Chris Keivit's AIDS/LifeCycle Blog

May 29, 2008

Thu, 29 May 2008 17:55:00 PST

Wow - it's finally here! Tomorrow morning we head to the airport to begin this incredible trek. It has been a year of long ride, sore butts, some hills, cold and rainy training days, tears (with a lot more to come...), and exhilaration.

I haven't slept very well the last few nights, simply because of the excitement and anticipation of the Ride. I plan on making it one of the best weeks of my life!

A huge thank you to everyone that has supported me, whether financially, spiritually or emotionally. Your prayers and wrods of encouragement have taken me a long way on this journey. A big thank you especially to Joe and Tiffany for helping us in San Francisco, and to Frank for deciding to do this with me. I love you Frank and I'll be thinking of Todd this week, too. He and Clinton are watching us wondering what the hell we are doing!!!!

May 8, 2008

Thu, 08 May 2008 12:21:00 PST

Well, training is nearly complete and we are now inside of 25 days before we head west! We've gotten some good rides in and are planning on only about 3 more before we ship the bikes. We'll do 70 this Saturday, and then back to back 75's next weekend.

The training has gone really well, and I have (unofficially, anyway) reached the fundraising minimum. That's a good feeling! Now to try to figure out the packing and all the other logistics.

I want to say thank you to all of my friends, family and supporters that have helped me get this far. I am truly blessed to have such wonderful people in my life! During the week of the Ride, you can click onto this page and send a message of support that I will get during the week. I hope everyone will keep track of our progress!

April 5, 2008

Sun, 06 Apr 2008 11:33:00 PST

Finally - one of the first beautiful days of the season! This morning we did a 45 mile training ride along the Lakefront, and although it was crowded, the ride was great. It was my first officially led training ride and we had a good group of riders.

As I look at the calendar and see the days ticking away rapidly, the nervousness starts to set in. I'm not too worried about nearly 600 miles on a bike, but those bloddy hills are starting to play mind games. Imagine a 9 1/2 mile long hill... The crunch on final planning, packing, bike shipping, and fundraising keep staring me int he face, too. Well, I guess I just have to make sure everything si done before May 30!

March 22, 2008

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 10:15:00 PST

What's the line from Jaws? Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water? Well, just when we thought it was safe to get back on the road - we get a blizzard!!! This week's snow has (as you can imagine) put a bit of a damper on the training. I have been able to do some riding indoors, but with less than 75 days to go before I head to San Francisco, I really need to start getting some distance riding in! Hopefully next weekend will be better.

Anyway, the fundraising continues, and now Frank and I are starting to think about organizing the packing. The plane tickets are bought, tentmates are assigned, and all of the shipping details have been worked out. Now if we could just get outside!!!

February 3, 2008

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 19:13:00 PST

Today was bright, sunny and chilly in Minneapolis as I prepared for the REI Tour - a 10 kilometer cross country ski race (part of the City of Lakes Loppet festival). The conditions were ideal for venturing out across a golf course, miles of trails and 4 lakes skiing toward the finish line in Uptown. I actually completed the Tour in 1 hour, 48 minutes (a pace of just under 11 minutes per kilometer) which is considerably faster than the Waukesha County Citizen's Ski Race I completed last month in Wisconsin.

10 k seems like quite a distance, but as I got closer to the finish, I remembered the motto of the Twin Cities - Chicago AIDS Ride one year - "Never Give Up". That's what it was (and really is) all about for me. Never give up on the training, the tears, the love, and the fight! I am so inspired and charged up to do this Ride that I have to be careful not to let the anticipation get the best of me!!

January 12, 2008

Sat, 12 Jan 2008 10:24:00 PST

Well, the weather is cooperating a bit for me, so I was able to get out and ride today! Just a short 7 or 8 miles, but it felt really good to be back on the bike! Yes, it was chilly, but tolerable if you are dressed properly. I'll keep updating as I keep riding.

January 5. 2008

Sat, 05 Jan 2008 17:48:00 PST

I have started the New Year off with a bang! In an effort to keep the training going throughout the winter, I recently took up cross country skiing. Well this morning, I competed in my first ski race, the Waukesha (WI) County Citizens 5k (although it was actually 6.5k once they finished measuring the course...

The conditions were not all that great. Many people commented that it was like skiing on a snow cone. The weather was sunny and just over 40 - great for a walk in the park; not so great on skis! Despite these conditions, I managed to finish in 2nd place in my age group, and 12th place overall. I was pretty happy with these results! Now to prepare for my next race - the REI 10k Tour at the City of Lakes Loppet in Minneapolis on February 3rd. Keep watching here for results!

