The updates have been sporadic lately but the time has come for the Livestrong Challenge and I’ll do my best to keep the recaps coming quick and dirty.  This year Ron and I were able to book a Friday flight and head out without taking an extra day off from work.  I headed out to Ron’s on Thursday night to drop off my bike so that he could box it up and get it ready to travel.  Ron knows his way around the boxes and bikes better than I ever could so he knocks out this task each year.  I was hoping to help him but I had to head out to meet up with the statistics crew of the Carolina Rollergirls to find out what the plans were for the next few bouts.  It ended up being just a hanging out night with a few beers and joking around.  Not a bad way to spend the night before heading out to Austin.  But then again packing might also have been a good idea.  I spent the next few hours getting everything together and triple checking that I had what I needed.  I ended up getting to bed around 12:30 with the plan to wake up at 6 so that I’d be ready to go for the flight the next morning.  I spent the rest of the night waking up off and on and adding things to my bag as I remembered them.

I did manage to wake up on time the next day and get showered and ready to go.  Ron texted me that he would be at my place around eight so I took the extra time to relax and watch some TV knowing the next few days would be non-stop.  We got everything loaded and headed to the airport a little after eight.  As usual we had to do the dance with the American Airlines check-in about the bikes.  They always ask us to pay and we always have to point out that we have a free voucher to take them there and back.  I’ll gladly do that every time though if it means not having to pay for the bike shipping.  It’s great of American Airlines to do this for the riders each year and hopefully they’ll continue to do this.  I know it makes me a lot more likely to look at them when i think of traveling.  The flight to Dallas was smooth but we ended up getting stuck at the airport waiting for our gate to open so that we could pull in.  I’d say we spent about 30 minutes on the tarmac before getting into the terminal.  The Austin flight was just as quick and painless and we got in, got the van and headed into downtown.

We’re staying at the Courtyard by Marriot again which is outstanding.  We walk out the door and into the convention center, two blocks and we’re on sixth street, you can’t really ask for a better location.  Ron’s friend Paul is riding and running with us this year and he caught up to us about two hours after we landed.  In the meantime Ron and I went over to the convention center and checked in to receive our bags and numbers.  This year’s bag, which is the award for raising 1000, is outstanding.  Its an overnight/travel bag that I’ll get tons of use out of since its nice and big.  Ron got the limited edition jersey also which came with the 2500 level.  I was hoping that jersey would only be a free jersey that others would have to buy but it turns out that there is no challenge jersey this year other than that one.  So I missed out on getting one since I missed my mark on fundraising.  There’s always next year though.

Once Paul got into town we headed back over to the convention center so that he could have a look around.  We had gotten all of his numbers and what not when we got ours so that he wouldn’t have to wait in line.  From there we made a quick run to the local bike shop to get CO2 cartridges to cover any flats that may come up on the road.  For those that don’t know the CO2 will inflate your new innertube if you get a flat on the road and have to change it out.  It beats carrying around a tire pump.  After that it was our annual trip to Chuy’s.  Any trip to Austin is severely lacking if you don’t eat here.  Great Tex Mex and, like everything else in Austin, completely unique.  I had their burrito which lived up to its description of being as big as my face.  Needless to say we all headed to the hotel stuffed and lethargic after taking a few pics of us in front of the iconic sign.

We crashed out by 10:30 local time, which was 11:30 eastern, so that we’d be able to wake up early at six for the 5K race the next morning.   Dinner will be at the invitation only Saturday Gathering after Ron got two tickets for raising $5000 and scored an extra ticket for Paul to come with us.

It’s been a nice week off since the Duke Half-Ironman but its time to get back to work.  The Austin Livestrong Challenge is less than three weekends away and then the Raleigh City of Oaks Marathon is six.  I’ve been doing some digging and based on the training plans I’ve found I may have put myself behind the eight ball on the marathon training.  I’ve been doing the base miles it suggested in my half-Ironman preparation but I haven’t been hitting the long run distances they have laid out.  Looks like my marathon may not be as enjoyable as I hoped.

Regardless my current concentration has to be on the Livestrong Challenge.  I’ll be riding Tuesday’s, Wednesday’s, and a long ride on the weekends.  This schedule will allow me to work on my running for the marathon as well as be ready to go for the Livestrong Challenge.

This morning I took the next to last step to getting to Austin by booking my airfare.  Apparently there was a sale going on and the airfare from Raleigh to Austin came up to only $254 which was down from $445.  Talk about a great change in rate, plus we even got a direct flight from Austin to Raleigh coming home.  We used On The Mark Travel, 512-794-8800.  If you’re still trying to get your travel itinerary together Id give them a call.  Its who we’ve used for the past few years and we always get a good deal.

The only thing that has Ron and I nervous is that the free bike shipping has yet to be confirmed by American Airlines.  In every year past they’ve given everyone flying to the Ride for the Roses and Livestrong Challenge a free pass for their bikes.  According to the travel agent they’re still dragging their feet this year on giving the all clear.  If we don’t get to do our bikes for free it will cost $160 to ship them to and from Austin.  Luckily with the cheap flight this wont be as bad but free is always better.  I’m sure there will be a lot of ill will towards American if they decide to start charging for bike transport based on the reason everyone is going and the past several years being at no cost.

