Ride #27 (Saturday): 26 miles

Ride #28 (Sunday): 100.4 miles

Training Total: 926.5 miles

Before I begin, I’d like to say thank you for your continued support on this journey! What an amazing experience to accomplish a goal with friends and family cheering you on through the whole journey! I met so many amazing, strong, and courageous people through this process, and I would do it again in a heartbeat! I was able to ride 100 miles alongside three cancer survivors on Sunday, June 5th, which is recognized as the National Cancer Survivors Day. Simply amazing! Anyway, I could gush for hours about how amazing I’m feeling right now, but I’ll spare you and will continue on to my final ride report…

I’m thrilled to report that WE DID IT!! The Central PA Team traveled to Lake Tahoe this past weekend and had a true showing of courage, dedication, and teamwork! Words cannot possibly express the pride I feel to be a part of such an amazing group of people, but I’m going to do my best to describe it to you!

We left bright and early on Friday morning out of BWI airport, where we visited six states in one day on our many flights, layovers and shuttle bus ride. We ended up at the Montbleu Resort on Friday afternoon, where we unpacked and picked up our bikes from the trucking company. After filling the tires (we let some air out so the tubes wouldn’t explode en route), and putting our pedals back on, we headed out to Fire and Ice, a restaurant that allows you to pick your ingredients and have the chefs stir fry it for you on a central grill. It was very fun to relax with the group before the riding began!

On Saturday, we went to pick up our race packets at the Embassy Suites Hotel, and then headed out for a rainy 26 mile practice ride, which allowed us to practice the famous “switchbacks” that climb up to Emerald Bay lookout. It was raining, and cold, and I felt like I might throw up. Talk about altitude change! Harrisburg is 320 ft above sea level. The top of the climb is around 6800 ft. I felt as if I couldn’t catch my breath, no matter how deeply I inhaled. The good news is, everyone made it to the top and enjoyed some time taking goofy pictures like this!

After heading down, we stopped at the Pearl Izumi outlet, and then at the bike shop to pick up CO2 cartridges (which weren’t allowed on the truck with our bikes or on the plane). We grabbed a quick lunch and headed back to the hotel to get ready for the Team in Training Inspiration Dinner. You can see a video of the entrance here. We all got certificates of achievement, and got to hear about how well we did fundraising. We also got to hear inspirational stories about how the funds we raised have helped so many people who are battling cancer.

After dinner, we met in Coach Mike’s room for a pow-wow and to find out all of the details that we would need for the ride. We were also given our Hershey Kisses to put on our helmets so that everyone would know that we’re from Central PA!

Sunday morning we were up bright and early to take our bikes down to the lobby by 4:30 AM so that we wouldn’t get stuck waiting for an elevator when everyone else was headed down. Our LLS coordinator, Emily, waited with them while we went back to our rooms to get dressed and eat breakfast! At 5:50, we met downstairs for a team picture, and then headed over to the start line.

At this point, I’m feeling anxious, nervous, and ready to get this party started!

I rode with Cary, Christine, Kui, Julie, Pam and Shane for the ride. Cary, Christine and Kui were great sources of cheer and positive encouragement to get us through the ride, foul weather and all. Did I tell you that it rained? I had to ring my socks out at lunch to stop the sloshing feeling. We did a paceline to get to Truckee and back to try to conserve energy while the roads were relatively flat. The only problem was that riding that close behind someone with rain equals a muddy, wet face from tire spray. At least it made for good pictures, right?

We made it to the lunch stop (around mile 80 – although I’m not 100% sure because my bike computer didn’t work the whole weekend), where we enjoyed a brief respite of sunshine over the lake. At this point, we only had twenty miles to go, but 6 of those miles were a climb up to Spooner Summit.

The entire Central PA Team finished the ride in high spirits and relatively injury free. There was one teammate who got run into climbing the switchbacks because the rider on her left decided he wanted to stop, so he veered right. Other than that, just a few flat tires! Thankfully, I made it through incident free! Here are some finish line pictures showing our medals and smiles! If you want to see it on video, click here!

After cleaning, padding, and dropping off our bikes back at the truck, we showered and headed over to the Victory celebration at Harrah’s.

