If you follow me on Twitter, you’ve seen the photos I post of the meals I prepare and eat. While this is second nature to me, I’ve realized that the rest of you are curious about the food I eat. Over the next few weeks I’ll share with you my food journey, the foods I don’t eat, the foods I do eat, the foods I crave, what I drink, what I don’t drink – my personal seven health principles.

But first, an overview of my food journey.

I’ve always been a really healthy eater. From childhood, the food on my plate was a lot of fresh, organic veggies (that I planted, raised, harvested with my bare hands), fruit, organic whole wheat flour (that I ground), whole milk and then skim milk, goats milk that I milked (make sure they don’t eat onions!), honey versus white sugar, 100 percent pure maple syrup that I helped make from maple trees on our farm (fun fact: it takes 40 gallons of raw sap to make one gallon of pure maple syrup), drank my first soy milk when it first came out (1986? 1985?), ate kale before it became the 2012 buzz word (back in the early ’80s), only drank water (no soda, barely any juice and no coffee), and if we ate meat we killed it. I knew where my food came from, how it was raised and the blood, sweat and tears it took to get that tomato on my plate.

I started cooking and baking at the age of 5. I began making breakfast then lunch and dinner. Everything was made from scratch, all organic and of course tons of vegetables. I enjoyed experimenting and creating new dishes. I cooked with fresh herbs and whatever was in season. It’s probably why the kitchen is one of my favorite rooms in a house. I love, love to cook and prepare tasty, colorful dishes for other people. If you’ve ever had my cooking, you know this first hand.

For four years (1994-1997) I had a successful bakery with my two younger sisters where we made everything from scratch. We ground organic wheat berries to make the whole wheat flour, we used honey  (I remember lugging 50 pound buckets of fresh honey up to the kitchen) vs. white sugar, we used all organic ingredients, fresh, in-season fruit, fresh organic brown eggs, organic dairy and of course made with a lot of tender loving care.

Translation = no processed crap, no food dyes, no additives, etc. in the food we ate. If it was a cookie, cake or tart, it was made with the freshest, purest and organic ingredients.

I remember when Muir Glen, Garden of Eden, Cascadian Farms and Stonyfield Farms weren’t household brand names. Yes, I now feel old.

When I went to college, my body was shocked that the rest of the world didn’t eat like I had. It was a great eye-opener. After college, I was happy to be back in my own kitchen and cooking/baking again!

Then in the early 2000s I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. For being so young I thought it was ridiculous that I was put on a variety of medicines instead of being encouraged to look at other treatments. (Prescribing pills is quick. Healthy treatments can be a long process.) I strongly dislike medicine(s) and took myself off them after a few months and began other methods of natural treatment and making sure the food I ate was organic and as fresh as possible. Much like I grew up on. For the first couple of years my body seemed to do well with it and I was happy that I ditched the medicine. Then my training started to increase and other added stress began to take its tole on my body and my endocrinology and adrenal system took a huge hit. My body responded my treating everything I ate as inflammatory. Now a little side note. Autoimmune diseases need anti-inflammatory foods. Combined with turning older (God bless aging), I needed to do something different.

So, I started experimenting with the foods I was eating. I did extensive research and came to the conclusion that I should take grains out of the food I was eating. A few months later I took dairy out. I loved cheese. I thought it would be really hard for me not to have it, but you know what? A few months into it I decided to have a cube of cheese at a party and I couldn’t stand it. Proof that your body can learn new tricks. And by taking grains and dairy out of the food I ate, it pretty much eliminated sugar as well.

Since removing all dairy, grains (not just wheat or “Gluten Free”), legumes (and I loved beans) and pretty much all sugar (even honey) I’ve noticed substantial positive body improvements. My body isn’t fighting with itself (as much). I’m still a work in progress. I do have an occasional – and when I say occasional that means one or two times a month – a baked goodie. Like a cupcake.

