The Last Two Days of McBRAAM

I flew to Atlanta last Wednesday to be reunited with my cycling husband!  Twenty six days apart is the longest we have ever gone in our marriage.  To say that I missed him would be a gross understatement, but I'm so glad that Les, Lance, and Pops had this amazing trip of a lifetime together!

It was dinner time by the time I made it to Perry, Georgia.  I made a quick stop at the hotel then met them at Rusty's in the middle of their dinner.  I spent Thursday and Friday playing SAG - Support and Gear - with Mr. SAGMan.  Here's a sampling of how the days played out:

6:00-6:30 a.m. - Up and at 'em! (this hurt, because it was 3:00 a.m. California time.) 
Breakfast time at the hotel.  Les and Lance fueled up with oatmeal, waffles, eggs, coffee, juice, milk, yogurt and fruit.  SAGMan headed to the ice machine to fill the ice chest that had accompanied them on the journey.  Water bottles were filled and the van was reloaded.

7:00 a.m - Final pre-ride check-in.
Short devotion and prayer led by SAGMan.  This was an important part of each day.  It lasted about five minutes, but each day the three of them focused on thanks for safety so far and continued safety for that day.

7:30 a.m. - Roll out!
Les and Lance would start riding.  SAGMan would drive 15-20 miles down the road to a predetermined location.  I followed in my rental car on Thursday and led the way on Friday.  We would ride and wait, ride and wait.  Surprisingly, we really didn't wait that long.  We all have Life360 on our phones - Les' phone was in the SAGWagon, Lance had his phone in his jersey and I had mine with me.  I had watched their progress from afar for 26 stages and it was cool to see them so close.  Les and Lance would get more water for their water bottles, eat a snack, take off jackets, tell us our next stop, and roll out again.

2:00 - Final check-in
When the guys had about 15 miles of riding left they would have one final check-in with Pops.  At that point Pops would head to the chosen hotel for the night (typically Days Inn or something similar.)  He would get checked in and bring in the bags they would all need for the evening/next day.

3:00-4:00 p.m. - Roll in
As soon as the guys got to the hotel they would do three things:  start re-fueling, shower, and upload their data.

5:30 p.m. - Dinner
Les was very consistent with what he ate most nights - chicken, pasta, pizza.  They stayed away from fried foods and heavy meat.  They needed a good balance of protein to recover and carbs to fuel the next day.

7:30 p.m. - Nightly Prep
Bikes were checked, tires pumped, water bottles cleaned.  Les would write his nightly blog.  Bedtime snack.

9:30-10:00 p.m. - Lights Out

They did this for 28 days.  Some days the miles were longer than others, but they rode every single day for 28 days.  Remarkably, they didn't have any mechanical issues and they didn't get rained on a single time!

Friday afternoon was so exciting.  Les and I had plans to stay on Tybee Island for a couple of nights while Lance and Pops were going to drive back to Cookeville, Tennessee.  I checked in to the Admiral's Inn, then Pops and I wandered around waiting for the triumphant entry.  I'll write a separate post about Tybee Island - it's a cool place!

Right about 3:00 p.m. on Friday, October 27th, Les and Lance made their final left turn from Butler Avenue on to 16th Street.  They rode the Strand Avenue traffic circle where Pops and I had a small group waiting.  (I attracted a bit of attention standing on a bench, hollering, with two phones in my hand - one for pictures and one for video!)

Les took his shoes and socks off and walked right on to the beach and into the ocean carrying his bike!  It was such a cool moment - I am SO glad I was there!  So much happiness with these three.

After several more minutes of savoring the accomplishment we headed to the hotel.  Lance took a quick shower and Les unloaded his things from the van.  We borrowed one of Pops' suitcases to bring home with us - Les had put some supplies in the rental van in boxes and we needed a way to get things home.

The final moments before Lance and Pops drove away were so sweet.  We stood by the van and gave thanks to God for such an amazing journey.  I listened as these three men shared final words after 28 days of constant contact.  It's pretty cool when you love your family as much as these three do.

Remarkable

Les and Lance have now pedaled their way into their eighth of nine states!  They crossed the Mississippi/Alabama border this morning and are nearing the 2300 mile mark.  They have had an amazing trip and if all continues as planned they will reach Savannah, Georgia and the Atlantic Ocean this Friday!!

But let me tell you about someone else who is remarkable - my neighbor, Joe.  I introduced him on this blog over five years ago.  He is one of many smiling faces I see on a regular basis when I'm out running or riding my bike.  Joe is an avid hiker and always has a smile for me.

About a month ago Les and I saw Joe while we were on a bike ride.  It was just a quick, "Good morning!" but I told Les, "Joe didn't seem himself."  Les wondered how I could tell in such a short greeting, but I just knew.

Fast forward to this morning while I was out for a run.  I saw Joe up ahead and determined to catch him.  I slowed to a walked when I caught him.  Our conversation started off like this:

Me:  How are you, Joe?
Joe:  I'm great!
Me:  You didn't seem yourself when I saw you a few weeks ago, are you okay?
Joe:  Well, I had my toes cut off...

To make a long story short, due to poor circulation, Joe's feet were not getting adequate blood supply.  In June he had the toes of his right foot removed and in July had the same procedure done on his left foot.  He is now walking on stumps.  He said he was in a lot of pain prior to the surgery but has had none since.  The main thing that has changed is the length of his stride, but his sunny outlook hasn't changed a bit.

I asked Joe if he had been able to resume hiking.  "I wanted to hike a certain mountain on my 80th birthday and I did just that on Wednesday!"  I am so in awe of this man!  80 years young, walking three miles, 5 days a week and in his words, "working at the Senior center to help those less fortunate," the other two days!

Joe reached his turn around point and we said goodbye for the day.  I finished my run with a huge smile on my face!  What an inspiration!

