Early season testing...Round 2

Dr. Halvorsen put Greg and Tim through their paces today. Bill was there to capture all the action.

See the Crew Chief's Corner for the story.

Stay tuned for results next week!

Braeden's Camp Odayin Story

Name: Braeden Hometown: Duluth, MN

Diagnosis: Hypoplastic Right Ventricle, Transportation of Great Arteries, Severe Pulmonary Stenosis

Surgeries: 7 open heart surgeries with 20 heart cath’s

What I like about Camp Odayin:
I like everything!
The theme nights and crafts are really fun.
I like meeting new friends
and the people who work there are
SUPER nice.

Back through the Grinder!

Dr. Halvorsen brought Neil and Bernie back in for a run through the grinder tonight to see how we have fared over our winter base building period. Tim and Greg are up for their repeat testing next Wednesday the 28th.

Testing included:

• VO2max assessment that measures how our efficiently our bodies run at increasing intensities and how hard they can be pushed.
• Wingate testing that measures our maximal sprint power output on the bike
• Upper body Wingate testing that measures the same as above for our upper body
• Vertical Jump to measure explosive leg power
• Flexibility
• Body Fat %
• Hand-Eye Coordination through a notoriously frustrating pegboard test.

Test results will be finalized and compared with our last round late next week. Dr. Halvorsen will then take our results and construct our next two month training plan that will focus on developing the energy systems specifically involved with the Team RAAM effort.

If you have questions about our Team RAAM preparation, post a comment in the Coaches Corner.

Stay tuned!

Billy's Camp Story

Name: Billy Hometown: Elk River, Minnesota

Diagnosis: Tricuspid Atresia, Transposition of Great Arteries, Patent Ductus Arteriosis

Surgeries: 3 surgeries-
*10 days old- Norwood procedure
*9 months old
*22 months old- Glenn and Fontan procedures

What I like about Camp Odayin:
I get to be with other people with heart diseases and conditions, make new friends and hang out with them, play, swim and go horseback riding. I also get to dress up as something funny at night with funny costumes. I like the camp counselors, my camp mates and everyone else at Camp Odayin. I get to have fun!!

Come back every Monday to hear a new story about a Camp Odayin Camper!

24 Hours of Bernie's Basement

If practice makes perfect, then Neil and I just made a solid installment for the RAAM! Most of us have had a lot of experience with 24 hour mountain bike racing but nothing like it on the road side.

Since it's a little cold outside here in Minnesota this time of year, most of us get the majority of our training indoors (basements, bike shops and healthclubs) when the temps get into the single digits and below zero. Normally, that's not much of a problem unless you're training for the RAAM. So when we wanted to do a 24 hour RAAM team race simulation in order to get a feel for the schedule and how our bodies would react, we had one option which became the 24 Hours of Bernie's Basement!

If we had a nickle for every shaken head or bewildered look when describing the event, we'd be well beyond our $100,000 goal for Camp Odayin! Jay T. gave us a great laugh with his posting at the Trailhead Backdoor Blog. Thanks man!

The best part of the 24 Hours of BB was that our crew cheif, Bill Nicholson, joined us for most of the event and John Rotach joined us for the final 6 hour shift. Having their company and support was awesome!

Neil and I started out at 10pm for a 6 hour shift taking 30 minute ride and 30 minute rest intervals like we will likely do during the RAAM. We kept our intensity at around Anaerobic Threshold which is hard but sustainable. After the 6 hour shift we rested/slept for 6 hours (as we would during the race when Greg and Tim would take their turn). We kicked things off again from 10am to 1pm, rested from 1pm to 4pm and then finished the 24 hours with a 6 hour shift from 4pm to 10pm.

We celebrated the finish with surprise hamburgers that Laurel picked up, a couple of burritos and some hearty Belgian beer that Neil brought as a "just reward"!

Thanks everyone!!!

24 Hours of Bernie's Basement

1 Hour down...23 hours to go!

24 Hours of Bernie's Basement

20 hours down...4 to go!

Press Release Day!!!!

Laura Mongiello and the rest of the team at Bell Pottinger USA have been so wonderful and generous by creating a fantastic media and public relations plan for Team Strong Heart's mission to raise awareness and funding for Camp Odayin. We are so grateful for your services! You all are truely top shelf and such a pleasure to work with.

BP just launched the first phase of Team Strong Heart's media plan today! The media plan includes national and and local print, radio and television media today. We are all hoping that we get a few bites!