I got an email yesterday from the LAF letting everyone know about changes to the Austin Livestrong Challenge weekend.  It turns out that they have moved the 5K running race from Sunday to Saturday.  For those already registered for the cycling event Sunday the entry is free to do the 5K.  Now the opportunity exists for Livestrong Challenge participants to not only do the cycling portion but also the running portion of the weekend.  And yes I have already signed up for both and talked Ron into running it with me.  Will it make Sunday harder for cycling?  Possibly but I’m not expecting it will because a 5K usually has little to no effect on me physically since the distance falls short of my average daily runs.

So now there’s a bit more incentive to mix up your training plans if you are attending the Austin weekend.  Think about the sense of accomplishment you’ll feel by knocking out both events that weekend.  If you are committed to only one event, then you’ll have even more time to enjoy and support those who are doing the event in which you aren’t participating.

Here’s the official announcement, and note that to find the registration link for the 5K you must follow the link in the text below.  I could no longer find the fundraising tools from the main site and had to use this one.

Dear LIVESTRONG Challenge Austin Rider,

We have some exciting news for you about your registration for the upcoming 2007 LIVESTRONG Challenge Austin, October 12th-14th.

You may have seen recent news that Texas Governor Rick Perry signed HB 14, which establishes the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas and that the Texas legislature passed the companion legislation, HJR 90, which offers Texans an opportunity to vote to provide $300 million a year over 10 years for cancer research and programs in Texas.

The LAF was part of a coalition helped pass these bills but our work isn’t over yet. This fall, Texans will vote on November 6th and decide whether Texas will invest in cancer prevention and research over the next ten years.

Because of this historic opportunity, the date of the LIVESTRONG Challenge 5K run/walk has been changed to Saturday, October 13th, and will take place on the Texas Capitol grounds and include a rally in support of the November vote.

The Challenge ride will remain Sunday, October 14th  in Hays County and Dripping Springs. With the date change to the run, you are now invited to attend the 5K run/walk at no extra cost! To register for the run, login to your fundraising tools and click on “Register for the Austin Challenge 5K.”

Events like the LIVESTRONG Challenge help the LAF unite people in the fight against cancer and raise funds to provide information and tools for cancer survivors. In addition, the LIVESTRONG Challenge funds our programmatic and advocacy efforts to prevent cancer, ensure access to screening and care, invest in research and improve the quality of life for cancer survivors.

We look forward to a tremendous showing of unity in support of the LAF and cancer research, prevention, early detection and control programs in Texas. We thank you for all of your support and can’t wait to see you on October 13.

If you have any questions or need more information, please contact austinchallenge@laf.org or 888.424.2553.

Sincerely,
The LIVESTRONG Challenge Staff

The Livestrong Challenge routes for this year are up on LivestrongChallenge.org. Unfortunately there aren’t any maps yet but the route has a short description. This year the Austin route has changed, since I haven’t ridden the others I have no idea if they’re the same or not.

Austin Route Description

The 2007 LIVESTRONG Challenge Austin will see the ride move out west to start and finish in Dripping Springs, Lance Armstrong’s training grounds. Dripping Springs is a quiet, picturesque community 20 miles from the Austin city limits and is commonly referred to as the ‘Gateway to the Hill Country’. Dripping Springs terrain lends itself to any cyclist who wants to enjoy a quiet, challenging ride that encompasses everything the Hill Country is known for: Texas Ranches, rolling hills, riverfront views, whitetail deer and quintessential Texas Longhorns.

The course departs out of Dripping Springs High School, and the beauty of the ride is immediately evident. The 70 and 100-mile courses head southeast towards the quaint town of Wimberley nestled along the Blanco River where the shaded roads and riverfront view is the ideal place for riding. 100-mile riders then head due west towards the town of Fisher and northwest traversing the town of Blanco. The course then turns back towards Dripping Springs for the Post Event Party.

Overall, all the course distances for the Austin Challenge encompass moderate to difficult terrain with some steep climbs. The long course will ascend a total of 6,000 ft. before finishing back in Dripping Springs. Ride and 5K course maps, profiles and logs will be placed on the website soon.
*All courses subject to change.

http://www.livestrong.org/site/c.khLXK1PxHmF/b.2793351/k.8468/Austin_Route_Description.htm

I’m a little torn about the Austin change. I liked the old course which I’ve ridden for two years now but I like the idea that I’ll get to see and ride somewhere new this year. The fact that its “Lance Armstrong’s Training Grounds” is kinda cool, knowing that you’re riding in the tracks of a Tour winner. The flipside is that I doubt he rides an easy route. The description makes it sound as if we’ll hit the hills a lot earlier, where with the old route it was 30 miles in. Since I knew the route last year I was able to determine whether to do the 70 mile or 100 mile version when I got to the split because my knee was bothering me so much. With the new course I’ll have no such option because I wont know which distance is harder regardless of the distance.

In the end I don’t expect the unknown to matter too much because with my half-Ironman training Ill have trained more this year than any other so my knee shouldn’t blow up and 100 miles should be an easy ride this time.  Then again any ride that will “ascend 6000 ft” is not going to be easy.