Archive for March, 2012


The Beautiful Dream

Filed under: Poems by iride4shiloh — 1 Comment
March 30, 2012

A memory can offer an opportunity to reflect, a chance for reconciliation, or in the blink of an eye take you away to  very beautiful place;

A memory can stand between you and confusion, torment and doubt, and give meaning to your illusions.  Recognize fear is near when your dreams begin to fade. and even though hope may offer some shade, understand the tears will still fall each and every year;

The memory is the living dream and every moment that’s gleamed from the lantern of that smile helps to keep you going mile after mile; the dream feeds the belief, the belief destroys the grief and allows the memory to grow;

Protect your memories, because they will protect you; even if time feels like a distant friend, remember that only with time will your heart mend; you will know, because your spirit will glow and your memories will become the stories to help someone else become acquainted with their beautiful dream;

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Training Ride 31

Filed under: iRide News, Uncategorized by iride4shiloh — 1 Comment
March 29, 2012

I’m 2 days late posting info from my 1st official training ride (it’s taken that long to recover).  This past Tuesday I had a chance to roll out with some REALLY STRONG riders…big shout out to James “nzone” Jones for the invite.

The laughther and overall lightness if the group lasted about 1/2 a mile when a CAT 1 dude decided to spike the tempo.  He was followed by some CAT 3′s and soon the entire group.  I was dropped, but James hung at the back with me and showed me the route.

We rolled from Joe Pool Lake toward Texas Plum and then the WALL.  The beast in Tyler can’t touch the hemline of the wall.  I suffered tremendously on all of the climbing and cramps took me off the bike 1/2 way up the wall.

James stayed with me the entire ride giving up his training ride to help me and Shiloh.  We finally head back to JPL and a couple miles out we catch up with a guy from the group.  They ask if I’m good…I say yeah, then BOOM! they’re off in the wind.  I make it back and take inventory of myself before driving home…thighs full & burning, snot & blood on jersey, cramps, and disillusional gazing.

It’s dark, I’m tired, but I’m thinking I can’t wait to come back.  1st official training ride…1 step away from failure, 1 step closer to success!  

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How can you be sad in a world filled with Beautiful People!!!

Filed under: Reflexion by iride4shiloh — 1 Comment
March 27, 2012
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Pledge Report

Filed under: iRide Miles by iride4shiloh — 4 Comments
March 26, 2012
thank you

thank you (Photo credit: the|G|™)

We’ve gotten off to a great start to knocking down 3,000 miles.  We have a total of 439 miles as we head toward the official launch date.  I’d like to give a shout out and hearty THANK YOU to:

Mr. & Mrs. Jim Binion – 100 miles

Cady Tarver – 67 miles

Charlie Robbins – 25 miles

Pat Simmons - 53 miles

Jay & Mike – 106

David Bender – 20 miles

Mommie V – 15 miles

Me riding for Shiloh – 53 miles

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Unofficial 1st Ride Report

Filed under: iRide News by iride4shiloh — Leave a comment
March 26, 2012

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I made my way to the great lil city of Bullard Tx on yesterday to take part in this years version of Beauty and tje Beast.  It was an incredible day to ride.  An hour before rolling out the temperature was a smooth 62, there was no wind and the number of participants didn’t seem to overwhelm the organizers.

I rolled out with two great veteran riders (Jay & Mike) and we had our own thing going for the entire 53 miles.  If you ride you know theres some light talk, deep talk, quiet miles, and some cuss’n and spit’n.  The constant rollers didresched get under my skin but the “fellas” kept the ride rolling by talking up the beast.

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This was the type of ride you wish you could experience every Saturday.  Did I say the weather was incredible.  We didn’t come upon any crashes and we were far enough in the front to enjoy the police escort given to the “racers”.  We got finished and chilled.

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B&B was a good tune-up for the upcoming months of heavy riding.  Oh, the beast was a “12 word” challenge and it’s NOT funny having a sign on the climb before it saying “this ain’t it’, thanks for the East Texas humor…lol.  I would’ve taken a picture but I was too busy sucking wind. A brief recap: I hit the base of the beast rolling about 26 mph.  A quarter of the wa up I’m trying to hold onto gears, but I’m dropping my mph, 19,16,12. 1/2 way up I’m at 8 mph w/legs screaming, back aching when doubt begins to set in.  Now, I’m at 6 mph, and close to the top…I try to stand up and the body says S.Y.A.D. 

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I’m cooked and ready to unclip when I see this guy about my size walking with one shoe in his hand and head hung low.  I did not want to be that guy.  Right about then here comes Mike fly’n up the beast out of the saddle. It’s too early in the year for doubt…So I kick it into overdrive and crest the beast with dignity in hand.