Now I have many things to say about all the above. I wish I could write them all right now. But you don’t want to read the entire journey right now.  And I need to keep your interest so you’ll come back and read the rest of it .

However, I’ll leave you with a few thoughts based upon my research, working with people across the country, traveling across the country and my own personal opinions. I’ll explain in greater detail in future parts what exactly I mean by each point. Here they are. Get ready, they are deep (laugh, it’s a joke).

1) Too much dairy in our ‘diet’ (diet meaning the food we eat, not a diet plan)

2) Soy is not a health food

3) We don’t know where our food comes from, how it is made or how it made it onto our plate

4) We mask our disease with pills vs. healing our bodies with real food that God created

5) We buy packaged food – wrappers, boxes, bags, etc. vs. buying or growing fresh produce

6) Farms and farmers are being replaced by developments OR being paid to genetically (GMO) grow crops (corn being a great example) (The food we eat today is vastly different then the food we ate 10, 50, 100 years ago)

7) We are a lazy, sick nation instead of being a hard working, healthy nation when it comes to our health and the food we eat

I believe we have the ability to heal our bodies (granted with God’s help) and it is our responsibility to take care of the body God gave us (as well as the land He created)

In the coming weeks we’ll discuss these points, I’ll share the foods I do eat, recipes I’ve created, some of the myths and truth behind the different foods and why I believe that if everyone took their health as seriously as I do, some of the health problems we are seeing might cease to exist or be drastically reduced.

peace, sweat, love: life

I’ve been traveling the last week (not new news), enjoying some down time with great friends and of course, TRAINING. Just because I’ve been on the down low, doesn’t mean I’ve been slacking. I ran 55 miles last week. Not a lot – my training plan goal is to run up to 90 miles per week. The key? Staying injury free. My approach to this 100 mile training is to do quality training vs quantity. We’ll see how that goes with Ms. Overachiever :).

On Black Friday I ran a slow 20 miler. While everybody else was fighting crowds, pepper spray and other obnoxious things, I was moving my body! It felt amazing to get outside, enjoy the fresh air and RUN. 

Ran a trail 10K with my friend Rachel on Saturday, which was SO much fun! Which meant I ran 26.2 miles in a day . Sunday was a recovery and Soul Food day – went to Genesis Church – will write about that later, Rachel and I made a healthy lunch, Kale Chips, which the kids devoured, watched a movie by the crackling fireplace, took a nap, made a healthy Apple Crisp, cleaned the kitchen, listened to Christmas music, then went to their bowling league. Where I might have to take up bowling a little more frequently as I managed to get quite a few strikes! It was a total blast and nice to have some down time.

Monday, Nov. 28 I ran six miles, did stair intervals, full body weights and core work to make a total of three hours of training for the day. The weather wasn’t the best (rainy), but training goes on! That evening, I was invited over to Steve Wallen’s (pastor at Genesis Church) home for dinner with his family. And yes, I brought a salad with my special, secret salad dressing . It was another great evening spending time with like-minded friends!

And if I thought the weather wasn’t nice yesterday, today was even WORSE! It poured all day and by the time I went out for my run it was snowing. Now I love to run in the snow, but this was bipolar snow. Snow, ice, sleet, rain, and the wind. By the time I returned, my face was ever so slightly cut up, my eyes red and stinging … but hey I got in 11 miles and that’s what counts! All in a day’s work .

A human icicle! It was just a tad chilly out

I have another busy week ahead. Flights, a marathon Sunday and endless other life stuff (like a move), but you know what? I wouldn’t have it any other way. I am very grateful for the gift of running that God has given me and I intend to put it to good use.

Oh and parting thoughts. As I was running, I was thinking how the world would be a much happier place if they just put their health second (God first). Not going shopping for crap that you can’t take with you. Sadly, Americans thrive on their instant gratification.  