Monday was another long day of travel, compounded by the fact that Tahoe received several inches of snow that we navigated on our way back to the Reno airport! After two long flights, a four hour layover, and a two hour drive home, we were exhausted!

Thank you so much for following me on my journey and for your support through it all! My team raised over $70,000 to find a cure for blood cancer. I could not have done this without all of you!

Relentlessly Yours,

Shelly

Ride #24 (Saturday): 64.8 miles

Ride #25 (Sunday): 25.6 miles

Ride #26 (Tuesday): 29.7 miles

Training Total: 800.1 miles

I had an extremely eventful weekend! Not only did the Team complete our final group training ride of 74.5 miles, but I also climbed Kings Gap again on Sunday with Denise, Dianne and Julie so that Julie could get the feel for a long, gradual climb to simulate the climb to Spooner Summit in Tahoe. I’m happy to report my weekend total will be my ride total in two weeks, 100 MILES!

The ride on Saturday left from the Hampton Inn across the street from the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire in Manheim, PA. Denise and I carpooled to the event, and the group gathered for a Mission Moment before heading out. One of my teammates, Ginny, brought Ella, the little girl she is riding in honor of this season (and her mom), to speak with us about how important the work is that we are doing to raise funds and awareness for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Ella was diagnosed with Leukemia at age 2, and still continues treatment monthly.

Cary also read a letter to us that was received by the Society from an 8 year old little boy named Jacob. As you can see in his letter below, Jacob sold fishing lures that he made with his dad and sent the $20 he earned to the LLSA to put towards cancer research. It was very moving to be surrounded by people who feel the same way I do about kicking cancer’s butt! Coach Tom gave all of our Mentors a small token of appreciation for their hard work this season, and then we were off!

My buddy, Adam, was with me again, and we rode with other groups for some portions of the ride. With three breaks, everyone made it through the hilly course just fine! Coach Tom used the terms "fairly flat" to describe the last 20 mile stretch, though. It was NOT as flat as he suggested! It felt like we just kept hitting hill after hill!

We ended up back at the hotel after about 5 hours and 20 minutes, and hung out together under the shade of a tree to reminisce about our journey so far. Everyone is really excited to get out to Tahoe and show them what our Team can do!

We have a travel meeting on Wednesday, when we drop off our bikes and learn about what we need to pack for a successful century ride! After that, it’s just doing some type of cardio activity to stay in shape until we leave! If you can’t tell, I’m really excited to finish what I’ve started. I’m so proud of myself and my Team for all that we have accomplished in the last fourteen weeks. Who would have thought that I would have gone from not being on a bike in a decade to riding a 100 mile ride in just 25 rides? It’s amazing what a positive mindset and an aspiring spirit can do! The possibilities are limitless.

GO TEAM!

Relentlessly yours,

Shelly

Ride #23 (Saturday): 64.8 miles

Training Total: 670.3 miles

I’m happy to report that I felt really strong for our 64.8 mile ride this Saturday. The bad news, we hit some rain and were a sloshy, soggy mess by the time we made it back to our cars! Ever tried to put on a wet swimming suit? Yeah…it was kind of like that.

This week, we rode through Lancaster County. It was our first and only ride in Lancaster, so Coach Mike made sure we got our fair share of Amish country and horse drawn plows. For those who don't live near people who use horse and buggy to get around, this means we had plenty of "road apples" to dodge as well.

The ride started off with a couple of hills and then flattened out for a nice (wet) ride. I felt much better this week in terms of strength and confidence. I will be sure to make a better effort to stay in a positive mindset for the next two long rides because it makes a huge difference.

Only 75 miles to go this weekend, and then we ship our bikes to Tahoe for the big ride on June 5th!