I didn’t have fun, but it was a hell’uv a good time!!!

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Grilled Halibut with Cilantro Garlic Butter

Filed under: FOOD by iride4shiloh — 1 Comment
March 23, 2012

Here’s a dish with 276 total calories.  It has 13.1 grams of total fat and 35.4 grams of protein. 

Ingredients

  • 4 (6 ounce) fillets halibut
  • 1 lime, cut into wedges
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

    Directions

    1. Preheat a grill for high heat. Squeeze the juice from the lime wedges over fish fillets, then season them with salt and pepper.
    2. Grill fish fillets for about 5 minutes on each side, until browned and fish can be flaked with a fork. Remove to a warm serving plate.
    3. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic; cook and stir just until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in the butter, remaining lime juice and cilantro. Serve fish with the cilantro butter sauce.

 

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Lost Art of The Group Ride

Filed under: Health & Fitness by iride4shiloh — 1 Comment
March 23, 2012

reprint from carolina cycling news by Peter Wilborn

Every so often, I’ll ride a recreational group ride. I love the comraderie of cyclists, the talk, the last minute pumps of air, the clicking in, and the easy drifting out as a peloton. “I miss riding in a group,” I’ll think to myself.

The magic ends by mile 10. The group will surge, gap, and separate, only to regroup at every stop sign. I’ll hear fifteen repeated screams of “HOLE!” for every minor road imperfection. And then no mention of the actual hole. Some guy in front will set a PR for his 30 second pull. Wheels overlap, brakes are tapped, and some guy in the back will go across the yellow line and speed past the peloton for no apparent reason. A breakaway?!

I curse under my breath, remembering why I always ride with only a few friends. Doesn’t anyone else realize how dangerous this ride is? How bad it is for our reputation on the road? There are clear rules of ride etiquette, safety, and common sense. Does anyone here know the rules? Who is in charge?

But no one is in charge, and the chaotic group has no idea of how to ride together. As a bike lawyer, I get the complaints from irritated drivers, concerned police, controversy-seeking journalists, and injured cyclists. It needs to get better, but the obstacles are real:

First, everyone is an expert these days. The internet and a power meter do not replace 50,000 miles of experience, but try telling that to a fit forty year-old, new to cycling, on a $5000 bike. Or, god forbid, a triathlete. No one wants to be told what to do.

Second, the more experienced riders just want to drop the others and not be bothered. It is all about the workout, the ego boost, or riding with a subset of friends. But a group ride is neither a race nor cycling Darwinism. As riders get better, they seek to distinguish themselves by riding faster on more trendy bikes; but as riders get better they need to realize two things: 1) there is always someone faster, and 2) they have obligations as leaders. Cycling is not a never ending ladder, each step aspiring upwards, casting aspersions down. It is a club, and we should want to expand and improve our membership.

Third, different rides are advertised by average speed, but speed is only one part of the equation. This approach makes speed the sole metric for judging a cyclist, and creates the false impression that a fit rider is a good one. Almost anyone can be somewhat fast on a bike, but few learn to be elegant, graceful cyclists.

Fourth, riding a bike well requires technique training. Good swimmers, for example, constantly work on form and drills; so should cyclists. Anyone remember the C.O.N.I. Manual or Eddie Borysewich’s book? They are out-of-print, but their traditional approach to bike technique should not be lost. More emphasis was given on fluid pedaling and bike handling.

Before the internet, before custom bikes, and before Lance, it was done better. Learning to ride was an apprenticeship. The goal was to become a member of the peloton, not merely a guy who is sort of fast on a bike. Membership was the point, not to be the local Cat. 5 champ. You were invited to go on group ride if you showed a interest and a willingness to learn. You were uninvited if you did not. You learned the skills directly from the leader, who took an interest in riding next to you on your first rides (and not next to his friends, like better riders do today). Here is some of what you learned:

To ride for months each year in the small ring.
To take your cycling shorts off immediately after a ride.
To start with a humble bike, probably used.
To pull without surging.
To run rotating pace line drills and flick others through.
To form an echelon.
To ride through the top of a climb.
To hold your line in a corner.
To stand up smoothly and not throw your bike back.
To give the person ahead of you on a climb a little more room to stand up.
To respect the yellow line rule.
To point out significant road problems.
To brake less, especially in a pace line.
To follow the wheel in front and not overlap.

The ride leader and his lieutentants were serious about their roles, because the safety of the group depended on you, the weakest link. If you did not follow the rules, you were chastised. Harshly. If you did, you became a member of something spectacular. The Peloton.

