Let me introduce myself

  Hello everyone and welcome to the 2009 Ride to Empower blog!  My name is Barbara and I'm a 7 year breast cancer survivor. I want to start out by telling you a little bit about myself and share with you some of my experiences from the 2008 Ride to Empower in Solvang. My hope is that it will inspire you to participate in the 2009 Ride to Empower. My motto will be that if I could do it then so can you!! 

I am a former lawyer who became a stay-at-home mom. Prior to the 2008 Ride, I was not much of a bike rider and I had never been involved in a major fund raising event. When I first heard about the 2008 Ride, I must admit I had my doubts. However, I was quite surprised to find out that the whole experience turned out to be much easier than I thought.  I am happy to report that I was able to meet the fund raising goals, adequately train for the 2008 Ride and actually complete the 100 mile route in Solvang. In fact I surpassed my goal of raising $4000 by more than $1500.  I was even able to ride up all the hills and mountains, and that's saying a lot since I live in Illinois which is as flat as a pancake. As I said before, if I was able to accomplish all of this then you will definitely be able to do the same.

One reason why I decided to do the Ride last year is because I believe so much in the Breast Cancer Network of Strength. I am, in fact, a facilitator of a breast cancer support group here in Illinois that is under the umbrella of the Breast Cancer Network of Strength. I see first hand how beneficial the services provided by the Network of Strength are to women facing breast cancer. I also decided to do the Ride because I was at a point in my life where I  was ready for a new challenge. With my oldest daughter getting ready to start college, I felt that by focusing on the 2008 Ride, I would be emotionally stronger when the time came for her to leave home.  My life was in transition and so at the ripe old age of 53,  I decided to throw caution to the wind and register for the 2008 Ride. I am so glad that I did! It was truly one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life.

I've found that taking chances can open the door to amazing new experiences. For example, I never thought that by participating in the 2008 Ride to Empower, the Breast Cancer Network of Strength would be asking me to be part of  the 2009 Ride to Empower Blog. So here I am nervously posting my first entry on this blog. Just so you know, I've never posted on a blog before. There is a first time for everything, and hopefully, my words of encouragement will get you started on your own personal journey of being part of the 2009 Ride to Empower.

 The beauty of participating this year is that we are here to help you along the way. I plan to share with you my experiences from last year, as well as those from this year (yes, I'm definitely going to participate in the 2009 Ride to Empower) so as to help better prepare you for what lies ahead. Hopefully, this will help you avoid some of the mishaps I encountered last year. For example. after I fainted while cycling one day and ended up in the emergency room, I learned how to stay better hydrated. By providing you with such helpful information, you can avoid such pitfalls, and not have to learn from your mistakes like I did. I want to assure you that any questions or concerns you may have are never too small... so whether you want to talk about how embarrassing it is to wear  bike shorts or  how to  prevent rashes when riding... I'm here for you.

So, for those of you who have your doubts, just let them go. I promise, you will have no regrets. Instead, I assure you that the 2009 Ride to Empower will be a wonderful, challenging experience, and most importantly, you will have tons of  fun!  Register today because one of the things I look forward to is meeting each and everyone of you at Red Rock Canyon!

Comments

[Liz Klug]

All right, Barbara! Then, this is your first official comment to your first official blog post (and a lovely one at that). So glad to hear that you'll be back for Red Rock Canyon. It's going to be a blast. Hope all is well!

[Barbara Cybulski]

Great to hear from you Liz. You're definitely one of the reasons I'm doing it again. It's people like you who make this event so worth doing.

[Liz]

You are the best--looking forward to it!

[Holly]

I've set my mind to do this ride. I do all the walks and want to try riding. Where do I begin? I'm in Illinois as well and could use any assistance with training. Going to gym to begin on stationary cycle. Your blog has inspired me. Hope to see you there!

[Barbara Cybulski]

Hi Holly,

I'm so glad you've decided to give riding a try. You will love it. Where in Illinois do you live? As I mentioned in the blog, there will be a local coach working out of the Chicago area. If you don't live near Chicago, that's not a problem. I am in the process of talking to Network of Strength to see if a training plan can be made available to those who want one. If no plan is available then starting in June I will post each week how I intend to train, and you can follow along. I want to assure you that we will give you the information you need to prepare for the Ride. Just keep checking in on this Blog. I think it's a good idea to get into shape now. Stationary cycles are good, but so is any other kind of cardio activity. Any activity that gets your heart rate up is important. Lifting weights is also good because it strengthens your upper body and legs. Also, get your bike tuned up or purchase one so you are ready to Ride once the weather warms up. June is when the training will begin but before than just start taking short rides.
You will definitely see me there and I can't wait to meet you. Keep me up to date on how you are doing.

[Barbara Cybulski]

Hello Holly,

I wanted to let you know that the Network of Strength will be posting a training plan in the near future. You may find it helpful when you begin to ride once the weather gets better. So, look for a posting about training. You will see it soon. Keep in touch. I liked hearing from you.