Relentlessly yours,

Shelly

Ride #20 (Saturday): 58 miles

Ride #21 (Tuesday): 21 miles

Ride #22 (Thursday): 25.7 miles

Training Total: 605.5 miles

I'm not going to lie. I was a bit nervous for this Saturday's ride. We met in South Middleton Park in Boiling Springs to set off for a 58 mile ride. The mileage doesn't scare me, but the reputation for this ride has preceded it all season. This ride included the infamous Kings Gap climb, which is a 3.5 mile low-grade climb to the top of Kings Gap State Park (for more info, click here). They actually do time trials on this hill for my local bike club as a fundraiser. This was in preparation for the climb to Spooner Summit during our ride in Tahoe, which is similar, but 6 miles in length instead of 3.5.

Well, my day didn’t start off very well. I didn’t eat breakfast early enough, and I couldn’t get my mind to positively focus on the task at hand instead of the fear of what was to come, so the first 5 miles or so were pretty tough. Everyone kept looking at me and asking me what was wrong because I wasn’t riding like I typically do. My quads were burning, and I was questioning if I could do it. We got to the bottom of Kings Gap Park, and Denise stuck with me while we climbed to the top (have I told you that she is amazing, and that I couldn’t do this training without her?) The picture below is as we arrived at the top!

The climb was actually easier than expected. I only got breathy a few times. :) And the view from the top was breathtaking! There’s actually a mansion at the top that they rent out to people for weddings and parties. The scenery overlooking the Cumberland Valley was beautiful!

Anyway, we stopped about 32 miles in and took a break. Nothing like a little PB&J and a banana to get you charged up for another 28! The group I left the break with was working on our pace line skills (drafting off of each other) and did the next 15 miles or so at a really nice clip. Once we hit construction near Interstate 81, I fell to the back of the group and started feeling as if I probably should have paced myself instead of pushing through on the pace line. Denise stuck with me as we finished the last 10 miles or so.

Lessons learned for the day…

1. Don’t wear cheap shorts on long rides. (Ouch!)

2. I need to learn to eat more while on my bike to sustain energy between rest stops.

3. Mental focus and a positive attitude are very important, and the opposite is detrimental to my capabilities as a rider.

4. My bike needs a tune up. 560 miles and the front derailleur is crying for an adjustment. Dropping it off at my LBS next Monday for an adjustment before we them off for shipping on May 25th!

Thanks for reading! Only two more long rides until the big one! We’re almost there!

Relentlessly yours,

Shelly

Ride #17: 54.3 miles

Ride #18 (Tuesday): 25.3 miles

Ride #19 (Thursday): 20.3 miles

Training Total: 500.8 miles

Well, I've broken the 50 mile mark today! We did 54.3 miles and 3768 miles of climbing between Hershey, Elizabethtown, Mount Gretna, and everywhere in between! I'm happy to tell you that I'm feeling strong and excited about the prospect of finishing what I've started!

I had quite a bit of time to talk to Adam about Tahoe today (he did the ride last year) and about the climbs that I will encounter in five short weeks. In addition to quite a few rolling hills, there are two major climbs. There is an 800 ft climb overlooking Emerald Bay, and a 1000 ft climb to Spooner Junction. In preparation, we will do three more training rides as a team that will range from 60 to 75 miles, and will test our ability to do some hills.

Some people have asked me how much we stop when on a long ride like today. Well, the answer is, we stop now more than we will in Tahoe! We stopped twice today. Once at 17.7 miles and once at 18.7 miles. Sometimes it's nice to stretch your legs and back, refill your water bottles, and get some more food in your system. In Tahoe, there are five rest stops (one about every 20 miles).

On a side note, if you're interested in participating in a century bike ride, a half marathon, a full marathon, or a triathalon, please reach out to the Team in Training team! It's a great support system to learn a new skill and raise funds for an extremely worthy cause! There's a century in Lake George, NY this fall that's taking sign-ups as we speak! Or, you can train with me for the Hershey Half Marathon in October! Yes, you CAN do it! I'm not a runner either, but I'm going to do this!

If you're interested in cycling with TNT, you can contact Coach Tom Garrett at tgarrett7@msn.com. If you want to try your hand at another event, you can use the contact info above and they'll direct you to your campaign coordinator!

