Do epic sh*t

As we age, it’s harder for us to get out of our comfort zones. Push ourselves to try something new or achieve a goal we thought unachievable. What’s so great about being out of your comfort zone? It makes you uncomfortable. But then like magic it makes you feel stronger, empowered and energized.

Betty Designs, a woman owned and run athletic apparel company, launched a line of wrist bands and gear with mantras to inspire as well as empower women. And it works! 

Recently I found myself in a rut, almost like being on a hamster wheel. But in the last two weeks I’ve pushed myself outside my comfort zone. Spring time…time for new beginnings and time to shake things up. Right?

First, I started a weekly hilly ride with one of my local bike groups. I dislike hills and have worked in recent years to embrace them. Telling myself, they break you down only to build you up. Last week was the first ride of the season. It was me and 8 guys. It started out as a bit of a hammerfest with me clinging onto the back of the paceline gasping for air. My head was swimming with thoughts of not wanting to get dropped, but most of all, don’t make them wait for you. Yes, I was out of my comfort zone.

I’m determined to keep this weekly ride and ultimately become a better climber. This group will make me a stronger rider, pushing my limits with every ride.

Today was my second “out of my comfort zone” moment. We’ve been lucky to have a mild winter and a string of warm days. Loathing the black line of the pool and anticipating getting back to open water swimming, I was excited to hear the Otters were taking the plunge this morning.

I don’t do well in cold water, but the desire to get in open water, trumped everything else. So this morning I put on my big girl suit and headed to the lake. The group milled around with excitement of getting to swim open water again…it had been since October. I started to question my sanity until my friend took out her Betty Designs swim cap. In bold letters it said “Do Epic Shit”. It spoke to me and I jumped (okay slowly lowered myself) into 58.6 degree F water. It was definitely frigid, but I pushed myself to swim to buoy 1, then buoy 2. Somewhere between buoy 2 and 3 I just got too cold and turned around. But I felt exhilarated, or was it hypothermia? Getting out of my comfort zone energized me. Made me feel alive again. Zero regrets. 

To keep this theme going we head out east next month to do some crazy rides with some major climbing. It’s going to be tough, but I know in the end I’ll be stronger and empowered.

So go out and do some epic shit and be a bad ass. It’s empowering in a world these days where sometimes you feel powerless.   

Enjoy the ride,

Sheri

#ThisGirlCan

Later this afternoon I'm going to be inspired by some amazing athletes. As you know, I'm an active volunteer and board member of Dare2tri. Today is their annual MultiSport Clinic. Athletes will rotate through sessions of swim/bike/run as well as yoga. As in past years, I work the bike sessions helping the athletes get set up on equipment (upright or hand crank bikes) and cheer them on through difficult intervals. Kids, adults, novice or elite...I'm inspired by them all.

But these are not the only athletes that inspire me. This blog and my many ambassadorships are all aimed to empower women through sports. It doesn't matter how fast you are, how big/small you are, just challenge yourself and do what brings you joy.

Earlier this week the Venus de Miles team connected me with a women who signed up to do the 25 mile ride in July. She's new to cycling and especially road cycling. I'm thrilled to be able to share my knowledge and help her achieve her goals. She is just one of many female riders who will set challenging goals for themselves with this ride. They inspire me.

This morning I came across one of the #ThisGirlCan ads that is set to the words of a Maya Angelou poem, 'Phenomenal Woman'. The campaign drives home that there's no one definition of what a beautiful woman should look like. There's no age limit to an athlete. Strength and beauty comes in all shapes, sizes, races, ages, abilities...disabled or able bodied.  Watch this video and tell me it doesn't inspire you. Read the full poem here.

I've kept politics out of my blog and articles, but in a political climate that condones "grabbing women by their pussies," and taking away the rights of women, it more important than ever to tell little girls, teenagers...women of all ages, you are stronger than you think, you are beautiful and you can achieve anything you want to. That goes for sports, education, careers, LIFE!!!

In a world of full of princesses, dare to be batman (batwoman). Empower and inspire your daughters, grandchildren, girlfriends, co-workers. Never say "you can't because you are a woman." Dare to push the envelop.

Enjoy the ride,
Sheri

Become an ambassador for your sport

So many companies are leveraging brand ambassador programs as an effective yet inexpensive way to spread awareness and adoption of their products. Many companies are going after women to be part of their ambassador programs as a way to attract more females to the sport of cycling, running or triathlon.

Companies have found that using a 1-to-1 approach, the word is spread throughout our communities we engage in and is seen as more credible than advertising. Since women seem to communicate differently than men, social media channels are a key to messaging. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Blogging and Strava are all ways ambassadors share their experiences and passion.

I’ve been lucky enough to have been in a few ambassador programs. My first experience was with Strava where I was the Midwest Cycling Brand Ambassador for a year and a half. Last year I was on Pearl Izumi’s first Ride Champion team. This year I’m an ambassador for Venus de Miles. Many programs are only for a year, so I’m always on the lookout for a brand that is important to me and embraces empowering women in sports.

I’m often asked how does someone become an ambassador? Usually a call for applications comes out towards the end of the year so the team can be announced right around the first of the new year. Many of the applications are very lengthy with essay responses. All the applications I’ve completed ask about your social media involvement. Companies are definitely looking for people who are heavy users of social media since it is an immediate means to share and reshare stories, pictures and experiences. Many companies also use certain campaign hashtags as a way to get stories/pictures to trend.