"Bell Pottinger USA is a full-service, multi-disciplinary public relations, government affairs and marketing services agency. We serve and welcome inquiries from all sectors, including technology, healthcare, education, non-profit, consumer, travel and tourism. No matter the size of your organization or scope of your goals, we are skilled in tailoring programs that yield fast and strategic results."

Trailhead Cycling and Fitness & J&B Importers

Trailhead Cycling and Fitness (Neil and Bernie's hometown bike shop) and J&B Importers are teaming up in support of Team Strong Heart! They are generously providing our mobile inventory of emergency bike parts as well as helping us acquire some of the long list of bike supplies that we need to get from coast to coast!
We are hugely grateful for Larry and Pam Saylor's generous support as well as for them running our favorite bike shop in the Twin Cities.

Trailhead Cycling and Fitness is a full service and family oriented, bicycle, fitness equipment and skate shop that has built a 25+ year reputation for expert and friendly service.

J&B Importers is one of the leading bicycle part distributors in the US.

Oxbow Creek Elementary School - New Team Members!

When the Oxbow Creek Elementary School kids and student council heard that Neil Eerdmans (a beloved 2nd grade teacher there) is racing in the 2007 Race Across America to raise money and awarness for Camp Odayin, they were enthralled and wanted to join Team Strong Heart's efforts.

The student council unanimously set a goal to raise $2,500 for Camp Odayin as their annual community service project. Wow! These kids are incredible!

Welcome to Team Strong Heart, Panthers!

"Oxbow is located in a beautiful facility that opened in August of 2002. We currently house nearly 1000 1st - 5th graders. As part of our student population, we include the district's ESL Newcomer program and two center-based Special Education programs for DCD and high-functioning autistic students. Oxbow is a wonderful school community that is also part of the Anoka-Hennepin School District. Our district has five high schools, seven middle schools and twenty-eight elementary schools, making us now the largest district in Minnesota with nearly 42,000 students!" Heather Hjelle

Medtronic - Primary Sponsor!

Team Strong Heart would like to express our sincere gratitude for the generous support from Medtronic in our mission to sponsor children, expand programs and generate awareness for Camp Odayin. Welcome aboard!

Medtronic is the global leader in medical technology - alleviating pain, restoring health and extending life for millions of people around the world each year.

Learn more about Medtronic

Neil and Owen Bike and Slide!

Neil posted this picture and story to his training journal but it was so fun, I just had to pull it out here!

Work and training for RAAM is a pretty overwhelming endeavor. We all strive to stay focused on keeping family priority one and finding creative ways to do it is a fun challenge. What a great way to strike that crucial work, training and life balance! Neil, you are B.B.A.!

Congenital Cardiology Today - New Sponsor!

We'd like to express our sincere gratitude to Congenital Cardiology Today for their support in helping us generate awareness for Camp Odayin. They will be running advertisments in their journal and website. Welcome to Team Strong Heart!

"CONGENITAL CARDIOLOGY TODAY, established September 2003, is the only monthly publication that goes to all Board Certified and Board Eligible Pediatric Cardiologists worldwide without charge to them. Our editorial is written by physicians for physicians practicing in the field of Pediatric and Congenital Cardiology. We provide reliable and timely information on patient therapy, supporting technologies, products and services, as well as training opportunities for Pediatric Cardiologists, Heart Surgeons for children, Hospitals and also Allied Organizations which support their practice. We are particularly interested in new technologies, devices and techniques, new medical therapies including new drugs, new surgical strategies and procedures, new products available, and case reports. Our Editorial Board includes 30 of the leading physicians in the field of Pediatric and Congenital Cardiology worldwide. Please visit our website to see our current and back issues: http://www.CongenitalCardiologyToday.com/ " Tony Carlson

New Sponsor!!! Mt. Borah/Custom Sublimation

HUGE thanks to Mt. Borah/Custom Sublimation for their generous clothing sponsorship! Welcome to Team Strong Heart!

Chris Jackson, CEO, has agreed to provide custom jerseys and bib shorts for the racers as well as giving us the opportunity to purchase additional jerseys for resale with proceeds going to Camp Odayin.

We are all really pumped about this since Mt. Borah clothing was really high on our wish list for comfort, durability and design. Mt. Borah crafts functional, casual clothing that lets people enjoy thier outdoor experience in maximum comfort. They use only quality fabrics designed specifically for extended use in any conditions. All their clothing is proudly manufactured in the USA! More about Mt. Borah

I'd also like to give special recognition to Karen West-Reger who has been our graphic artist for Team Strong Heart. She's the one who was able to compile the 40 or so drawings that the campers drew at residence camp last summer into our new logo. You've all seen how nice that is. She's now working with Custom Sublimation to design our team jersey and shorts.