December 24, 2007

Mon, 24 Dec 2007 14:09:00 PST

I'm spending Christmas in Minneapolis with my brother and his family. Went for a 5k cross country ski this morning to try to stay in shape over the winter. Great conditions, and perfect weather! I'll be doing xc races throughout the season, so stay tuned for more updates!

November 24, 2007

Sat, 24 Nov 2007 12:00:00 PST

Well, I have just completed what may be the last training ride of the season! As the weather cools, and snow threatens, I don't anticipate doing a great deal of riding much longer.

Today's ride was the Kal-Haven Trail in Kalamazoo (near my parents home). The trail is an old railroad right of way that is very flat and a great ride! I just wish it were warmer than 30 degrees so that I could have enjoyed it a bit more!!

I have some winter sports planned to keep me in shape, so keep checking back for additional updates! Thanks to everyone that has offered support and words of encouragement so far!

October 20, 2007

Sun, 21 Oct 2007 14:48:00 PST

Well, I have returned from a much needed vacation, and feel a bit like a slug, as I didn't exercise at all while I was gone! Oh well - no worries.

I did ride today, as the weather remains gorgeous! I got in about 15 miles, out to a local Forest Preserve path and back. There was a bit of a headwind, but I need that practice.

Training Ride Leader information should be coming soon. I have signed on to be a "TRL" (as Riders refer to them) and must go through a certification program. Then I will be able to lead other riders in the Chicagoland area on official training rides. These will give riders a chance to see what it's like to ride in a pack, following all of the traffic laws, etc. I'll provide more info as that develops.

September 23

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 08:00:00 PST

I did my second long ride of the training season yesterday and rode with guys that are WAY out of my league! A veteran ALC'er (Ed) organized the ride from Wrigley Field to the Botanic Garden and back, and all of the other riders are accomplished triathletes. We (rather they did and I played sweep) rode 51 miles at an average of about 22 miles per hour! Boy, was I mismatched - but it was a good ride all the same, and they didn't leave me too far behind! I think I'll hire one of them to put my tent up every night, because they will be in camp long before me every day!!

September 12

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 20:13:00 PST

Well, now things are really rolling - so to speak!! One of the coordinators from the ALC office emailed a bunch of the Chicago riders in an effort to organize us a bit, and boy did it work! There's already a ride planned for this coming Sunday, but I'll be out of town, so I can't make that one. However, there will probably be a ride every weekend, so I am looking forward to them. It will be so great to know many others doing the Ride! When I did the Twin Cities rides, I only knew a few riders.

I haven't done any major riding since the Labor Day ride with Frank, but I am keeping myself in shape. I'm just itching to get out on the road!

September 3

Mon, 03 Sep 2007 18:13:00 PST

This morning Frank and I were finally able to connect for a jaunt to the lakefront. What a perfect day and a great way to officially kick off our training together! The trip totaled only about 20 miles, but it really felt good to be out there among the crowd. Like Frank said - if you can negotiate the lakefront on a holiday weekend, then you can do anything. I think he's right! This was the first time since I started riding again that I had to deal with heavy traffic (both vehicular and pedestrian) and was surpirsed at how quickly the alertness of street riding came back.

I hope to become a Training Ride Leader and can't wait to get those rides started. I remember how much fun they were in the past.

August 18

Sat, 18 Aug 2007 08:55:00 PST

I got back on the bike this morning for the first time in almost a month! I've been too busy at work to spend much time riding, but that is now changing. I rode a quick 6 miles, primarily to get my legs back. It was cool and overcast, so I also wanted to see what it was like to ride with arm and leg warmers.

I am also now incorporating triathlon training into my ride training. I have started training for the Palatine Park District Twin Lakes Triathlon, which will be a couple weeks after the California Ride. I am excited, and have found that the swim and run training is going well.

The Ride!

Sun, 12 Aug 2007 14:20:00 PST

Well, now it's official. My Rider Number has been assigned (1013) and the websites are open for business! I decided to do AIDS/LifeCycle 7 for Clinton (and everyone else that is living through this disease. Anyone that knew Clinton knows what his reaction would be if he knew I was doing this - "Oh hell no!!!!"

My training began back in June, and I have several hundred miles "in the saddle" already. Keep checking back here for updated training thoughts and comments. I'll do the best I can to provide periodic reports.