Other qualities companies are looking for in an ambassador is how involved you are with a particular sport. Are you competing? Are you a member of a club? How do you encourage others to be part of your sport? If you are someone who trains alone or isn’t active with any groups, this could be seen as a negative. Ambassadors must be social, give back to their sport, engaging, and less about self-promoting. If you fill out an application that shouts “me me me” then forget about being selected.

Another question I get a lot is what types of companies have ambassador programs. I’ve seen companies including apparel, equipment, nutrition, eyewear, accessories and apps like Strava. Every year I see more and more companies add ambassador programs to their marketing mix.

How do you find out about an ambassador program? Follow your favorite brands on Facebook. Many will post their call for applications there. Some have details about their programs on the company’s web site. Also read key eNewsletters for your sport, as they will run ambassador program press releases from different companies.

Most companies provide their ambassadors with clothing or equipment. Both Strava and Pearl Izumi provided me with ambassador cycling kits. You also get swag to give out at events or activities you host. Most will also give you discounts on their product so you will wear their brand and also knowledgably talk about it. But, as an ambassador you get back what you put into it. I really enjoyed educating folks about the different features of Strava or the products of Pearl Izumi. If I was able to get someone to challenge themselves or try something new, then I was doing my job.

Pearl Izumi even had The Pact ambassadors would sign. The words from The Pact really resonated with me. One of my favorite excerpts is:

“I will be inclusive. Even of the exclusive. I will encourage the beginner, the professional and everyone in between. I will place joy above performance, use my fingers for peace, not profanity, and I will focus on the scenery more than the scene.”

As part of being a Venus de Miles ambassador I received a discount code to use for registration. This year’s event is July 22 in Lake Forest, IL. There both the 5k run and a ride (25 or 60 miles). So if you plan to attend, use this discount code for $10 off registration. The code is only good from February 10-14^th so don’t delay.

Discount code: HAPPY10   (valid Feb 10-14)
Be sure to join our team: Echelon Goddesses 

Venus de Miles site

Challenge yourself to ride 25 or 60 miles. The Venus de Miles is a well-supported ride and there are over 400 encouraging women out on the road with you.

Enjoy the ride.

Sheri

Goals vs Resolutions

I am not the type of person that makes New Year's resolutions. However, I do make goals. What's the difference?

Here are the definitions I found: 

Resolution - a firm decision to do or not to do something:

Goal - the result or achievement toward which effort is directed

I like goals because you must put some effort towards achieving them, thus more satisfaction when you do. Goals also provide you...direction, energy, challenge and an opportunity to think outside the box.

Most of my goals are athletic in nature...improve my hill climbing, increase my core strength, or master bike handling skills on single track. These are my "minor" goals this year. But my big goal (drum roll please) is to do an half Ironman distance triathlon...AGAIN. My last "half" was back in 2008 and it's time to tackle it again.

Of the three disciplines of triathlon, running is my 3rd strength. I've never really enjoyed running like I do open water swimming or cycling. Primarily because of pain and injury. I have totally flat feet and even with custom orthotics I just end up with injuries. But this year I'm hoping it will be different. I'm three weeks into a "Couch to half marathon" training program. It incorporates run/walk training to get you to a 13.1 mile run. I'm hoping that this easing into running does the trick and I remain injury free. 

I'm headed back to Grand Rapids, MI for my third time. 2014 I finished an Ironman aquabike, last year a half Ironman aquabike and now a instead of Swim, Bike, Done...it will be Swim, Bike, Run. I'm excited that three of my friends will be racing too and hoping for a few more will join us. My goal is to first, finish the race. Second, to improve my time over 2008. MI Titanium is a lot hillier than Spirit of Racine, but I'm up for the challenge. Let's hope there's less chip and seal on the bike course and no flats. Oh, yeah, maybe no tornadoes or horizontal rain, either. 

This will be an adventure and definitely a challenge. I'm older, but wiser, so I'm confident to achieve my goal. 

I invite you to share with me your goals for 2017 in the comments section and join me in my adventure this year. 

It's going to be an enjoyable ride,

Sheri

When everything used is new again

Over the summer many of you who ride with me might have gotten tired of seeing me sport an OORR kit. Well, I was product testing not only for a RoadBikeRider.com review, but also for Tim Christian the founder of OORR (Out of the Rat Race). Tim is based in Australia and has created a company to produce high quality apparel with attention to detail using recycled materials.

OORR uses recycled plastic bottles and used coffee grounds in the construction of their fabric. Yep, sounds crazy, but I can attest to how soft the material is against your skin, how well it wicks, and that it provides great odor control.

I cover all the details on OORR’s women’s kit including fabric and construction here in a recent product review in RBR. Brandon reviewed the men’s version here.

At the end of October OORRlaunched their Kickstarter campaign and just recently hit their goals. There’s still time for you to support this campaign and have one of these unique cycling or running kits for yourself.   

With Thanksgiving only a few days away, we all have a lot to be thankful for. The environment is not something we can take for granted, so as cyclists we need to continue our quest to reduce our carbon footprint. I can’t help but worry what the next administration will do as they deny global warming and pledge to change policies that endanger our world.

There are a few things we can do in the next week. #OptOutside on black Friday. #SmallBusinessSaturday and #ShopLocal for the holidays. And most of all remember those less fortunate on #GivingTuesday.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and enjoy the ride,

Sheri