City Park Elementary School Mountain Bike Presentation

This past Friday, Zeke, Bruce, and I gave a presentation/show-n-tell at my daughter's school.  It went off without a hitch, especially since it was basically a repeat.  Bruce was able to reinforce the importance of wearing a helmet.  He crashed last week on his road bike when the tube blew apart at the seam, blowing the tire off the rim and sending him headfirst into the pavement at 20mph.  Except for a cracked helmet and abrasions down the left side of his body, he was o.k.  His bike was another story ... about $1500 in damage.  So he was able to use his body as show-n-tell.  I think he really got through to the kids!  At least I hope so, since when I asked a number of them if they had a helmet to go with their bikes, they said no.

Zeke incorporated life lessons in to his mountain bike stories.  Things like always be prepared, be humble, respect others, don't be told you can't do anything because you are a girl, and man up.  Zeke also talked me up quite a bit, but what he did not know was that while he was doing that, I was talking him up just right across the hall.  Those kids definitely know now that neither gender nor age can come between you and your dreams.

I talked about nutrition and tried to get down on their level by taking a couple characters from the movie Cars.  Simply put, if you want to be fast and endure like Lightning McQueen, then you need to incorporate lots of fresh fruits, vegies, and lean meats into your diet.  But if you indulge in too many fatty foods and sugary snacks, then you will end up slow and broke down like Mater.  I told them to get their parents to stick to the perimeter of the grocery store and don't make too many trips down the aisles.  We also had a quiz where I held up two foods and they told me which one was healthier.  These kids know ... they got it right every time!  They just need their parents to set a good example and help them stick to the right food choices.

At the end, Mrs. Johnson's class presented me with a big poster wishing me good luck in the Burn.  A lot of other kids also made individual cards for me.  Carly and I thought that was awesome!

I wonder if I made an impact on these kids.  I did not have to wonder long.  On Sunday when I was in Ingles shopping in the produce section, a lady towing 2 kids and a husband, ran up to me and asked if I was the one who had given a presentation at City Park the other day.  Before I could say yes, she was graciously thanking me and telling me that I did make an impression on her daughter.  Instead of buying the usual cookies and chips, today they were purchasing lots of fruits and vegetables.  Wow!  I was amazed.  I told Nicole how proud I was and that her food choices would make her smarter and stronger.

I can only hope that I influenced more like Nicole.  Looks like I will be going back to the schools next year!

Schwag

My sponsors have been gracious enough to send some goodies to me to help with my Burn 24 Hour fundraiser. 

 

So come find my pit area when you arrive.  Make a minimum donation ($10) and guess how many miles I will cover in 24 hours.  The closest will win the schwag above.  And that is not all of it ... there will be more to come.

As of now, I am up to $133/lap.  Pretty good, but I can do better.

Today is a 2 hour road ride followed by more packing ...

Gearing Up

In a few hours, I, along with Zeke and Bruce, will be giving our presentation/show and tell to the kids of City Park Elementary School.  Carly seemed to be excited; she dressed in cycling apparel this morning.  Hopefully we can get a few kids excited about being on the bike this summer!

Here is a clip from the 2009 Burn 24 Hour:

Burn 24 Hour Mountain Bike Race from Eric Crews on Vimeo.

T Minus 9 Days

The Burn 24 Hour will soon be upon me.  Coach has gotten my body dialed in.  Last weekend I went over to the course in Wilkesboro and did an 8 hour dress rehearsal.  10 laps later, I was feeling great and confident that I could reach my goal of 25-30 laps.  Amazing what I can do if I just listen to my coach and keep the power in L2, unlike the previous 8 hour test I did at Raccoon Mountain.

Stumpy ('08 SJ) will be my primary bike.  With the extra inch of travel and relaxed geometry, this bike will keep me as comfortable as one can be racing for 24 hours.  I rode her last weekend and was pleasantly surprised at how well my body felt afterward.

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The cockpit has all the necessary items.  A picture of Carly to keep me going when the going gets tough.  I will be racing with the PowerTap as this is my "security blanket."  And it will keep me honest.  Yeah, it is a bit heavier, but I will gladly take the weight penalty. The hardest part will be watching everyone ride away on those first couple laps.

The Ergon GR2 Leichtbau carbon grips will keep my hands happy.  The bar ends I will use not for "out of the saddle" mashing, but for additional hand positions.

Indy ('09 Era) will be on deck.  She will get her chance at a few laps when Stumpy needs a little TLC or lights fitted for the night.  Don't get me wrong; I love this bike.  But for me, it is more suited for XC or short endurance events.

Crash ('06 Epic)  will be on stand-by.  Hopefully, Ol' Faithful will not be needed.

With regards to my fundraiser, I still have a ways to go to reach my goal.  Pledges are continuing to come in, albeit a bit slower.  Thanks to my sponsors (The Outdoor Store, Chamois Butt'r, and Ergon), I am going to have a little on-site contest to try to raise a little more money for City Park and Ingleside schools.  For a minimum $10 donation, you can guess the number of miles I will complete in 24 hours.  The closest will win a bag of schwag.  So please stop by my tent Friday and Saturday (up until 5pm race day) and take your best guess!

Ingleside Elementary School Mountain Bike Presentation

When you love what you are talking about and you care about the audience, it is amazing how easy it is.  That is coming from one who used to have horrible GI issues prior to giving speeches.  I think the kids were pretty excited today and most seemed to be paying attention.  Zeke, Bruce, and I had the kids rotate through several show-and-tell stations after I gave an opening presentation.  Coach Davis did an awesome job making sure the groups moved quickly and smoothly through.  We began promptly at 9am and ended right at 10:55am, so we did not interfere with the lunchroom schedule.