Prarie Roubaix, A Minnesota Classic is Born!

posted by Neil Eerdmans

Wild ride yesterday and fulfillment of a dream of mine that I have had for some time. I am a pro cycling fan and love to watch old films of races over and over again. In fact, my wife will say, "oh, It is Phil again." Referring to Phil Ligget's voice that is on everyone of my tapes and DVDs. After watching these races enough I wanted to experience the mud and grit of the Paris-Roubaix for myself. I did yesterday on my three speed mountain bike.

The electronic age has its good and bad points like everything else but one of the greatest points is having mailing lists where you can reach 100 people in one shot. I have finally found a group of people crazy enough to try just about anything on a bike. It also has provided a way for me to meet some of the neatest people that I would have never met or kept in contact without e mail. The race that I cherished so much yesterday would have never happened! The potential of the electronic age is limitless on so many levels! To check out coverage of this crazy event go to... http://thbackdoor.blogspot.com/

The route started and finished in Fletcher, MN and consisted of 4 laps on a 10 mile, 50/50 mix of dirt and paved roads. The dirt was mainly ice, snow and mud. 6 brave souls showed up (Neil, Bernie, Skibby, Dan, Tom and Mike) with Dan earning a solo victory after he attacked on a particularly treacherous part of the course. He graciously donated the $10 prize money to Team Strongheart. All proceeds for Team Strongheart benefit Camp Odayin, a camp for kids with heart disease.

Passion!

Passion. It's what drives us to do great and wonderful things. It's the founding principle of what drives Team Strong Heart.

If you hadn't already guessed, we're all pretty passionate about cycling and last night's manifestation definately raised a few eyebrows.

It had snowed about 1 to 2 inches of wet, heavy snow here and the bike trail was still open around Elm Creek Park Preserve. I could hardly wait to get out and ride it. Threw my studded winter tires onto my 'cross bike and headed out. The temperature was a very comfortable 31 degrees and the snow on the trail was completely untracked. I could only ride about half as fast as usual, and there was no wind noise, so you could really appreciate the complete silence, the soft humming of the tires and the muffled popping of the gently falling ice pellets against my clothes and helmet. Turning on my bike light after it got dark, transformed the park into a shimmering wonderland. Ahhh...now that's passion!

Funny thing about passion...it's not always easy to understand. As I rolled out of my neighborhood I was greeted to a few disbelieving and nervous smiles/chuckles that essentially begged the question, "are you crazy or just plain stupid?" One of our good friends that lives across the street even called my wife and asked "Does Bernie even want to make it to the Race Across America?!! I said to myself, 'Is that Bernie? There's ice under that snow! I'm telling on him!'" My wife told her that "yes, indeed, he is nuts, and thank you very much for watching out for him." Later that night when they met up at a neighborhood women's party, the neighbor commented again about my "dangerous enthusiasm", and my wife explained, "Studded snow tires..." Our neighbor's expression, along with the rest of the women at the table, dawned understanding as they all chorused, "Ohhhh..."

Unusual...yes. Crazy...a bit. Passionate...absolutely!

River Bottom Moxie

I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy...Kostik, you are my hero!

Greg Kostik showed serious Moxie on our 3 hour MTB training ride at the river bottoms today!

This picture is of the raft crossing at 9 mile creek...only during the winter, the raft is taken out and the creek is usually frozen by now. Recent warm weather reopened the water and left the only available "crossing" over a tree that had fallen across the creek. I'd like to point out that this is not the kind of tree anyone would typically look at and say, "Oh yeah, no problem." This tree started out only about 18 inches wide and ended around 8 inches wide crossing a 25 foot span.

Greg kept his title as Ride 2 Eat's crash test dummy on 9 mile creek not by riding down the bank and crossing on the ice before checking it as usual, but by crossing this spindly little tree while carrying his bike across with the grace and precision of a Flying Wallenda! Unreal.

My brain automatically went into self preservation mode and the argument against it was futile. Even the two MORC riders who were kind enough to stick around and watch this potentially amusing adventure come to the punch line were in disbelief. There was no way they were going to try crossing.

Before I knew it, Greg "shimmies" back across the tree, grabs my bike, crosses back over and tells me to "come on...just shimmy across". 6'3" don't shimmy. That and my shoes were slippery. So the great advice from the other side was to take my shoes off. Ok, fine. Shoes off and threw them over to the other side...brilliant. Gloves were slippery too, Ok, fine. Gloves off and threw them over to the other side...Einsteinian. At this rate, I'm either going to make it across or be stark naked with all my clothes on the other bank. Gotta go now. Only there's only one way my brain will let me. Namely the "scoot across on my butt while straddling the log" method. I'll let your imagination paint the picture. No pride here. The going was pretty smooth until I had to "scoot over" the stump of a branch kindly sticking straight up in the middle of the span. I finally made it across without getting wet. Back to riding and trying to shove the thought of the return trip into the back of my mind.