Oh and in case you are new here, WELCOME! I am training to run my second 100 mile ultra marathon (Rocky Raccoon) on Feb. 4, 2012 and attempting to get 100 kids sponsored for Team World Vision. Why not make a difference this Christmas and give the gift of life? You can sponsor a child by going here. Make sure you put my name in the athlete box so we can keep track!

Peace, sweat and love life!!

Whoa. Back-to-back posts on soda. I promise I’ll talk about cupcakes and flowers tomorrow .

We all have our vices. Take me for example: I really enjoy a cupcake, or dark chocolate or a slice of warm cherry pie with a dollop of fresh whipped cream on top. I have always admitted my sweet tooth. Here is the thing, though. I very rarely eat any of those things. I believe in moderation. I also know that because I am in the health, fitness, wellness field I am held to a higher standard then other people. I try really hard (with God’s help) to walk the talk. Not just saying one thing and doing the complete opposite.

I try to keep it real by posting, every now and then, a particular craving I might be having (the other night it was hot chocolate). But keeping it real versus living in contradiction with what you say are two very different things.

Recently, I have been seeing a certain health/fitness professional ”check in” at McDonald’s for their daily diet coke fix. Which surprised me, because we all know that diet soda/soda is one of the worst things you can put into your body.

Then the kicker came when I was on my Facebook page and it said that this person “likes” Mountain Dew and suggested that I “like” the page as well. Are you kidding me? I will go to my grave before I like ANY soda page. Or any page that is related to the current health (obesity) crisis for that matter.

And this isn’t the only example. There are some others out there who recently went on a “clean” food plan, cut out alcohol and partying. When they had been preaching that message all along. Am I missing something? Are we just supposed to talk about living a healthy, fit life, but not really live it?

But I guess if you have a ton of followers on Twitter, likes on Facebook and say key words like “w00t,” “woo hoo” and “yay – great workout,” “you’re a rock star!” and tons of other flowering words, then I guess it voids out what you do in REAL life.

Call me old-fashioned, but I try really hard to only say what I do (it’s called living by example). And that means saying no to things I might enjoy on a regular basis.

If you are in the health/wellness/fitness field, please make sure your actions and lifestyle back up what you tweet, Facebook, video, etc., about. It is not an easy job, so back out now if you can’t handle it.

Am I perfect? Hell no. I said that in the every beginning of this article. There is a fine line between a healthy balance (a cupcake or a soda every now and then won’t kill you) and repeating unhealthy actions on a daily basis.

Not judging, just observing. If you are in the health/wellness/field, be careful what you post and like and most importantly how you live your daily life. People are watching and look up to us. Be a positive role model!

The fire is hot. Are you brave enough to walk through it?

Photo by: respres

Why, looky, looky, I think I spy donuts, ice cream, nachos…wait a minute. NO YOU DON’T! Not this blog! What you DO see is a pair of running shoes, a race bib, some fruits & veggies and a passion for kids.

In case you haven’t heard about the FIT Project. Here is a recap.

The FIT (Fitness Inspired Tour) Project is a national fitness tour. Through this tour Sarah hopes to inspire the nation to make fitness a natural part of their life. The tour will focus on ways people can be healthy, start running, incorporate simple ways to be active & of course help others. This project will help combat the obesity crisis that is affecting our nation. Sarah will attempt to run all 19 Rock n’ Roll Half marathons.  Sarah will fundraise for various organizations such as Orange Laces, World Vision, and/or PlayWorks. For the complete list of dates & city’s on the tour, visit here.

The first stop on the FIT Project was in Phoenix, AZ. Being able to escape 20 degree temps + harsh wind to 70 degrees + sunshine for 36 hours was pretty sweet

I arrived late Friday evening, picked up my rental car (I avoid checking bags at all costs!) and navigated my way to my friends Kristi’s place north of Phoenix. Yes, women CAN navigate. In the dark even!

