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!
