Monday, May 9, 2011

Our Saturday Century... and then some

     For this week's blog post, I thought I would take you on our Saturday 100 mile bike ride/three mile run.  I packed my camera in my bento box, along with my many gels and bars, so I could take pictures of all of the beautiful places Dave and I were able to see.  For those of you that are from the Denver area, you will be able recognize some of these landmarks and locations.  Those of you not from here will be able to see the beauty of the greater Denver area.  

     Before we even set out, I had an unfortunate allergy problem.  As I was getting my bike ready for the ride (pumping up the tires, greasing the gears), I experienced an allergic reaction in my eyes.  They were swollen, stinging, and blood-shot.  This was not Stevens Johnsons Syndrome, but just a typical springtime allergy.  That being said, my biggest concern was with taking medicine to treat the allergic reaction.  Considering that I don't know what caused my SJS, I try to stay away from all medicines when I can.

     Dave had to go to Walgreens to get some allergy medicine while I laid on the couch with an ice pack over my eyes.  Dave questioned the pharmacist on the possibility that a medication would cause Stevens Johnson Syndrome before he purchased anything.  When he got home, we researched the medicine he chose further on the internet.  We were even tempted to call my sister-in-law, Sarah, who is an amazing doctor in Wisconsin, but decided we had enough information for me to take the drug.  After about an hour, the swelling went down and we were finally able to leave for our ride.  We did not get out of the house until 11:30.

Mile 0- Starting out from our townhome in Southeast Denver.  

Mile 7- View of the Denver Performing Arts Center as seen from the Cherry Creek Bike Path

Mile 9- Dave at Confluence Park by the REI Flagship Store

Mile 10- Go Broncos!

Mile 22- A mid-ride seat adjustment

Mile 22- Hudson Gardens in Littleton, a great place to refuel

Mile 30- Beautiful Chatfield Reservoir

Mile 35- Starting the climb up Deer Creek Canyon

Mile 55- Finally made it to the top... lively downtown Evergreen

Mile 56- Beginning the fast decent into Morrison via Bear Creek Canyon

Mile 60- Lair o' The Bear Open Space (a place my mom and I would "hike" when I was recovering from SJS)

Mile 65- The entrance to Red Rocks Amphitheater 

Mile 65- The Incredible Red Rocks 


Mile 70- Slightly lost at Bear Creek Lake Park

Mile 70- A view of the Denver skyline from the front range

Mile 75- We even rode to the top of a "high point" for good measure- Mount Carbon (5,772')

Mile 101.6- A pretty slow average pace, but considering the 3,700 vertical feet of gain and an early morning allergic reaction, I'll cut myself some slack 

Mile 0- Not quite done yet... On our way back out after the ride for a quick 3 mile run (if you look closely you can see some sweet bike short tan lines)
We had a wonderful weekend in the breathtaking Colorado outdoors.  Dave and I are so fortunate to be surrounded by the majestic mountains and peaceful scenery along the front range.  I encourage you, wherever you may be, to take full advantage of all of the natural beauty that surrounds you.

In fundraising news, we have raised $1,000 for the University of Colorado Burn Center.  This money will help to support burn patients and their families, as well as to spread awareness about SJS and other types of burns treated in the Burn Center.  Thank you so much for all of your generous contributions.  With 48 days left until the Ironman race, I look forward to seeing how much more we can raise together!

Help to continue our fundraising efforts by linking to either this blog or the University of Colorado Foundation site from your Facebook page or personal blog.  A BIG thank you to Angie Caruso for highlighting this fundraiser on her blog, The Ripple Affect.  Angie highlights a different charity every week in her posts and this week, with the help of Karen Trone, showcased our Burn Center fundraiser and helped to build awareness of Stevens Johnson Syndrome.

To donate to the Burn Center, go online to www.uch.edu/donate.  In the designation field, choose "Other" and type "Burn Fund (Team Emilie)."

Or you could mail your check to "UCHF-Burn Fund (Team Emilie)" to UCHF 12401 East 17th Ave. Mail Stop F485 Aurora, CO 80045.



5 comments:

  1. Woohoo! Nice job on the century/brick! It looks like you had a great ride! :)

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  2. Em- you amaze me! If you are out for another ride next weekend Brian and I will be camping at Chatfield Reservoir to prep the camper for this season. We would love to be a water break for you guys!Love you!

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  3. Nice, looks like quite a ride. We use the platte river trail quite a bit for our training runs. Did you guys bag Mt Carbon?

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  4. nevermind, just saw the pic. I ride my bike up there from home sometimes...

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