Quick story first. After we got up in the air, they passed out drinks. I requested my usual “water with no ice.” And good thing I did. Because my blood sugar was low and as she handed me the cup I promptly spilled it all over my legs. Thankfully a kind gentleman next to me gave me his sweatshirt and that kept me warm for the next four hours or so. It was also a good thing I don’t drink coffee – hot would’ve been much, much worse! Now back to your regularly scheduled programing.

After getting to Kristi’s, we talked (what else do girls do?) and then finally went to bed at 2am. I was tired.

In the morning, I made us Steel Cut Oats. Always start the day off right! Then we headed to the Scottsdale Farmers Market – the highlight of the weekend! The drive to Scottsdale was awesome. The mountains make me feel alive.  And seeing the hot air balloons in the valley made me realize my dream of riding in one someday!

They say pictures are worth a thousand words, so enjoy!

Dried Beans

More Dried Beans!

Onions (red & white)

Fresh Fruit!

Apples!

Fresh Oranges (can't you just smell them?!)

Blood Orange (the BEST)

Fresh Oranges!

There is nothing better than fresh fruits & veggies. Just looking at them makes me happy. Are you getting fresh food into your diet? You need 5 fruits and 5 vegetables EVERY DAY!

Part Two will feature a video or two as well as more photos. Don’t miss it!

If you dig helping others, eating, endurance events, or helping jump start a business then read up. Caleb Simpson is starting a natural “raw food” bar. It also happens to be gluten free and vegan. Which I know will interest some of you.

Learn a little bit about nutrition and Adventure Naturals. Make sure you read all the way to the bottom!

Raw food for energy

By Caleb Simpson

In the past couple years the “raw food diet” has become quite popular. Although not heavily accepted, there is no denying that raw foods are good for you. Some people advocate a 100 percent raw food diet, others simply advocate a high raw food intake, which I believe is the best option for most people.

Raw foods are unprocessed and uncooked plant foods that are rich in nutrients and healthy enzymes.When heated above 116 degrees, many enzymes in the food are destroyed. These enzymes aid in digestion and absorption of food into the body.

Raw foods are an excellent source for energy because of their high nutritional and enzyme content. The body requires energy to break down and digest food, but the more enzymes the food contains, the easier it is for your body to process the food, thus providing you with more energy.

Take, for example, eating a large meal; your body has to work to digest the food, so you are often left feeling sluggish and slow. But, if you consume something like a salad with a healthy dressing you will have much more energy after that meal because your body doesn’t have to work as hard to digest the food.

Carbohydrates are also a key source of energy, especially for athletes such as runners, cyclists and swimmers. But complex carbs (often cooked) are not the best source of carbs for energy (unless consumed the day before activity, i.e. carb loading) because they require time to be broken down before being converted to energy. But, simple carbohydrates translate to quick and instant energy. A good example of simple carbohydrates are raw dates and bananas. This is also why commercial energy drinks such as PowerAde and Gel Shots are quite popular amongst athletes.

Raw foods also yield huge amount of health benefits. There are countless cases of people switching to a raw food lifestyle and curing themselves of cancer, diabetes, obesity, and other diseases. Although, this type of diet is not for everybody, simply increasing your diet to as little as 50% raw foods will yield countless health benefits. Increasing your raw food intake can be as simple as drinking a raw smoothie in the morning (consisting of fruit, greens and a non-dairy based milk, such as almond milk) and having a salad for lunch. It’s also key to avoid processed foods, especially junk food.

This brings me to a mention of Adventure Naturals; a new raw food snack company based out of Austin Texas. Adventure Naturals produces tasty energy bars and seasoned nuts. A healthy alternative to the break room snack machine and a great source of fuel for whatever adventure you wish to pursue.

With production slated to begin in March, we need to raise some startup capital to make it all happen. Our project is currently on Kickstarter, where you can make a donation and get free product in return. You will be one of the first to taste our wonderful, healthy creations. Our bars are 100% organic, mostly raw, gluten free, and vegan. Not only that, but they are full of healthy ingredients that will help fuel even the most active person.

