Sean Valley - Team In Training Participant

So, Team in Training has this fictitious triple crown that crazy people like me attain to. Quite simply it means that you have participated, through TNT, in a triathlon, a marathon and a cycle century ride. Now, let's take a quick look back at the last three years. August 24, 2003 - The Chicago Triathlon. June 13, 2004 - King's Trail Triathlon, Maui. June 18, 2005 - Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon, Anchorage, Alaska. Check one, two and now let's see where I'm headed this year, June 4, 2006 - America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride, Lake Tahoe, Nevada, that would be the triple crown. So, here I go, on my amazing journey, I hope you check back once in a while to see if I'm still at it.
Sean

still wanna read 2004's blog? click here
still wanna read 2005's blog? click here

April 22, 2006 - The weather is finally nice! We had a clinic at Cycle U today, and afterward we headed out on what was billed as a 45 mile ride. I rode with my appropriate group, the one that always kind of scared me, so I was naturally nervous at the start. They're pretty fast, and pretty skilled, but I have some experience now and it's time to push myself. We moved out pretty quickly, and headed north out of Magnuson Park toward Bothell. Then we headed into Kirkland, down onto Willows Road, up 520 past my school, down into Kirkland, onto Market Street (and up it!!!) onto and up Juanita Drive, then back onto the Trail for a trek out to Woodinville, then straight back into Magnuson Park. I had a great day. I felt very strong, and actually had a lot of fun with this crew. We even had some incredibly fun pace-line work on the way back from Woodinville. A new personal best distance, as our 45 miles turned into 53!!!

April 15, 2006 - Another buddy ride cancelled, so I hung out with my family until the sunshine started at 9:30. Then I headed out on my own. I ran into the TNT Marathon Team at Log Boom Park, and talked with them about their experiences at the Paris Marathon& suffice it to say cognac and urine were topics of discussion. Then I headed north into Redmond where I found Brian Dozer at mile post one on the Sammamish River Trail. We laughed about being on the trail alone, and decided to pedal together. We proceeded to go around Lake Samm. The rain started on the east side of the lake. Brian left me to go meet his wife just after Costco, so I made the western trek back to Marymoor solo. A tuna sandwich from the Marymoor Park Subway, gave me just enough oomph to paddle, I mean pedal my way home. It was the longest ride of my life. I would have stopped, or not gone at all, but I talked to Erika this week. Friday night is the night she does her big chemo (17 pills), and I figured, if she s in the funk, one of us needs to get up and do something.

April 11, 2006 - This is part of an email I sent to Erika, an honored teammate today. Saturday was a grueling ride on Vashon Island. We were moving along really well and all of a sudden we came around a corner and BAM, we were staring at a serious hill. It crushed me; I even pushed for a few minutes, while others continued to grind there way up the hill. Afterwards when we were waiting for the ferry to take us back to West Seattle, one of my teammates said that he had this image of his bald headed chemo patient niece bobbing along in front of him as he pedaled up the hill, and she wouldn't let him stop. Sometimes, as you said in your letter, we try to take too much on ourselves and it's when things get their lowest that you remember the things that keep you going. So, last night as I rode up another incredibly steep hill, I actually yelled at myself, that you don't have a choice as to whether or not you get stuck again, and if I'm actually trying to honor you in this event, I better not stop. So, I muscled up the hill. To give you an idea of how steep this hill is, (it's 228th in Bothell going toward Mountlake Terrace), I hit 49.8 miles an hour coming back down the other side:-) THAT was fun.

April 8, 2006 - Ok, whose bright idea was the hill after a beautiful flat? Ruining a perfectly contended drizzle, to try and muscle my way up, nearly killed me. Curses to you and the bike you rode in on. But, Brian, the ever focused mentor that he is pointed out, that he kept the image of his bald, rounded headed, chemo patient niece in front of him, and he made it up. I lost focus for a moment and had to push it part way (sorry Mom). It is great to see everyone at these rides, braving the elements for a cause greater than yourself!

April 1, 2006 - Was this some kind of April Fool's joke? I took off for our Buddy Ride on Camano Island this morning. The weather was awful so I thought I'd better call Dave and make sure we're still on, we'll we weren't, so I headed to Marymoor Park to join another ride that say they were gonna go. We finally took off our the trail, and dealt with some rain, but not too bad. When we got to the top of Hollywood Hill it really started to come down.

March 25, 2006 - What a difference a week makes. You know, I think back to when my mom was sick, and I really remember there were up times and down times. I am incredibly fortunate that my health is good, and that means that my up times, are really up, I remember my mom on these days, when the sun is out, and I'm able to really ride and think about how things would be different if my mom was still around. How much would she love my girls, what a great grandmother she would be, the fun we would have, with the whole family playing together. Today was a ride that would make my mom very proud. It was the longest ride of my life, 45 miles, with some serious hills, and some awesome pace line work with a great group of riders.
This song has been with me since last Sunday, so I thought I would share it. We’ve all taken the first step to making a difference, keep on going. I know there are times when it can all be very daunting, just remember, it’s about changing the world, so what are YOU waiting for.

March 18, 2006 - I had an interesting ride today. You would think after three previous TNT adventures I would know that I start out too fast, and then die a few miles in, no matter what sport I'm training for (with the possible exception of the Maui swim in 2004. So, anyway, I took off with a few folks as we started to ride around the South End of Lake Washington. I hung with the crowd from Leschi to Seward Park, and then down into Renton, but just before we hit the Boeing access road to go around the lake itself, I bonked. I dropped back and told them to go. I had to pull out my map and find my way through Renton on my own, and then just after Renton Memorial Stadium (2000 home of the Seattle Sounders), some others caught up with me. They were pretty fast too, but I was able to hang a little better. Some of the group took off and went around Mercer Island, one other and I decided we'd rather go home. A lesson learned, but I'm sure I'll screw it up again.