Relentlessly Yours,

Shelly

Ride #13 (Saturday): 46 miles

Ride #14 (Thursday): 25.1 miles

Ride #15 (Tuesday, 4/26): 19.5 miles

Ride #16 (Thursday, 4/28): 20.5 miles

Training Total: 400.9 miles

I'd like to tell you that I'm breezing through training and that the 46 miles we did yesterday was a piece of cake. The unfortunate part is, if I told you that, I'd be lying.

The team set out for a 46 mile ride yesterday to start our hill training. We left from Fort Hunter Park on Front Street and went down Rte 443 to loop around Memorial Lake in Ft. Indiantown Gap, and then head back to Rte 743 to pass Hollywood Casino (with a brief rest at the Exxon station off of 81) and ride on some back roads until we reached "the five headed monster".

This infamous monster on Parkway East Road had been looming in my head the whole ride. We did a steady climb on Spooky Hollow Road as a part of our warm up, but “the monster” didn’t hit until mile 35 or so. By this point, we had gone through numerous “streams” through the road (which ended up on our legs/butts/faces), gravel debris that had washed up from Saturday’s storms, and even circumvented a “Road Closed” detour. After the first “head”, I wanted to give up. I actually asked Adam Shipton to stop with me so that I could catch my breath. I had eaten too much junk at the rest stop, and was feeling nauseous and defeated from the headwinds. He gave me a quick pep talk with some climbing tips, and we set off to tackle the last four heads. Let me tell you how sweet the descent was to get back to Linglestown Road! Just the right amount of time to revel in the fact that I did it! Since the start point was only four miles from my house, I rode my bike there. This meant I could cut off on my road to get home four miles before the end of the ride. A little less than four hours later, I was never so glad to be home sweet home!

Ride #11 (Saturday): 45.5 miles

Ride #12 (Thursday): 15.8 miles

Training Total: 289.8 miles

As you can see, we found my road today on our ride! Shelly Road!

Well, it's back in the saddle for me today. After taking a week and a half off to go to Honduras on a medical mission with the World Surgical Foundation (www.worldsurgicalfoundation.org), I needed to make up some miles. Denise, Julie, Denise's friend and former TNT rider, Nick, and I set off for a 45.5 mile ride leaving from Elizabethtown High School. We did a lot of rolling hills, but I felt stronger than anticipated after some time off. At mile 41, we missed a turn, and ended up hitting a steep hill to get back on course. Let's just say that I'm glad I didn't know it was coming. I'm sure my quads will be thanking me for the next few days!

This week, I will start doing two mid-week rides to focus on speed, climbing, and other technique. Saturday rides will focus on endurance. It's time to focus on training!

Ride #9 (Saturday): 38 miles

Ride #10 (Tuesday): 15.8 miles

Training Total: 228.5 miles

Here is the group on Saturday (minus two members who were trying to find us at the time of the photo) before heading out to freeze our faces off on a 38 mile ride which Coach Tom nicely named the "Tom's Full of Bologna Ride". This ride took us through Mt. Gretna, some rural areas of Lebanon County (hence, the bologna name!), and back to the Hershey area.

This ride contained a nice little revelation for me. (I'm going to admit to you that I'm completely oblivious here, so please, keep the jokes to yourself). I was riding in between the "fast" and the "not-so-fast" groups for the first 16 miles until our break. During this stretch, I rode with Mike, who actually planned to do Tahoe last year until he decided to wait until this year so his wife could do it with him this year. He posed a question to me while we were going downhill as to why I was still on the “small chain” of my bike. Part of the reason was that I kind of like having the break of not pedaling while going down hills, but the other part is that I don’t know any other way. I’ve avoided the “big chain” on my bike thus far because I didn’t really know what it did or when to use it. I had been told by coaches and mentors during climbing not to worry about it, but didn’t realize how much it could benefit me to be there during flats and downhill descents. I always wondered why my cadence was so much higher than others who appeared not to be working so hard and moving faster than me, but I chalked it up to being a “newbie”. Well, I worked with Super-Mentor Denise on the remaining 22 miles and asked her to coach me on when to go to the big and small chains. I’ve got a lot more experimenting to do, but this certainly makes a lot more sense and will hopefully help me significantly in my training!