So check it out and make your pledge today. http://kck.st/couzJh. You can also visit us online at http://www.adventurenaturals.com or follow us on Twitter @Adv_Naturals

Last night I went on a little rant. 512 words to be exact. I wasn’t talking about the birds & the bees. Or 25 reasons to love dark chocolate. I was ON FIRE about obesity.

All of my posts, tweets, #lifeTruth thoughts are all sparked from personal experiences. What sparked these specific posts last night was working with a family where food was is being used as weapon, not as nutrition. It broke my heart all over again. And I wanted to share what I see with my own eyes.

I am passionate about many things. And one of the topics I am extremely vocal & passionate about is kids + parents + food. Obesity. You’ll see the stats below. Please don’t confuse my passion with being mean, attacking, etc. I only want to help.

Our nation is in a crisis. Its time that we stop skirting the issues, being defensive, making excuses and take personal responsibility.

If you missed it, here is the recap. If you did catch my live tweeting, I would urge you read it again. There are some good facts not to miss!

————————————

Hey parents, just because you feel guilty does NOT mean you give them junk food to eat!!

No, I’m not sorry. I won’t back down from helping people, parents, kids be aware of the food they eat & what they drink.

America is leading the charts on obesity. 1 in 3 kids & 2 in 3 adults are obese. It’s a crisis. And it starts with personal responsibility.

I watch parents feed their kids processed food because they’ve been gone for 14 hours & feel guilty about that. At least give them an apple!

Making a lot of $ does mean you sacrifice your kids health. Loving your kids doesn’t mean you buy their love by feeding them crap.

You can’t buy your kids love via food. If you think you can, you’ve been fooled.

I wish – I pray –  that each of us will wake up & realize that if you put crap in your body & your kids, you’ll get grouchy, sad, unhappy people

I am passionate about kids, food, people. I seek no greater joy then to help people understand the two. And to sweat too

And please never give a kid a “treat” that is junk. If you have to, at least make it healthy. But remember there are no treats in adult life!

Oh, one last thing. It’s not about being a size 0, only eating celery juice (whatever that is) or being judgmental. It’s about being healthy.

Re: treats in life: every time you go to work you don’t get a “treat”. Example, kid woke up from nap, he got a sugar pop. For waking up??!!

Re: no treats in life f/u. You stop at red lights. You pull over when an fire engine goes by. Do you get a “treat” for doing so? No.

Re: treats in life f/u 2) you find “treats” in life by helping others, not through food/$. Neither of those bring happiness.

More: kids want to be noticed. They want attention. Are they crying? Out of control? Chances are if you just play with them, things will be better. I can’t stress this enough. Put down all things tech & go to the park, soccer field, etc. Time with kids is far better then candy!

When kids equate food as love, it sets them for failure in so many ways its sad.

I’m not trying to offend anyone, just stating what I see on a daily basis. And if it wasn’t an issue, why are the stats the way are?

Listen, I’m here to help & support parents. But I’m not going to apologize when I see with my own eyes what is going on!

Bottom line (as I’ve said before) personal responsibility. And that means if you are a parent, you are responsible for what your kids eat

Yes, I don’t have biological children, but I have raised 3 from the day they were born. And have contained to work with kids ever since. I’m speaking from experience & first hand knowledge. I know it’s not easy. But if you make wise, educated choices its a step in the right direction.

I’ll write more in a blog over the coming days/weeks. It’s a complex issue. I only want to give hope to kids and moms/dads. Love you all!

And at this point I’ll need a body guard!

Sarah Stanley is a professional endurance athlete who is passionate about life, health, kids & sweating. Sign up for her newsletter for more inspiration!

Photo by: Gunna

Pens don’t make change, actions do. A few days ago, President Obama signed a nutrition bill. Also known as the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act 2010. People ooh & awed. Yay! We have ANOTHER bill. This will make the obesity crisis diminish. And we won’t have starving kids.

