It’s the start of Week 3 of the 18 week training program I’m following to get ready for the 100 mile Tour de Cure Twin Cities I will ride on June 4th, 2016. (I’ve raised $394 so far! Please click on the link and help me get to my goal!) I have to say, I am pretty darn excited about the training this go around. It’s because there are six of us doing the training, and the ride together. Three of us have diabetes. Two with type 1, and one with type 2.
The six of us are all big-time Facebook users, so we created a secret group on Facebook and in the two full weeks we’ve been training, all of us post quite often in our secret group. It’s an amazingly fun process. Each of us posts selfies doing our workouts! And we all post encouraging comments to one another. Today is Valentine’s Day, and I am one of several singles in our group. There were lots of posts of love!! It made me super happy!
Having this level of support and encouragement is incredibly motivating. In fact, I am blown away at how wonderful it is to do this training with this high level of engagement. By default, we have a team!!! I never played team sports when I was a kid. I was a student government nerd! I know I started TeamWILD Athletics LLC because I wanted to feel the love and strength of a team. When I closed TeamWILD in October 2013, I figured it might be a good long time before I would do anything on a team again.
It’s two years later and lo and behold, I’m on a team!!! This coming week, we are to ride our bike for one session for two hours. Since we all live in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area of Minnesota and today it snowed again, and this week it might get up to 44° F, still not quite warm enough to ride outside, although maybe! Most likely, I will be riding my trainer inside. I’ve put it out to the women to see who would like to ride their trainer with me. I’m hoping at least one of the women will say yes!
What are you doing to stay fit this winter? How do you stay motivated? Please leave a comment and let me know!
I recently found an amazing book about motivation. Wanted to share it with all of you, in case any of you have a tough time staying motivated!
You are SUCH an inspiration, Mari! I love your energy and enthusiasm – it is absolutely infectious!!
Thank you so much Shelly!!
I appreciate it!
Mari
Love it. Thanks, Mari! Like you, it’s not always easy to stay motivated, especially during the cold winter months here in Louisville. Several of the guys from my team went out to lunch on Friday to encourage each other and laugh together, and then on Saturday we went mountain biking in the 19-degree frozen tundra. It was a blast!
I need a team to motivate me, but I’ve also found that I need to motivate myself so I can motivate others. I put this tagline on my phone and repeat it often: “Diabetes doesn’t define us, can’t derail us, and won’t defeat us!” I’m going on 45 years with T1D, and still going strong. I’m going after my 2nd-ever century this year. Last year was my first at age 55.
Go Red Rider!
Mike,
Great to hear laughing and motivating each other helped you and your guys get motivated!!!! I love it! And way to go on living 45 years with T1D!!! You inspire me greatly!
Way to go on working on doing your second 100 mile ride!!
Go RED RIDER!! right back at you!
Mari
Hey! Thanks! Mari I Really appreciate that a lot! 🙂 Good! Luck! And Be Really safe at your Tour de Cure. Go! Red! Rider! 🙂 🙂
I ride my trainer while it’s cold outside. And staying active. I do this as much as I can to help maintain my blood sugars. I train throughout the year for Tour de Cure, even cycling outside when the weather is nicer and not so cold or windy. I also walk every now and then. I am also a type one diabetic on a insulin pump. And I really love being part of Team Red and being a Red Rider. I will be riding 50k again this year at my Tour de Cure. I just really love staying active as much as I can. When I’m feeling well. 🙂 🙂
David
I’m so glad you are on Team Red and that you’re a Red Rider and that you ride every year in your Tour de Cure! Way to go RED RIDER!!
Mari