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Chop n’ it up!

Filed under: Interviews by iride4shiloh — Leave a comment
March 20, 2012

One primary goal of this blog is to bring attention to the Infant Mortality Rate, but  equally as important is our desire to share tips and information about living a healthy lifestyle.  From time to time, we’ll have an interview with a health, fitness, or medical expert and get “deep” into the how, when, and why questions all of us have when it comes to diet, exercise, and wellness.  Today, we have our very first interview with nurse & fitness extraordinaire, Allison Click.

 Lets start out by getting a little information for our readers. Where did you grow up and where do you live?

 I grew up in Arlington, TX and I now live in Midlothian, TX

How long have you been a nurse and how long have you been a group x instructor, and where do you teach?

I have been a nurse for 12 years.  I work at Baylor University Medical
Center in the Trauma ICU.  I have been teaching group X for 5 years.
I started out teaching Cycle classes and now teach BodyPump,
Turbokickboxing, Boot Camp, Nike Training, and soon to teach Yoga
(after my official training in May!!) I teach at 24Hours in Cedar Hill and
Mansfield.

Wow! With such an active schedule, you must love what you do.  What led you to nursing? What led you to teach?

I began my love for the medical field in college when I took an EMT
(Emergency Medical Technician) class.  I began working in the local
Emergency Room as a tech, thinking that I would pursue a degree in
medicine to be a doctor.  I quickly realized that it was the nurses
that did the majority of the work and were the ones that had all of
the interaction with the patients and their families. I love caring
for people and helping them recover from injury. Plus, I am drawn to
blood and guts – gross but true! :)

I began teaching group x after another instructor made me.  Seriously,
she made me! I had been attending cycle classes 4-5x/week and she came
to me and told me I needed to be teaching.  After that she wouldn’t
leave me alone until I agreed to try a training session.  After I got
over the fear of the microphone, I was hooked! Since that first cycle
class I have been constantly wanting to add more classes to my resume!

I can definitely relate to being hooked on cycling, there’s not as much blood and guts, but I’m not complaining!  How do you see the future of wellness coaching?

 I see this exploding faster and faster in the near future.  With the
obesity crisis in this country and all of the media attached to it,
people can not help but be aware of the epidemic and begin to do
something to change it.  Most individuals want to change but don’t
know where to begin.  Wellness coaching is where it all starts.

 How do you deal with your own self-defeating behaviors? Do you feel more pressure as a nurse and fitness instructor to “walk the walk”?

 I do feel a slight pressure to walk the walk but more importantly, I
WANT to walk the walk.  I am inspired each and every day from the
members that take my classes and want to be better in their daily
lives.  I am not perfect, never have been, never will be.  I just want
to be happy with my body and my life.  I try to preach that too. There
is always room for improvement.

That’s a great philosophy to live by.  I know I’m only perfect at being imperfect, and that’s always reinforced when I visit my Dr.  If you read the news it sounds like primary care is a thing of the past and the new idea is to focus on wellness care. Do you think people are transitioning from reactive care to proactive care?

No! The general public is still in the fix it now phase of their
health.  They are still using the emergency department as their
primary means of healthcare and not carrying health insurance.  I know
the information is out there, but the vast majority are having
difficulty getting on board because they don’t have the means to get
on board.  The insurance companies are the biggest supporters of
wellness care, but if you don’t have insurance, how do you know where
to begin?

I never looked at it from that perspective.  You’re right, it would be hard for a lot of people to get on the wellness train.  What tips can you share for someone who would like to be proactive with his/her health?

 1) Take everything minute by minute.  Not even day by day.  If you eat a
horrible lunch, don’t be defeated and say “I’ll start better
tomorrow”.  Start better at dinner!
2) Move more.  You don’t have to “work out” everyday.  Take the stairs,
park farther away from the store, jog in place during commercial
breaks on TV.  There are so many simple ways to move more without
being crazy about it.
3) Remember that your body is 70-80% created in the kitchen. Exercise is
important but water and food intake count the most! DRINK MORE
WATER!!!!!!

 I think you hit the nail square on it’s head with your three points.  Someone told me recently that she didn’t like to drink water and I’ve read that lifestyle-induced chronic diseases are on the rise.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 1 in 3 adults is obese, 43 million adults smoke, and 25.8 million suffer from diabetes mellitus. So it is true that what we are doing and dying of is largely related to lifestyle. Do you think the general public accepts that a big part of the health crisis is related to lifestyle?