Wait a minute. Hold the Gingerbread Latte!

Are we supposed to think that because a bill is signed everything is now going to be okay? It took years of poor choices, not moving (as in getting active), replacing farms with white picket fences and ugly supermarkets, and eating food from cans, packages and crappy drive thrus. So a piece of paper & a pen & a president will change all that, eh?

I can hear the critics now “it will help” or “it’s a step in the right direction”. And a bunch of other stuff. Here is my point. Yes, I actually have one – or perhaps two .

I have been advocating a healthy lifestyle for years. Since I was a kid I have always been active. Smiling. Eating food from trees, plants, the ground and yes even meat. I have helped others start running. Eating healthy. Losing weight. Getting their butt off the couch. That’s change people. Not some pen talking about change. Change my a$$!

So, in January 2010 I launched a public project to help fight obesity.  Called Run Ride Inspire. My prayer was (and still is) that by putting actions +words together that people would see change and be motivated to change. To say its been an rough road would be an understatement.

Yesterday I was having a discussion with someone on Twitter about this Nutrition Bill. They mentioned that it would be a great PR Story.  They also mentioned the First Lady’s “Let’s Move” campaign. While a great idea, there has been very little action for it. (Which is kind of funny for an “active” bill.)

And now we are all supposed to jump up & down that we have yet another freaking bill? Now with a sprinkling of ink, we will all be healthy, not hungry and peace on earth. I don’t think so.

My rebuttal was “yeah right”. Just this year alone I was reminded just how hard it is to get the message across that people need to stop eating crap & start moving move. Some for the first time. I ran a 100 mile ultra marathon (in 2009). I ran Double Boston Marathon (ran from finish to start, then start to finish). I cycled from Washington, DC to New York City in September & was honored to speak to about 1500 kids along the way. And spoke to 10 schools in Oklahoma.

I list the athletic events I have done not for kudos (although that would be nice) but making a point that personal responsibility begins with me. And you too.

Yet despite these actions, the publicity has been very poor- at best. You see, it is more fun to have the White House & the Obama’s sign some bill. We are excited for a few days. And then the excitement dies a wicked death. And just like that, the change is a just a happy thought.

But is it really the Obama’s or the government’s responsibility to make sure we eat better? To get active? To start moving our bodies? To take responsibility for OUR actions? I don’t think so. Yeah, it is easy to place the blame on someone. And so the government takes it. And then we get mad & upset because they are spending our tax dollars. Trust me, I’m not happy either, but if we don’t take personal responsibility for things WE can change, how can we expect change to happen in the first place?

What can YOU and I do? Here are a few ideas.

• Make one simple action of change a day
• Replace drinking soda with water
• Eat fruit & veggies from a farmers market (not a can)
• Help local food banks/soup kitchens
• Get up 15 minutes earlier each day & sweat
• Only give your kids healthy options for meals. If they don’t like it, to bad! Bad choices are KILLING us.
• Be active WITH your kids

You are signing not only yours, but the next generation nutrition bill with every action you make. Don’t leave your health in the hands of the government. Its your personal responsibility to make active change. Go drink a glass of water!

Sarah Stanley is a professional endurance athlete who advocates a health lifestyle by living one. She is passionate about the next generation & believes that actions+words make a difference. For more motivation sign up for her monthly newsletter.

Photo by Micky

Day 9 of Project Cheer! Today’s cheer is brought to you by Jan-Michael Sacharko of A-SPAN.

New to Project Cheer? Here’s the recap.

Cheer #9) Listen

There are lots of intelligent people out there that hold opinions differing from yours. There are also many people who choose to ignore facts, go from their gut, and sometimes say things that you just can’t believe. You and I are among at least one of these groups. For everyone on the opposite side of the political aisle or issue (personal or political), there is the instinct to react before we think. So to spread cheer today and onward, I say DON’T JUST REACT!