Dressed for the weather.

March 11, 2006 - What an amazing day! I got to Tolt River - McDonald Park in Carnation about 8:30 and prepared for the ride. One of our Honored Teammates, Alex Barr, a 14 year old Freshman at Mt. Si High was there to greet us. He is a great kid. He is doing is own work to fight Leukemia, making some really cool origami ornaments and selling them to raise funds. He talked to us and gave us a reminder that Leukemia can be beaten. He has been in remission for almost six years. He didn't ride with us today, but he has ridden 26 miles before.

The ride itself was incredible. I rode with a great group of people, and we were able to talk and have fun, while working on our pacing, and group riding techniques. We rode up to Snoqualmie Falls, and it was beautiful. I took this picture while the others were relaxing and eating Girl Scout Cookies that Alex and his mom were handing out. Then we went back down into Carnation, through Fall City and out around the Snoqualmie Valley. I had ridden parts of this in 2003 in training for the Chicago Triathlon, but today's ride was much more intense, and I didn't get lost, so I was able to enjoy the view. We had some fun teasing Brian about his recent alteration, but we also talked about the treatments that people go through as they battle blood cancer. I really had a good time on today's ride and I'm very excited for the next time we meet as a team.

Of course I took more pictures:

March 9, 2006 - I am a lucky, lucky man. Not only am I healthy, and able to ride my bike and raise money for such a great cause, but I have an amazing wife, who was willing to pick up the girls on a moment's notice so that I could go train. Now, when I did get on my bike at about 4:30 and start to ride I quickly realized this was not such a good idea. You see, it's FREEZING outside, so I was only able to do a few miles, and then I had to turn around and go home. I miss the team rides, there is so much more motivation with the group there to push you. But each time I get a check, and realize that I am doing this for someone bigger than me, I realize that it's important that I get out there and deal with the elements. I'm really looking forward to Saturday's ride from Carnation. I may struggle with the endurance aspect, but it's going to be fun.

March 4, 2006 - I confirmed my idiocy today. I just can't seem to realize that I'm almost 37 years old and I'm not as fast as I think I should be. Today we went for a ride around the South End of Lake Washington. We started at Leschi and rode south to Seward Park, down through the Renton Airport and up to Bellevue and across I-90. Then across Mercer Island (where some folks went around the Rock) and then back to Leschi. About a 26 mile ride, and it was a lot of fun, but I started with a group that was much faster than I need to be training, so they left me in the dust about 8 miles in. Another group caught me about four miles later and I rode with them the rest of the way. You would think after three years of doing this I would figure out the pacing thing, but I haven't. Here are the pictures from today.

February 25, 2006 - Donations are starting to come in. My letter is out, and it was hard to write. I am dedicating a lot of my training to our friend Erika. Her daughter Halee is one of Eliza's best friends, and Erika has ALL. She has been through the wringer with this disease, 2 and a half straight years of chemo, all while trying to keep a family rolling, keep a job, oh and raise a kindergartner. I am constantly impressed at the way people deal with these diseases, and I hope that I am able to do my part to make their lives just a little bit better. It was a beautiful Saturday today. We had a clinic at Cycle University to help us with some of the defensive, and sometimes offensive riding techniques it takes to train for and finish a ride such as Tahoe and Seattle to Portland. I felt a little silly with some of it, but I do realize that there is a huge value in these skills. I do most of my training on the trail, so I'm protected from cars, but not from dogs and runners in headphones, but the roads can be dangerous, and I will need to do that to prepare for each of my gigantic rides this summer.

February 18, 2006 - Dang, it was cold today. I met the Team at Marymoor Park in Redmond at about 10:20, set for a 10:30 departure, but I forgot to pay for parking so I went to pay for parking, and then returned to put the stinkin' ticket on my dash as everyone else was leaving. I was easily three minutes behind the leaders, with no hope of catching the fast folks. So, I rode solo for a few miles and slowly caught the stragglers. I did manage to catch up with the Team at Tully's in Issaquah (Near Costco) and then took off with them from there. I knew that I had used all my energy to catch up on the first leg, so I should have stayed back, but I'm not that kind of guy so I motored with the moderate to brisk group until my legs gave out. I still managed the 21 miles in under an hour and a half, so I felt pretty good, but Saturday afternoon I was T-I-R-E-D!!!

February 11, 2006 - Well, I finally got on the bike outside. Of course, it didn't hurt that today was absolutely gorgeous. It's not as easy to get on a bike as it was when I was a kid. My first foray into fundraising for charity was the Multiple Sclerosis Bike-A-Thon in Shelton. I think it was third grade and I know that I was "between bikes." I had to ride on my mom's big old black three speed with the baby seat on the back. The day started with Assistant Coach Jason Learned reading a paragraph about last year's cycle honored teammate; Patrick Good, a ten year old with ALL. Patrick passed away on January 30th. I have been so blessed during my Team in Training experience. All of my honored teammates have been in remission, so they've been able to celebrate with us every step of the way. Patrick did that with last year's group, but now he is celebrating with God.

The ride was nice. This pace line thing is going to be tricky, not because I don't know how to ride with others in close proximity, but because I don't follow well. I led most of the way around Mercer Island (my group, not the team). I have no idea how fast because my cycle-computer was messed up. I was able to take a few pictures and I'll post them here. I'm still getting used to this camera phone so we'll see how they look.