The return was a bit more ominous since we had to start out at the skinny end of the tree. Again, Greg trotted across with his bike in hand, came back over, grabbed my bike and back across. Eeesh, I ain't got it. For some reason I thought it would be a good idea to take my shoes off again...not like I was actually going to try the same tight rope act that Greg can pull off. Only one snag for my crossing method...that pointy stub of a branch was not only sticking up, but was now pointing TOWARDS me.

Fortunately, I again avoided getting wet but Lo, my darling wife, THAT's how I ripped my pants.

Dec. 16

Inspiration for Prarie Roubaix by Neil

Here is one for you... Saturday morning I get up and we are hanging
around at my father in laws new cabin home... VERY COOL! Everyone is
sipping coffee and chatting when my brother in law walks in and says, I
think we are missing our ride, Mike and his buddies are riding north out
of Rockford on the White Pine trail at 10. I responded by saying I
don't think I have missed my ride.

I asked how far I was from the trail and my brother in law Bill, also a
bike racer, said ten miles... Well, that was perfect, I could cut them
off. So I took off on Bill's mountain bike and headed for Cedar Springs
as fast as I could. When I got to Cedar I got some sugar for my bottles
and stood on the trail.

Now this trail looks a lot like the Arenberg Forest when you see the
riders hit the Cobbles in Paris-Roubaix. I didn't know which way to
head until I saw that Mike had left a message that informed me that they
were still south of me. So I started down the two track rails to
trails. Two track, not cinder. Wonderful. The sun is fighting to get
through and there is a strong south wind that I am riding into,
thrilling, a spring classic in December.

I got to the paved trail and just as I did I spot Mike, Tom and LeeJay.
TOm and Lee Jay don't know me so I yell out "MAKE ROOM!" in a real
grouchy voice. Mike is laughing while there other two that don't know
me that well don't know what to think. The next thing I know we are
heading north on the two track with the wind on our back talking about
RAAM. They are very interested. It is fun to talk about and it is even
better imagining that we are in a four up break away in the late stages
of Paris-Roubaix. We take turns on the front and chat about RAAM
strategy until we hit Sand Lake. Here we take a left and ride through
town and are heading west out of town when we take a left into the head
wind. Very cool! Moist dirt road and on cue Mike puts in a great pull.
The dirt is loose and moist, Spring Classic all the way. I take a stong
pull as we head back for Rockford. Mike is looking great, he races with
the Cat. 2's in the summer and holds his own, he hasn't lost any!
thing.
We take our positions on the front and start pushing it. We are going
along a fence line that could easily be in Flanders. Perfect!

We get back to the trail and let those guys catch on. Mike and I keep
the pace high. The ride is 2 and half hours in when I drop them off at
the pavement. The 12 miles home are tough but great at the same time.
I am spent but to get in a classic like that in December in the Midwest
is priceless!!

Winter Training at the Foleydrome!

So what do you guys do to train in the winter? I've heard this question a lot over the past few weeks since the weather got a little chilly.

Dr. Dan has us all on base building and strength training for the next few months so getting the miles in can get pretty creative.

Neil and I were riding the beloved "Foleydrome" which is a Park and Ride garage close to home that is lit, covered and empty in the evenings. Each lap is about 0.5 km. Add a couple of friends (Jay and Dave) and a couple hours goes past in no time!

In true crazy Minnesotan winter style, I went out for a 2 1/2 hour training ride with my trusty Niterider light in the near freezing drizzle before riding the Foleydrome. It was simply beautiful and coming home to a hot shower was the icing on the cake!

Thanks Neil!

After a 10 year break from skate skiing (pun intended since I stopped when I broke a ski) and me just never getting around to taking it up again, Neil made me an offer I couldn't refuse. "Hey man, I've got an extra pair of skis so why don't you come out and try it." Why are simple words always the most powerful? Thanks Neil!

I met Neil, Jay and Zabby out at Elm Creek at 6:30am. Still dark but the lights were on and the snow was perfect! It was such a rush to get out on the skis again and put in a couple of hours while watching the sun rise!

The day got better when Neil, Rotach and I met Evan and Noah in Stillwater for a long training ride in the glorious sunshine. Man, this day was a 10+!