2015 is done. 14,512 miles on the bike. #teamnuun #stayhydrated #teamvelorunners

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2015 has been quite a year. I didn't think that I would spend most of it on the bike, but that is the way it worked out.
So nice to be back in shape, since it had been about 10 years of little activity for me. My knee feels better than I could ever expect. I hope now to be able to get a few more runs in.
2016 hopefully brings employment back into my life. Taking the time off was probably the best thing I have ever done - at least for my mental state.
RAAM should be a great experience in June and looking forward to spending a few days with some great guys. 

Actually dry for once. #teamnuun #stayhydrated #teamvelorunners

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Great to see the sunshine all day long. Yes, it is chilly, but so nice not to get soaked on the ride. An easy recovery spin out on the Springwater Trail to Boring. Nice to have a tail wind on the way back into town. Hoping we get a few more days without rain for awhile. 

3 hours of "garage" time on the trainer. #teamnuun #stayhydrated #teamvelorunners

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Nothing makes you tough like sitting on the trainer for 3 hours - I keep telling myself. I felt like I might be coming down with a little cold so I opted to stay out of the rain today. Luckily I felt pretty good for the whole ride & the forecast is for sun tomorrow. Just over 1500 miles for the month and I have a couple days to add to that. 

Another day on the bike in the Northwest. #teamnuun #stayhydrated #teamvelorunners

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Today turned out colder than expected. I rode into snow & fog up at Corbett. I was planning to head part way up Larch Mt. road, but the fog was getting heavy and I figured it would only get worse so I turned back. My fingers were freezing on the way back to Troutdale and never really warmed up until I got home.
Happy to complete the Rapha Festive 500 challenge in 5 days. 413 miles in the last 7 days and closing in on another 1500 mile month. I never thought I would be able to spend this much time on the bike this year, but it has been worth it.

Another chilly morning ride. #teamnuun #stayhydrated #teamvelorunners

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We have traded some rain in on cooler temperatures. The last two rides have been chilly from start to finish. Yesterday was 81 miles, with about 30ish miles riding along the Athletes Lounge group and the rest by myself. Today was a ride out past Sandy and climbed up part of Marmot Rd then back through Dodge Park.
Another week done with 354 miles and actually one day off. First day off in 11 weeks and 8434 miles in the last 24 weeks. I think I can say the base work for 2016 RAAM has gone well. 

Could have used Rudolph's help today. #teamnuun #stayhydrated #teamvelorunners

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Today turned out to be a little nastier than I expected. Riding in the West Hills, I first rode into heavy fog, then came the snow. Luckily the wind stayed down because it was chilly out there. Some good climbing on the back roads. I haven't been riding a ton of hills lately, so it is time to get back at it.

Merry Christmas from the Pacific Northwest #teamnuun #stayhydrated #teamvelorunners

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Didn't expect to ride into snow today, but I did, and even found a couple new roads out by Sandy. Tickle Creek Rd. is a nice little climb and I will need to check it out again soon. Chilly temps but light breeze made for a really nice ride. My legs are finally recovering from last week. Today is the first day of the Rapha Festive 500 challenge, so no more days on the trainer for the year.

180 minutes of fun in the garage. #teamnuun #stayhydrated #teamvelorunners

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Today was the 23rd straight day of rain here in Portland for the month of December. Rain is nothing new, but this has turned out to be the wettest month ever. For the most part, riding in the rain isn't all that bad, many days it can be a fun challenge. Knowing you are out there battling the elements and other people have decided to stay home. There does come a time some days when I will settle for sitting on the trainer and today was one of those. Still a little tired from last week, I didn't see any reason to get soaked today, I'll save that for tomorrow.

Rolled over 14,000 miles on the bike today. #teamnuun #stayhydrated #teamvelorunners

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After a real big week of riding last week, I was able to get to 14,000 miles a little quicker. Not being fit for many years, it was great to get that feeling back. It has been a lot of work to get back into shape this year, but the rewards of feeling so much better are worth it. 2016 should be a lot of fun in preparing for RAAM where I am on an 8 person relay. Team VeloRunners are all from the running industry who now enjoy cycling. I know that there are going to be a bunch of changes happening soon, hopefully a new job, and I am excited to start the new year in the best shape in over 15 years.

How a year can change your life

On this day a year ago, I knew I needed to make some big changes in my life. Being overweight, out of shape & unhappy (w/ so many things happening) was not where I wanted to be. So this happened - https://www.strava.com/activities/248829329 and now 291 rides & 14,032 miles later, it feels good to be fit for the first time in many years. So eating healthy, not drinking & riding for 20 hours a week, can change things.

Thanks to Shawn & Steelhead Coaching for letting me tag along on rides throughout the year & to Kris & Keith for letting me be part of something that is going to be epic this next summer. #RAAM2016 #TeamVelorunners

It is also great to be part of Team Nuun Ambassador for 2016. Always great to have a little more motivation to get you out the door each day and excited to be hydrated all year long. #teamnuun #stayhydrated

Now it’s time to find a job.

Been a long week in the saddle. #teamnuun #stayhydrated #cleanbike

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A real solid week of riding with 440.5 miles in. This marks the 23rd week of continuous training with 8079 miles in there. All of the weeks have been 300+ miles.
Today was an easy spin out to Boring, little rain & breeze, but nothing like what we have been having. Even for Oregon it has been exceptionally wet. Now off for a nap.

#DirtyThirty lived up to its name. #teamnuun #stayhydrated

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Great day out on the roads, a little sunshine and not much wind. Road with Athletes Lounge group for a loop around Sauvie Island, then headed to St. Helens. A lot of time on #DirtyThirty, but made for a great B-Day ride.

Good day in the saddle. #teamnuun #stayhydrated

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No rain and light breeze makes for an enjoyable December day. 52 miles out on Marine Dr. and up through Corbett to the Women's Forum. 

My cycling world

Today I am going to start letting everyone in on what happens with me on the bike. Should be entertaining.

2016 Team Nuun Ambassador

Excited today to be a part of Team Nuun Ambassador Program. 2016 will be hydrated with nuun while training for RAAM in June as part of Team Velorunners. #teamnuun #stayhydrated