So, in summary, my face and hips were frozen, I learned a valuable lesson about the gears on my bike, and I was proud to finish the ride with the “fast” group. I know I’ve got a long way to go, but fighting spirit will pull me through!

Thanks for reading!

Relentlessly yours,

Shelly

Another inspiring note from Megan Foti on how both cancer and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society have impacted her life!

“Leukemia: Cancer of choice”

The thing about cancer is…there is no rhyme or reason, it doesn’t ever make sense (no matter how much you try to figure it out), and it isn’t fair (but neither is life, according to my mother!) The day I found out my dad had cancer changed my life. Four days later when I found out it was Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML), I was more heartbroken than the initial diagnosis. My mom tried to reassure me that it was okay and if anything, it was better than what they originally thought because it was curable and they had the knowledge to be as aggressive as they needed to be with treatments (which was pretty darn aggressive!). I thought she was crazy and couldn’t understand how cancer in your BLOOD could be better than one organ that they could focus on and maybe remove if needed. I’ll tell you something…three and a half years later, this leukemia is still giving us a run for our money. Although I have given up trying to figure it out and at times (like while writing this blog), I am still absolutely heart broken to think about the turn our lives have taken, I believe God gave us Leukemia (verses another type of cancer) for a reason.

First of all, I found Team in Training and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I found a group of individuals who to this day give me hope on a daily basis. I found a support system while training for and participating in a marathon. I ran beside people who fought Leukemia…AND WON and ate dinner with other daughters who miss the dads they always knew. I raised money so I could help other people going through the same thing. I was part of a group that made me useful when I was otherwise helpless.

The LLS was (and still is) a blessing to our family. My dad’s case manager provided my mom with information about LLS almost immediately following my dad’s diagnosis. Financially, they gave my mom money for lunch or parking during her daily visits to the hospital. They gave me an online support group where I was able to openly ask questions to a trained social worker as well as other individuals experiencing similar things. Most importantly, the research funded by the LLS saved my dad’s life. Please know that any money you have donated (or raised) for the LLS makes a huge difference in families like mine. Thank you for being someone who gives other people hope…what a special gift you have given!

I think God chose Leukemia for our family for other reasons too. After my dad received peripheral blood stem cell transplant, my family members added our names to the Be the Match National Marrow Donor Registry. One month ago, almost three years after my dad’s transplant, I received a call that I am potential match for a 26-year-old male with AML (the same leukemia that afflicted my dad). Following multiple tests, I received confirmation that I am a perfect match and I have the potential to save this person’s life. Barring any crazy results from the physical I just had, I will be donating my stem cells on April 13th. I don’t know much about the recipient, but I have a feeling that wherever he is, the LLS is helping him and his family, too.

LLS gave me my first opportunity to help save someone’s life…now Be the Match is giving me a second. Leukemia is awful, I won’t deny that. But maybe it was God’s “cancer of choice” for our family because it gave me a chance to save some lives.

Thank you all for helping save lives for the society that has helped us to turn our lemons into lemonade. Your kindness and generosity does not go unnoticed.

Ride #6 (Friday): 13 miles

Ride #7 (Saturday): 34 miles

Ride #8 (Tuesday): 14 miles

Training Total: 174.7 miles

Friday was a BEAUTIFUL day weather wise, so I was so excited to get out and enjoy some fresh air on my bike! I went out for about 13 miles down and around the HACC campus and back to my house. I had my first experience turning left through four lanes of traffic. Let me tell you...quite a daunting experience!

The team met in Hershey on Saturday for a 34 mile ride that took us on some of the same roads that we were on last week, but going the opposite direction. The group was smaller this week. Some of the Capital team members rode with the Lancaster team due to the fact that their meeting place was less of a drive than ours. Plus, it's good to ride with different people to gain experience and advice from the other coaches and mentors.

I felt much stronger this week than last (the group that I was riding with rode at about 14.5 mph - of which I was on the slower side - probably around 14 mph). The true test to how I do will be when our rides get earlier. I will need to be sure to get up early to eat enough before we head out. Until then, mid-week rides start this week. I'm hoping they help to build endurance, speed, and strength!

Thanks for your continued support!

Relentlessly Yours,

Shelly