Stuck in a Cycle with My Cycle

By Kevin Enners ~ KPF Engagement Manager

Wake up, train, sleep, repeat.

This is what my cycling life has come to – except for the occasional weekend ride on Columns Drive – as in-person races for 2020 have been canceled because… You know.  Like a hamster on his wheel, I literally spin my wheel while watching a cycling training video day after day.

I wake up, I train, I sleep, I repeat.

The sport I fell in love with nearly two decades ago has become something more mentally therapeutic than a goal-oriented race. After a mentally challenging day, a spin on the trainer is just what I need. It’s more stimulating than Seinfeld reruns and the high from endorphins enough for Cheech and Chong to trade in “the smoke.”

But, as a goal-driven, competitive (almost wanting to beat everyone on wheels) athlete, I must admit that I am getting a bit restless. My mind starts spinning faster than my wheels with lyrics to the Smashmouth soundtrack: What’s the use in trying? All you get is pain.

Since there are no races, how do I know if I am improving? Am I just going through the motions, trapped in this endless Groundhog-day-like time warp? 

I wake up, I train, I sleep, I repeat.

Here’s the bright side: Without focusing on races, I am able to see “the big picture” and reorient my goals. Virtually boundless, I can go for longer rides without worrying that I’m going to blow up before a race. I can do a marathon on my indoor trainer (which I did in April) and I am planning on doing other virtual challenges (preferably outdoors) this fall.

Like Bill Murray’s efforts to break out of “Groundhog Day” purgatory, my participation in these challenges break up the “wake up, train, sleep, repeat” monotony.  

Indeed, this has been an unbelievable year for all of us, but it will end, and the cycle will be broken sooner or later when we resume racing and wheel together again!

Making the Most of 2020

Every year after the Publix Atlanta Half Marathon wraps up, the KPF office takes a couple days to sleep in and attack all the life stuff we put on hold getting ready for the most amazing weekend of the year. Once recovered, we come back ready to attack the race season!

2020 was going to be our most impactful season yet. We had new races and partnerships lined up. The Cupcake Road Race was the first on March 21st. Teams had been assigned and sent out. We were ready to roll!

We are all well aware of what happened next. Our 2020 programming never happened. 

It has been a crushing blow to so many of us. Bowie (my husband) just the other night said he really, really missed our KPF family and races. Bowie is NOT a morning person (seriously!). So you know he’s being genuine when he says that! Afterall, he travels with me and we have to be the first ones there on race morning!

I’ve heard the same from so many of you. We are all missing the laughs and smiles and sweat from putting it out there racing for inclusion. 

We need to rekindle that joy, rediscover those smiles!

The sad news is that KPF will not be doing any large in-person events for the remainder of 2020. 

THE GOOD NEWS…..(Brent never lets me share the good news, I’m so excited!!!!!!) KPF has figured how to support our in-chair athletes and their volunteers who are comfortable participating together in upcoming virtual events! 

KPF is a beneficiary of Miles for Bethany on October 31 and we are hosting The Kyle Pease Foundation Fall Virtual Marathon Weekend November 6-8. 

KPF support is open to these events and others!  

How’s it work?  In-chair athletes can request virtual event support by completing this online form for each event. Push-assist volunteers will use the same form when partnering with an in-chair athlete. Each request will be evaluated on a case by case basis by the KPF Programming Staff.

So let’s get racing...virtually.... and SIGN UP for KPF’s Virtual Marathon Weekend to raise money to support and advocate for inclusion. 

Together WE Wheel,
Shawna

P.S. If you don’t mind running slow, hit me up….I miss being out there too!

Reunited and It Feels So Good

After a nearly unfathomable five months away from anything resembling a racecourse, Brent and I dusted off the cobwebs and picked up where we left off last winter. I say it was where we left off  but have to admit we were quite rusty. They say that it is “just like riding a bike” but I don’t think the adage holds true when you’re actually riding a bike. My body was contorted into positions it hasn’t been in months and it is amazing how quickly it forgot how it was supposed to feel. 

Nevertheless it was incredible to get back out there with Brent, doing what we love to do and what we have missed so immensely, hanging with my brother and enjoying the thrill of being out on the course. An added bonus, and perhaps the highlight of the event was seeing some of our KPF team out there to cheer us on. That’s what I miss the most, the comradery and feelings of family is what makes KPF so special. 

The event was part of the Endurance Zone TV where we competed with The Agars from Michigan and Team Tri Dat out of Oklahoma. Though it was called a competition it was truly more sport than race as we each had a camera on the bike and the chair and we recorded throughout the race. out the race. We each raced in our respective home states and did a run, then a bike and then a run again. It was an opportunity to spread the message of inclusion while raising money for the Challenged Athlete Foundation. As I said, the bike and I didn’t have a great day together as my body struggled and the heat index in Atlanta made it feel like it was 98 degrees. But all in all, it was great to be out there. 

