Taking Training Inside

Whether you’re training for the Audi Best Buddies Challenge Hyannis Port or Hearst Castle you may be thinking about the weather a lot lately. The Bay area has just experienced some harsh rainfall and the weathermen in Boston are scaring everyone with a report of a foot of snow for tomorrow. You can’t afford to have your training thrown off by weather. What do you DO?! Take the training inside, silly.

• Get to your gym. You know that place signed up for a year ago, never go to, but still pay for every month? Treadmills and stationary bikes are great ways to stay in training shape while staying dry and warm.
• Look into what classes your gym offers. For cyclists you will never take a class better than spinning. For you runners/walkers try to find a class that you like and get the heart rate going.
• If you don’t belong to a gym take a couple minutes and make some calls to fitness centers in your area. You will find that many of them offer free week long “visitor” passes or monthly specials.
• Get a stationary trainer or rollers. Both these items allow you to set up your own training area at your house. Just put yourself in front of the TV and get caught up on Lost or Mad Men. If any Hyannis Port participants have more questions about buying stationary trainers or rollers come out and visit the Audi Best Buddies Challenge Team at a bike shop event in your area and If you are running or walking check out what options you have “On Demand”. Most cable providers have a fitness menu where you can choose from a large selection of workouts and make your pulse rise for 15-30 minutes.
• There are always activities and little changes you can make in your life to stay fit in the cold. Take the stairs not the elevator. Walk around the mall. Clean your house. Go out dancing. Play basketball or hockey. Play Wii with your kids. Just get moving.

It’s cold out there. But you can stay fit, stay motivated, and stay safe.

Fundraising and Football

In case you didn't see it in our January Newsletter, we featured our top five ways to fundraise at a Super Bowl Party. With the big game just 2 days away, you can easily add any of these ideas into your Super Sunday festivities and get your fundraising started! Check it out:

1. Organize an office/family/friend/Facebook pool. Winner gets to gloat and a donation in their name to the Challenge!
2. Having a party? Charge $1 per buffalo wing or $3 a burger. People love their game time grub, and they will be more than happy to support a good cause while doing so.
3. Put together a 50/50 raffle at your Super Bowl Party. Half goes to the winner and half goes to a great cause!
4. Organize a “Touchdown Pool”. Have everyone at the party put in a $10 donation. Write names of Colts and Saints. Put them in a hat. Have each person draw one name out of the hat. If the player that they draw scores first, they win and get to have a large donation made in their name to Best Buddies.
5. JUST ASK!!! If you are hosting a party put out a donations jar and let people know about the Challenge. If you aren’t hosting a party tell everyone what you are doing and ask them to donate. The natural camaraderie of sports is great way to encourage fellow fans to support your participation in the Challenge!

A little bit, every day

By a show of hands, how many of you are sticking to those lofty training goals that you made for the new year? OK, hands down. For those of you who, like me, have been slacking on getting out there and logging some miles, enough is enough! Let's make a pact, right here, right now, that our training behavior is going to change for the better! Who's coming with me?

Here's what works for me: Rather than thinking about "training for a century or a 5k," break it up in to much smaller and way more manageable pieces. When I go out for a ride, I prefer to keep time, rather than pay attention to miles. For example, "today, I am going to ride my bike for 1 hour and 15 minutes." Or, "today, I am going to jog for 5 minutes and walk for 2, for a total of 45 minutes." Or something like that. By breaking up your workouts into smaller and more manageable pieces, they feel less overwhelming and much more do-able!

Here's one for all you out here in the Bay Area. I love the rain, but, it sure does make getting outside to train awfully difficult. So here is my advice: If you have the flexibility to control your schedule during the day, keep an eye on that window and as soon as you see a break in the rain, head out for a quick training session! Remember to stay close to home so that if it really starts to come down while your out, you can make it back to dry land quickly. Also, remember that "cotton kills" when your exercising, but even more so when it is raining! Plan your wet weather outfits accordingly by staying away from cottons and other, slow-drying fabrics.

There is one positive thing about exercising in the rain, and I'll tell you, it's a pretty cool one. Last weekend, Coach Jeremiah and I went out for a 30 mile loop in and around Marin county. When we left, the skies were looking pretty grey and there was a light sprinkle coming down. No problem, we'll just watch our speed around corners and descents and accept the fact that we'll have pretty hot looking rain tails on our backs from all the water on the ground. Long story short, during that 30 mile trip, we experienced bright blue skies with warm sun, pouring, and I do mean POURING down rain, light drizzle, fresh breeze, fog, more rain, and more sun. It was a FANTASTIC ride. We were soaking by the time we arrived back home, but it was worth it. Not only was it really fun to experience the various micro climates that move in and out of this area, but in the process, it gave us an excuse to spend time outside in the elements, which is something that I don't allow myself to do very often. Now I am not saying that I want to ride in the rain all the time, but I will say that turning those pedals as the rain was pelting my face made me feel energized and alive! And I encourage you all to try it sometime!

(Just remember to take it slow around the turns!)

See you on the road.

Using your Email (Signature) to Fundraise

As most of you can guess, or have already started to do, the easiest way to begin fundraising for the Audi Best Buddies Challenge is to send out emails to everyone you know. Emailing is such an instant form of communication that you may start to see donations rolling in within minutes. There is, however, another less obvious way to use your email to hook potential donors: your signature.