I think the general public thinks that hospitals can fix all of your
problems.  Although healthcare is more and more superior every year,
there is no way that the medical profession can fix everything.
Especially if you have been bad to your body for a multitude of
years.

 What lifestyle changes would you suggest for someone looking to improve his/her health?

Don’t drink alcohol, don’t smoke cigarettes, drink more water, stay
away from fried foods, move more.  It’s not rocket science, its about
choices and control.

Once again you’re right, it’s not rocket science and with a little discipline amazing things can happen.  I know everyone checking out this blog will appreciate the information and advice.  I’m certain some folks are going to checkout your classes so, can you let us know your class times and location again?

 24 Hour Fitness Bodypump: Monday Cedar Hill 6pm, Tuesday/Thursday Cedar Hill 9:30am, Wedensday in Mansfield 4:30pm
My first Nike Training Club class is on March 31!!

Thanks for wanting my input on healthy living, and thanks for allowing
me to be a part of your mission and journey! Best of luck on achieving
all of your goals!!!

Thank you for your support.   Time is ticking and we’re getting close to the kick-off date for iRide4Shiloh.  We’ll break out the bike for a ride this upcoming weekend at the Beauty & the Beast rally and race down in the sweet woods of Tyler Texas.  

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grass in the roots

Filed under: Health & Fitness, iRide News by iride4shiloh — 1 Comment
March 14, 2012
infant_mortality_chart1008

infant_mortality_chart1008 (Photo credit: msomustek)

As I approach the official kick date for the iRide4Shiloh campaign, I was reminded that it’s important to continue the effort to get everyone up to speed about Infant Mortality, as well as the developing strategies to reduce the overall rate.

I had the opportunity to explain to someone today how Infant Mortality is used to compare the health and well-being of populations across the country.  It’s important to understand that the IMR is the rate at which babies less than one year of age die.  Preterm births are directly associated with the IMR and I believe that if we lower preterm births we will accomplish the goal of reducing the IMR.  The rate has been roughly 6.9 per 1,000 live births in which an infant dies.  SIDS is another contributer to the IMR and we will definitely have a post discussing ways to prevent it. 

In my small odd world, I believe everything has a point in which the direction can be controlled.  I’ve always said, “control what you can control when you can control it” which basically means be proactive in everything you do.  When it comes to preterm births, I’m convinced that focusing on modifying behaviors, lifestyles, and conditions that affect birth outcomes makes the biggest difference when it comes to your newborns health.  It’s easy to identify smoking or substance abuse as habits that will cost your child.  But what doesn’t get equal headlines is how poor nutrition, lack of prenatal care, medical problems, and stress contribute to your childs struggles, or even death. 

The best strategy is a proactive one in which health care providers, fitness experts, dieticians, and communities of all ethnic groups partner together to improve the infant mortality rate.  The one thing I’ve noticed while trying to get this campaign off the ground is that people take the healthy birth of a child for granted.  What I’ve tried to share with folks is that, this is not all about the death of a child, and addressing certain behaviors, lifestyles, and conditions will help decrease birth defects, child obesity, and ADHD. 

The research is out there, but the challenge I’ve seen is getting folks to recognize that Infant Mortality is as signficant in our communities as cancer, diabetes, and addiction.  There are so many social diseases impacting soon to be mothers and ultimately their children that it would make sense that the best way to give your child the health he or she deserves is to first give it to yourself.   

I’ve been getting the curious raise of the eyebrow when I tell people what I’m riding for, and why it’s important.  A few have asked what they can do to help, others smile and try not to offend.  Some take action and become ambassadors for the cause. 

Everyone can play an important role in this effort by encouraging pregnant women to seek prenatal care in the first trimester.  You can also help with the grassroots effort to get the word out to folks in your community, health providers, fitness professionals, health enthusiats, pregnant women and their family members about what we are attempting to do here.  The effect infant mortality has on a family is painful and damn near impossible to overcome.  But it is not the end to reaching out and grabbing hold of brighter days.

Thank you for helping me keep my promise to Shiloh.

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our new partner

Filed under: iRide News by iride4shiloh — Leave a comment
March 13, 2012

We are proud to introduce a new partner to help us as we get ready to jump full swing into our iRide4Shiloh campaign.  We are lucky to have the Crystal Hood Farmers Insurance Agency on board and we greatly appreciate the support.  The agency will have a home on the Friends of Shiloh page as well as on the jersey (can’t wait for the jersey to arrive).  We encourage you to give them a call and find out how they can give you a little peace of mind from the day to day worries of owning an auto & home.  As you can see by the agencies support for our campaign, they are community oriented and stand ready to meet a need.

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