Some days, the sun is shining and it is easy to find the motivation to get outside and ride. Other days, the sun stays hidden behind a sky of grey clouds while Mother Nature decides if she is going to cry or not. These are the days when memories are created and bonds are joined. Especially when I have friends who are willing to chance the risk of a rain ride on a cold "winter" day with me.
Pro license?
Update for those who happened to know and for all of those who didn't which is the majority ;P
During the RAAM Ohio 400 at the beginning of the month, I experienced some knee swelling. This wasn't a big concern of mine because that has become normal for me. I give it a couple of days rest and they tend to feel better. Unfortunately, after about 19 days and the swelling/pain still there, I went to see Dr Herring at Advanced Orthopaedics. We had an MRI done on Monday night and I got the results back yesterday.
THERE IS NO TEAR! It did uncover the reason behind the discomfort which we are working to correct in order to help prevent it from becoming so bad in the future. Although, I have been given the OK to return to any exercise I can tolerate I will be keeping it rested for the remainder of the week as I have almost achieved my Professional License in Channel Surfing ie cleared the DVR of all recorded shows.
In all seriousness, I am chomping at the bit to get back to work on the bike and out riding with everyone again. Look out November!
Ohio RAAM Challenge Update 3
Good Morning!
Talking to Andy this morning he said "last night went fairly well." Which is fantastic news. Night rides are always Andy's hardest segments. However, he was able to power through with only one 15 minute nap around TS 5. Right now, he is passing through Greenfield, OH, which is mile 330, and is in great spirits and is very alert.
After making the turn northbound towards Columbus, he is reporting a slight headwind. He and the crew are very anxiously awaiting the sunrise. Right now its still pitch black outside and Andy has commented at times his visibility is low, but nothing abnormal for riding in the middle of the night. According to google sunrise is at 730 AM, and we are justing seeing the first signs of it now. Jenn said, "this is the first blue sky we have seen in almost a week .... Beautiful and a wonderful sight."
Unfortunately, the University district still gave the crew some navigational problems, but this time the correction was made much faster.
Here's hoping for a strong finish! Keep the positive messages coming, they make a huge impact on Andy's riding.
#NothingToItButToDoIt, #bemore, #LiveRed, #LightenUp, #speakUp
Talking to Andy this morning he said "last night went fairly well." Which is fantastic news. Night rides are always Andy's hardest segments. However, he was able to power through with only one 15 minute nap around TS 5. Right now, he is passing through Greenfield, OH, which is mile 330, and is in great spirits and is very alert.
After making the turn northbound towards Columbus, he is reporting a slight headwind. He and the crew are very anxiously awaiting the sunrise. Right now its still pitch black outside and Andy has commented at times his visibility is low, but nothing abnormal for riding in the middle of the night. According to google sunrise is at 730 AM, and we are justing seeing the first signs of it now. Jenn said, "this is the first blue sky we have seen in almost a week .... Beautiful and a wonderful sight."
Unfortunately, the University district still gave the crew some navigational problems, but this time the correction was made much faster.
Here's hoping for a strong finish! Keep the positive messages coming, they make a huge impact on Andy's riding.
#NothingToItButToDoIt, #bemore, #LiveRed, #LightenUp, #speakUp
Ohio RAAM Challenge Update 2
Andy is at the halfway point! He is around the 200 mile marker and riding strong. As we posted on Facebook, the rain stopped around 5:00 pm and it looks like we should be mostly cloudy with no rain for a few hours.
The sun went down about an hour ago, so the crew car is in mandatory direct follow until sunrise. Night riding is tough on Andy mentally and difficult on the crews' eyes... a combination of fatigue and Andy being decked out in reflective clothing which reflects into the crew car.
For "dinner" Andy tried out a new recipe which was a giant fail. He was not a fan of the cheesy BBQ quinoa balls. Good thing we have a seemingly endless supply of PBJ. He has also been enjoying apple cinnamon quinoa bites, oatmeal energy balls, and an egg frittata.
The crew is anxious to redeem ourselves from a few years ago when we got a little confused navigating through The Ohio University. The crew has foggy memories of hard to read signs and party revealers all over the streets. That part of the course this year is around mile 245, at least it should keep Andy and the crew awake for a few miles.
#Nothingtoitbuttodoit, #LiveRed, #LightenUp, #SpeakUp, #BeMore
To see live tracking, find rider 410 on here: http://ohio.raamchallenge.com/rs/index.php?N_webcat_id=465
Shop to support Andy and become a virtual crew member: https://squareup.com/market/andywelch-dot-net
The sun went down about an hour ago, so the crew car is in mandatory direct follow until sunrise. Night riding is tough on Andy mentally and difficult on the crews' eyes... a combination of fatigue and Andy being decked out in reflective clothing which reflects into the crew car.
For "dinner" Andy tried out a new recipe which was a giant fail. He was not a fan of the cheesy BBQ quinoa balls. Good thing we have a seemingly endless supply of PBJ. He has also been enjoying apple cinnamon quinoa bites, oatmeal energy balls, and an egg frittata.
Photo source: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/242479/cheesy-bbq-rice-bites/
The crew is anxious to redeem ourselves from a few years ago when we got a little confused navigating through The Ohio University. The crew has foggy memories of hard to read signs and party revealers all over the streets. That part of the course this year is around mile 245, at least it should keep Andy and the crew awake for a few miles.
#Nothingtoitbuttodoit, #LiveRed, #LightenUp, #SpeakUp, #BeMore
To see live tracking, find rider 410 on here: http://ohio.raamchallenge.com/rs/index.php?N_webcat_id=465
Shop to support Andy and become a virtual crew member: https://squareup.com/market/andywelch-dot-net