Tuesday Rambling

I have a lot of little things on my mind, none that deserve a full post, so here goes:

1500
I crossed the 1500 mile mark for the year sometime last week.  I also crossed the 1500 mile mark on my Specialized Vita that I got in March of last year.  Cycling miles add up quickly.  Unfortunately, my running miles have been on the low side the past couple months.  I've had IT band issues that make anything over 3 miles really painful.  I miss being able to go out for a medium/long run but I really want this to go away, so I'm trying to be patient and smart.

McBRAAM
Les and Lance have now ridden over 1,000 on their cross-country cycling trip.  They are making their way to Texas today - state #4!  I am continually amazed at how well they are doing.  They are loosely following America By Bicycle's Fast America South route.  They have already made one change - Friday's ride was 144 miles, Saturday was to be a rest day, followed by about 135 miles on Sunday.  They chose to split Sunday's ride in half, making Saturday and Sunday "short" rides of just under 70 miles each.  Les said as long as their bodies and the weather holds they really don't want to spend a full day hanging out at a hotel.

I'm really enjoying their trip from afar!  It's been amazing to see their progress and I'm glad everyday when I hear from Les that another ride is complete.  He is super upbeat.  They will have stories to tell for the rest of their lives.  Les has been the primary writer of the blog so far and he really is that entertaining in real life. 

Coming up on October 21st is the annual University of Tennessee vs. Alabama college football game.  This year it takes place in Tuscaloosa.  Les and Lance are both Tennessee boys, their parents and sister still live there.  If they stay on schedule, they will be riding in to Tuscaloosa that weekend.  They won't be wearing their UT cycling jerseys!

Pumpkin Muffins
About a month ago I had to go to Fresno for the funeral of a former boss.  I was asked to speak and decided to go up the night before to see my sister and her family.  I baked a batch of pumpkin muffins, took half with me and left the other half at home.  When I came home, a mere 24 hours later, they were all gone!  While I was at the grocery store today, I decided to pick up the ingredients for another batch.  I spotted a Devil's Food cake mix and decided to make chocolate pumpkin muffins instead.  They definitely don't have as strong of a pumpkin flavor, but they are still good.

Pumpkin or Spice Muffins

Makes 18 muffins
1 Spice Cake Mix
1 15 oz. can Pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling) OR
1 15 oz. can Sweet potatoes in light syrup
1/2 cup Almond milk

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325.
Grease cupcake pans.  Puree sweet potatoes in the blender for about 30 seconds.  Mix ingredients (no egg or oil, just the cake mix, milk, and pumpkin or sweet potatoes) and pour in prepared pans.  Bake according to mix instructions for cupcakes, using the full amount of time (approximately 25 minutes).

Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins

Makes 18 muffins
1 Devil's Food Cake Mix
1 15 oz. can Pumpkin
1/2 cup Almond milk

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325.
Grease cupcake pans.  Mix ingredients (no egg or oil, just the cake mix, pumpkin and milk) and pour in prepared pans.  Bake according to mix instructions for cupcakes, using the full amount of time (approximately 25 minutes).

All of these are very dense muffins.  The spice cake mix is slightly higher in calories, each muffin is about 150 calories, while the chocolate are slightly under 100.  Not bad for a quick snack or addition to breakfast. If I was going for Wife of the Year, I'd Fed Ex some of these to Texas or Oklahoma...

Fall Running
This is the one time of year that I start getting a little run envy.  People across the country start talking about cooler temps, morning runs that are glorious, and needing an extra layer.  I know that I am spoiled because I can run outside all winter, but my least favorite is our current weather pattern.  Our temperatures are moderate, but Santa Ana winds are blowing and our current humidity is 10%.  We have a tree down in our front yard from yesterday's winds.  With my cranky IT band, I'd rather be on my bike, but when the wind is over 20 mph I'm a little afraid of being blown right off the bike!  If we didn't have weather, what would we complain about?

McBRAAM

There is an epic cycling race that has taken place for the past 36 years - Race Across America, otherwise known as RAAM.  It starts in Oceanside, under one of the longest piers in California, spans 3000 miles, climbs 175,000 feet, crosses 12 states and finishes at City Dock in Annapolis, Maryland.  I'm married to a cyclist who loves to ride and race but RAAM takes it to a level that he's not interested in.  Riding cross country, however, has been on his bucket list for a long time.  Which leads us to McBRAAM - The McElhaney Brothers' Bicycle Ride Across America.

Les and his older brother, Lance, will be embarking on an amazing journey this Saturday.  They will leave Southern California, with Savannah, Georgia on their minds.  Les' dad, Bill, affectionately known as Pops, will be driving the support vehicle.  The route looks something like this:

 

The two most common questions I have received:

1.  Are They Crazy??
Well, yes, a little.  Or maybe a lot.  However, this goal is not out of reach.  Les and Lance are both strong riders.  They will not be racing.  Pops will have water, fuel and tools in the van if (when) somethings goes wrong.  All three of them are very intelligent (it's actually kinda scary how smart they are) and they have spent months planning, researching, thinking, and planning some more.  The RAAM record is 7 days, 15 hours and 56 minutes.  These guys are planning on 25 days of riding across 28 days total.

2.  Are You Going With Them?
No.  Originally they had considered renting an RV and Les told me I was welcome to go along for part of the trip.  My response, "I'm not living in a rolling locker room for a month!"  This is a boys' only trip.  I am happy that they are doing this but I am happy to stay home.  I've got a to-do list that is growing and I hope to actually get it all done.  I will be flying to Atlanta during the final week to meet up with them and be in Savannah for the grand finale!

I'll be posting updates here from my perspective from time to time, but if you're interested they plan to blog daily at their own blog ~ McBRAAM.