Think. Listen. Consider. Read. Research. Respond. Spread some intelligent and considered thought. Know why you hold your opinion. Respect the other person as a person. You may not sway them and they may not sway you, but the exchange will add to the conversation rather than distract from solving the problem. An unmeasured, unreasonable response often looks like one thing: hate. Don’t hate. As my friend Shay Kelley says: Spread the Love.

Bonus Day 9 cheer: Give freely

“They’re only going to spend it on drugs and alcohol.”

I hear this very often in regard to people giving money to people on the street. Having worked at homeless shelters for 10 years, I have my own thoughts on this simple act of charity. I can’t refuse anyone if I am asked. I am not particularly religious, but I always think of the Catholic version of the Golden Rule – that which you do for the least of my brothers, you do for me.

Perhaps they may buy drugs or alcohol in order to escape the situation they are in, wouldn’t you? If you do not feel comfortable or safe giving money on the street, there are many other ways that you can help such as handing out gift certificates or food. Donate to a homeless shelter or organization. Wanna go simpler? Talk to the person. Say hello. Smile. Acknowledge their humanity. Recognize for a second that the person asking you for a quarter is a person who would like to improve their situation. Then please, remember that the rest of the year.

Jan is the director of A-SPAN. They provide life-sustaining services for Arlington, VA,  street homeless. You can follow Jan on Twitter at @janmichaelDC or visit here.

Day 7 is brought to you by Katy Widrick of Growing Boulder TV. Enjoy!

If you are new to Project Cheer, welcome!

Cheer Day #7: Make someone laugh today

I am a holiday-loving, carol-singing, fruitcake-eating kind of girl. I love everything about the holidays, from the lights to the ribbons to the way we all seem to be a bit friendlier during the month of December.

But I know there are some Scrooges out there that just need a little motivation to embrace the holiday spirit.
So, why not Elf them? I promise — this is a free and fun way to show people you care enough to make them look ridiculous.

I Elfed myself as an example:

Don’t think this fits the Healthy Holiday bill? Well, you can burn 1.3 calories per minute of laughing and 50 calories for every 10 minutes of dancing.

Happy, Healthy Holidays!

Katy Widrick can be found on Twitter @kwidrick or visit her website: http://katywidrick.com

Photo by KIUKO

It was a VERY long day. Even a few tears. Driving to Philly from Baltimore is one thing, riding on a bike is another (trust me on that).

The day started out late. I spent 2 hours the previous night trying to upload a video and then never loaded. I was multi tasking and writing a recap of Day One. Well the photos were all cropped. It just wasn’t my night (or week for that matter seeing as the BlackBerry issues I had the previous night!). At 11pm I called it a day (a epic day at that).

So back to Wednesday morning, the 15th. I didn’t sleep well (sigh) so finally rolled out of bed at 6am. I finally got the video to upload (went through the “back door”), tried to go through all my email, finish some articles, phone calls, pack up the car, and other random stuff. And oh yeah remind my legs that we had to crank out about 110miles. Perhaps I should have taken another ice bath, but alas no time for that. I needed to get some food in me, so I had some oatmeal- on the tail gate. New take on tail gate party:) Finally, I got my butt on the saddle around 8:45am.

Tail Gate Party! Oatmeal!

Getting out of Baltimore was actually pretty easy (thank you God!) I stayed on Route 40 forever. Met up with Roni and she did a quick interview and took some photos. I had a few bites of oatmeal (yes it was getting gross). It was a beautiful day with bright sun. Day two of sunburn. Fun!

Bring shade! I'm HOT!

At some point the route took us off Route 40 and into parts of Maryland I never knew existed. I thought I was in PA with the amount of climbing I was doing. I stopped at various points along the way to post some updates on Twitter and take some photos. I don’t listen to music while I ride (or run for that matter) so I asked Mike to turn up the radio a few times as I hung on the passenger window:) Did I mention it was hot? And my legs were pretty much on fire? The challenge never comes without a price!