I talked about the importance of exercise and nutrition.  Zeke discussed 24 hour racing and how the boys need to properly treat and respect the girls.  I even think he mentioned a paddle.  Bruce talked about bikes and safety.  Coach Davis manned the fourth station which showed a DVD of the 2009 TransRockies.  Amazingly, the kids got into that and did not want to leave when their time was up.

The funniest question/discussion was with an 8 year old girl.  It went like this:

• Girl:  How old are you?
• Me:  41
• Girl:  Oh my God, you are older that my mamaw! (Southern for grandmother).
• Me:  Really?
• Girl:  No offense.
• Me:  None taken.  (This whole time I was doing the math.)

The hardest question to answer:  Do you like being a veterinarian or a mountain bike racer?  I took Carly's way out and said both.  And of course there were the usual ones.  How many broken bones?  How many bikes do you have?  What is the furthest you raced?

If I was able to reach just a small percentage of these kids, my mission is accomplished.  Hopefully, the next time one goes grocery shopping with their Mom, he/she will say, "You know Mom, the healthiest food is on the perimeter of the store."  Or, "Dad, please come outside and play with me.  Dr. Lowery says I need at least 60 minutes of outdoor activity per day."  Or, "Pass the broccoli please."

I will be going to City Park next week.  In the meantime, I need to pound the pavement pretty hard as I am still well short of my monetary goal.

In other news, I did get the Specialized grant for some bikes, helmets, and gloves to give as prizes for the Guess How Miles I Will Ride in 24 Hours contest.  Thanks to the gracious donations from Citizen's National Bank, Athens Federal Bank, Southeast United Bank, and Jackson and Runyan C.P.A.'s, I will be able to purchase the remainder of the prizes needed.  Thank you everyone!

22 Days and Counting

The Burn 24 Hour MTB Challenge will soon be upon me.  Since I decided to do this, I have been told more times than I can remember how crazy I am.  Yep!  Go ahead and certify me.  All I wish is to do the best I can and have my feet survive.  The last 24 hour I did, my feet went numb for a month.  Well, Eddie of Wobble-naught fame has since improved upon my cleat placement so I am hoping that will do the trick.

Coach has got my body dialed in.  Too bad I couldn't pay her to do all the rest of the crap that is necessary when racing solo for 24 hours.

This past week has been pretty busy in preparation.  I can so far check these off the list:

1. Bikes dialed in.
2. Burn times for lights established.  (Coach loaned me lots of batteries!)
3. Pit tent waterproofed.
4. T-shirts for pit crew acquired.
5. Lodging reserved.
6. First draft of nutrition plan complete.

Unfortunately, the list of what I have yet to do seems 4 times as long.  No worries, tho', as I am sure everything will fall in place in due time.


Next week I am headed over to the Dark Mountain Trail to do another 8 hour dress rehearsal.  Then I am going to hook up with Kip and Co. and ride the other trails in that area.  I have heard numerous times that they are da' bomb!

Also happening next week is my presentation to the student body of Ingleside School.  Some talking followed by some show-and-telling should keep the kids interested!

I dialed Stumpy today in on the Haw Ridge trails.  They were in superb shape; a lot of maintenance and bridge building has been going on since the last time I was there.  Check out the Friends of Haw Ridge on Facebook!

A Kitten With a Contract

A couple months ago, I decided it was time for another cat.  Carly had been wanting one since Angel had died last year.  With spring upon us, I figured now was as good time as any and there would be a bigger selection.  I had not been fervently searching, but just waited for one to "fall in my lap."  For me, those are the ones that turn out wonderful.  It is hard to really know what you are getting into when picking a kitten and I did not want to get stuck with a "demon from hell."

So last week, Carly spent the night with Stefanie while I was racing Syllamo.  I asked her if she would check her barn loft for any kittens as I knew that "old broken leg" was residing there and it was kitten season.  Amazingly, when they did check, they found four 5 week old kittens that did not hiss, spit, and run away, but came right up to them unafraid.  Now that was a sign!  There were 2 tabbies, 1 torti, and 1 orange.  Another sign as our favorite cat color is orange.

We picked Sunshine on Tuesday night.  Using my amazing motherly powers, I was able to get Carly to change his name to Sully -- he he!  He is currently residing in Carly's bathtub while we transition him to the litter box and solid food.

It has been since 1988 since I have had a kitten.  A kitten is a lot of work and responsibility, especially if you want them to turn out right.  So I made Carly sign a contract.

No, not cruel and unusual, but responsible.  Although, as I was writing this up, I was thinking, "And I thought my parents were hard on me!"  I think I just one-upped them.  This has already gotten Carly off on the right foot.  She has been an excellent mother, going to bed just a wee bit later and getting up a wee bit earlier to take care of Sully.  She is doing all of the above and then some.  She has even been wiping his bottom after he eats to stimulate him to pee and poop.  It has made me very proud to see her in action. (Don't tell Carly, but I have already gotten attached to the little bugger, so he won't be going anywhere.)

I have also decided to apply this whole virtual pet Webkinz thing to the real world.  Sully will be Carly's financial responsibility as well.  I purchased the first bag of food, litter pan, litter, and toy.  But from now on, she will buy what he needs.  She will be able to earn money by doing chores around the house, i.e., vacuum, dust, unload dishwasher, weed the flower beds, etc.  Charlie wanted lawn mowing and washing/waxing his truck, but I do think she is a bit young for that.  Sorry, Charlie!

I guess I will see how this experiment unfolds.  Should be exciting!