Email signatures are set up by users usually to display contact information, but we've found that adding in a message to let recipients know that you are training and fundraising for the Audi Best Buddies Challenge will act as a great reminder for potential donors or even pique the interest of someone you might not have thought to ask for a donation. You never know who might have a connection to Best Buddies or to a person with intellectual or developmental disabilities, so it can't hurt!

Make sure that you include your shortened link to your HQ page, so that recipients can go right to your website and make a donation. Here's a simple example of an email signature that is just waiting for you to personalize it!

Sincerely,
Joe Smith

P.S. On June 5th, I will be taking part in the Audi Best Buddies Challenge: Hyannis Port. As a rider, I have committed to ride 100 miles and fundraise $1,550 for people with intellectual disabilities. I need your support! To donate to me, please visit my personal web page: www.HPChallenge2010.org/joesmith

Setting up a signature will just take a minute, but it can help you reach (and pass!) your fundraising commitment quickly and easily!

The Santos Tour Down Under: Jan 17-24, 2010

Need a little motivation to train this month? I've always found there's nothing better than watching the pros race to get me motivated to ride! Fortunately, this Sunday marks the start of the 2010 UCI Pro Tour race series. The first of this 16-race series kicks off with the Santos Tour Down Under. This festival of cycling starts with the Santos Tour Down Under Classic, a criterium race set in the heart of Adelaide's city center followed by 6 stages and almost 500 miles of racing. Some of the biggest names in cycling - Lance Armstrong, George Hancapie, David Allan and Cadel Evans to name a few - will be fighting it out for the Ochre Leader's Jersey.

Daily coverage of the Santos Tour Down Under can be seen on Versus. Check your local listings for air times and prepare to see some great racing! If watching this race doesn't get you excited to ride your bike, I'm not sure what will!

Jeremiah Angel
Audi Best Buddies Challenge

Happy Veterans Day!

Best Buddies is honored to have the support of our men and women in military service.

Get on your bikes and ride!

Hi gang!

Alright, this post goes out to all you ghosts, goblins, witches, pirates and ninjas! I really hope you had a great weekend and made some time to eat some sweet treats...I know I did! But don't worry, eating loads of candy is FINE when you are cycle-inclined!

On this first Monday of November, take a minute to notice the trees changing colors and the temperature dropping a few degrees (or more! Sorry East coasters!). There is something very special about this time of year, and in my opinion, there is no better way to observe this than by heading out on your bicycle and going for a ride!

Head out down a road you have never ridden before, or stick to your tried and true routes. Ask a friend to head out with you or look into tagging along with a local recreational riding club. If your like me, we are heading in to what I like to call, "over-eatin' season," so get out there now and make some room!

Also, if you find yourself up in the Bay Area and would enjoy a little time on the dirty dirt, head over to the Marin Headlands, just north of the Golden Gate for some hilly but beautiful fire roads and trails. Now is the time to see some incredible changes in the natural environment, and you may even see a coyote or two!

Ok friends, thanks for checking in!

Have good days,

Coach Tim

Remembering a Wonderful Person

Today, Best Buddies employees are taking the day to remember and reflect on the inspiring life of Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Her dedication to the lives of people with intellectual disabilities through the Special Olympics - and influence of the shaping and building of Best Buddies with her son, Best Buddies founder Anthony Kennedy Shriver - guides all of us on a daily basis as we try to make the world a better place. In her honor, we'd like to share a video dedicated to Mrs. Shriver that our friends at Plymouth Rock Studios haves put together.

Find more videos like this on Hollywood East TV


We will continue to celebrate all of Mrs. Shriver's incredible achievements as we get closer to the Audi Best Buddies Challenge Hearst Castle. For more information about this amazing woman, please visit: http://www.eunicekennedyshriver.org/.

Easy Paced "Get to Know Your Bike" Training Ride

Check it out! On Thursday, July 30th, join Ride Coaches Tim Schneider and Jeremiah Angel for a training ride geared toward the beginners. Folks who are simply interested in finding out some more information about basic bike handling, group ride etiquette, etc. are more than welcome to attend too!

We will be meeting at the Beach Chalet Restaurant on the corner of the Great Hwy and JFK Drive at 5:30 pm. Bike Basics talk will begin shortly there after followed by a 6:00pm ride out. Our route will be short (less than 10 miles) and our speed will be easy. This is a no-drop ride, meaning no one will be left behind! The ride will finish back at the Beach Chalet, so bring some money for tasty post ride beverages!

So grab your helmet and bike and bring your questions and join us!

If you have any questions or to RSVP, please email Tim at: timschneider@bestbuddies.org

See you there!

Happy Hour with the Best Buddies Ride Coaches

Join our Ride Coaches, Jeremiah Angel and Tim Schneider, for an informal gathering at Gordon Biersch Brewery in San Francisco or Palo Alto. These will be a casual social gatherings at the brewery for happy hour and a great chance to meet up with our staff and other riders. Don't forget to invite some of your friends along so that they can learn more about our ride and hopefully join you on the road to the Hearst Castle. We hope to see you there!

San Francisco - Wednesday, July 22
Location - Gordon Biersch Brewery in San Francisco (2 Harrison St. San Francisco, CA 94105)
Time: 6:00-8:00 pm

Palo Alto - Thursday, July 23
Location - Gordon Biersch Brewery in Palo Alto (640 Emerson St. Palo Alto, CA 94301)
Time: 5:00-7:00 pm