Love riding in the country!

It was really neat to ride in and out of towns, city’s, farms, coffee shops (kidding). I smelled french fries at one point and wanted to puke. I FINALLY reached Delaware. Thought the state would never come. I still had a WAYS to go. I watched the miles tick on. Rode over Conwango Dam- that was pretty cool. Then it was some insane hills. I almost fell back down the hill (no joke). Made it back to Route 40 (yay!) and finally to North 13.

100 miles baby! 200+ miles to go!

Rode under cool bridge just after Conwango Dam

Some parts of the road were pretty busy so I was praying for my safety. We (me+car) had to merge across some major roads. Now was not the time to be tired! When you see the sign that says “Philly 50 miles” and you have already rode 140 miles you just kind of die inside, but trudge on.

Had to stretch. I didn't care that it was a sidewalk!

Route 13 split into Business 13 and regular 13. I took Business 13, which was the long cut (lucky me). Hey I got to ride in downtown Wilmington, DE! It also had the LONGEST climb. OMG. It was insane. I think my SAG car almost stalled I was going so slow. Then met back up with the route plan.

One NASTY climb. OMG.

Then all hell broke lose. The directions somehow got screwed up and I was really tired and sore. I just wanted to throw the bike in the street and be done. I was hungry (energy cubes and sports drink can only be fun for so long) salty and in dire need of a shower. The back of my knees felt like bee hive. I was worn out and I couldn’t even see the city of brotherly love. Shoot me. I will admit some tears were shed- along with prayers to God to give me the strength to get there no matter how long it took.

Only 50 miles to go! (Or so I thought)

Then it went from bad to worse. We ended up at Philadelphia Intl Airport. I wish I was kidding. I don’t know what it is with me & airports (yesterday I circled BWI. TWICE). When I ride to NYC and I end up at LGA or JFK, I know something is up! Ha! Riding through the terminal was interesting. Thankfully the back of the truck explained what the hell I was doing. I can’t tell you how frustrating it was to see the city and knowing you had to get there, but not sure how.

I jumped off my bike and internally screamed. Some transit buses started honking and saying “go, Sarah, go!”. I wasn’t in the mood. I kind of ran (you try running with a bike, in cycling shoes and 180 miles in your legs) up to a bus and asked how to get to Philly. He pointed to 95. Oh. My. Gosh. Seeing no other way to get out to a safer road (and to Philly before dark), Mike & I decided we had no other choice but to take it.

To say I was scared was an understatement. Mike used the car to shield me from cars going 70+MPH. The directions said we only had to be on 95 for .95 miles before our exit. It was actually 4miles. I have always dreamed of riding on 95 and my dream finally came true (sarcastic). I prayed for God’s protection. The bridge split into 2 lanes b/c of work on it. I stayed right and Mike stayed right behind me. It was a nice climb. Car in the other lanes were cheering me on. I think they knew I was suffering. I finally made it to the exit and breathed for the first time in 4 miles. A Lady Gaga concert was going on.

How I love Philly! And how Philly loves me!

And then, oh could it be, Philly? The city I saw in a distance- could I be here? I was! I rode down Board Street which was really cool (minus the lights). Although I was sick and tired and cranky (yes) and exhausted I couldn’t really enjoy it. I wish I had a film crew following me!

Finally, made it to the hotel and I was so happy. You have no idea. 195miles. It is as hard as it sounds. Trust me on that. It was about 7:15pm. Although my riding time wasn’t 11 hours, I was still in the saddle, navigating roads, defending myself on the road, keeping the kids & the next generation I am riding for in the front of my mind. The pain is worth it.

The usual routine followed- I was so tired, I collapsed onto bed and recorded a short video from there. Then it was an ice bath and some real food. Followed by meeting up with folks from ING and Run For Something Better. Another late night….

To be continued….