pb/ambbr11/leannewelch