Some of our foundation athletes came out and enjoyed the atmosphere of love and team spirit that we so sorely missed. We were joined on by Cougar Clifford, Justin Knight, Kevin Enners, Lizzie Kirksey and Katie Freesemann. It was really great to see everyone. Just as my body forgot how to react, I also forgot what the foundation means to me and the other people we positively impact. For that afternoon, it felt normal again. We were with everyone; with our family again. These days of dealing with Covid are extremely difficult, but knowing you have a family that loves you and is there to support you is what the foundation is all about. At the end of the day, and at some point, when the pandemic is way behind in the rearview mirror, we will be reminded that the Kyle Pease Foundation is all about love for one another.

The KPeasey Show Must Go On!

For an organization that thrives on social interaction these past several months have been quite challenging!  Right now we should be celebrating another Peachtree Road Race. Right now we should be gearing up for our annual team triathlon at John Tanner State Park. Instead, right now we are home like everyone else, texting our buddies and hosting Zoom calls.  

Right now we should be figuring out who would be riding in our new van out to that triathlon.  See our plan for 2020 was to utilize a grant we received in 2019 along with our Boston Marathon fundraising efforts to get an accessible van for KPF. The plan was to retrofit the van so we could transport up to 4 wheelchairs to events. We have always gone above and beyond to help our athletes get to our races, but inevitably and too often, we have had to say we are sorry, we can't get you there. Not everyone can squeeze into a Peugeot, and certainly not with their 400 lb wheelchairs. 

Can you imagine the laughter as Sherry loads into the van with Emanuel and Dale, all smiling after a long day of racing? The accessible vehicle for many of our athletes will provide another layer of independence.  It's another way to allow us to provide inclusive opportunities. 

At the core of what we do is inclusion. Being able to get people to the start line is a big part of how we create that inclusive experience! We invite you to our next finish line if you haven't yet witnessed it. Come see the finishing smiles and the look of pure exhaustion as they grab another finisher's medal!

With Boston canceled our fundraising has all but halted on that front. BUT we have been alerted to a giveaway contest for a new van.  We are calling on all of you: our athletes, our families, and all of our supporters to help bring awareness to our cause.  Help us present our case on social media as to just how great this van would be to KPF.  Not being able to help is always one of the hardest pieces of our job, having a van would make it a lot easier to say yes.  Help us Find A Way as we know that a "yes" can lead to so much...just ask Kyle :)

Please post your KPF memories, joys, experiences using #SmallBusinessBigImpact.

Together WE Wheel...AGAIN
Brent Pease

Things I Miss About KPF Racing; While BG Goes For a Century

It is hard to believe that our last race was nearly five months ago.  Somehow, it seems easy to believe our next event could be more than five months out.  With so many of our families falling into a higher risk category it could be some time before we can safely set up events for those we serve.  This makes one of the most enjoyable parts of our events even harder, the social interactions.  The laughs we enjoy before a race as Mike tries to remember where he put the keys, the howls we relish as we cut the lock with bolt cutters.  The giggles that flow like water as Kyle & J-dude nod at each other while we all rush around as Bentley Grace holds court with a few of her favorite pushers.  It's those moments before and after a race that sometime feel the most normal. The indelible opportunities where athletes are talking to athletes and nobody is being treated any differently based on where they might sit.  It's the jokes from Kyle as he inquires about the course record, the questions from Ricardo about whether or not it will be a gun start or a bull frog [bull horn].  Whatever it is we long to enjoy those moments again. 

We are doing our best to remain safe and we ask that you please do the same.  While many of you may not get sick or be at risk for the worst of it, we are your community and we all want to be together again.  We want to chase down PR's, miles and loads of smiles.  Think of those around you as you make decisions and know that together we wheel....again.

Speaking of, our own Bentley Grace decided on July 3rd to run to Alabama...yes, the state.  She set out in the wee hours of the morning on July 3rd to experience 100 kilometres of fun.  With a small group, including some of her favorite pushers, she took on her first ultra-challenge.  Guessing by the upcoming bike fit we have scheduled, this might not be the last.  Eric, Chris and Anthony, flanked by family, helped push BG from Atlanta to Alabama.  We have checked and this is the longest anyone from KPF has run before! Make that another record for BG!!! She has an incredible smile and we cannot wait to share the racecourse with her again soon.  When we spoke to BG she said, "The event was hard and rewarding" taking nearly nine hours to complete the 100 km distance run. BG told us "I cannot wait for Boston in 2021!!!." Great work BG!!! BG qualified for Boston 2021 back on March 7th so we are hopeful that due to all the delays, we might have three KPF teams in Boston next year!! Together WE Wheel! 

Kyle and I have still not run together since March 7th, but after talking with family we are going to do a virtual event on July 24th at Columns Drive in Marietta.  We hope a few of you may be able to join (at a safe distance)! What we've missed most is the casual conversations that happen when we are out riding together.  If you really want to get to know someone, spend a few hours on a bike with them. I don't know if we will be able to train or hang like this all summer but for now, we are really excited at a chance to see just how out of shape we have become.

Be safe everyone and remember your community each time you walk out of your door.  We look forward to sharing the road with you all again soon! ~ Brent

Alabama or Bust for BG and her posse!!