It;s going to be a great ride tomorrow

After a long week at work I am looking forward to six hours in the saddle tomorrow! Every hour HR 10 min at 150 says the coach...will keep it interesting.

hard at.....work

good thing this is an easy training week: Work has me pretty good. The markets aren't good to us and I have to make some more unpleasant cost cuts. Revamping our marketing strategy at the same time. Lots of hours over spreadsheets and charts. Last week I thought of RAAM every hour every day, this week it's the four Ps of marketing that keep my mind busy. Keeps life interesting. On a side note: I am so thankful that Liam (our 1 1/2 year old) is now sleeping through the night. Sleep makes everything better!

Urs Races RAAM to Benefit Boyer Children's Clinic

Here is what we just handed to Boyer Children's Clinic for their parent newsletter:

'Race Across America' to Benefit Boyer in June '09 Former Boyer parent Urs Koenig will compete as a solo bike racer in the annual 'Race Across America' (RAAM)- a coast-to-coast, 'ultracycling' race that pits each rider against the clock and is known as the world's toughest endurance event (www.raceacrossamerica.org). The race begins June 17 in Oceanside, California and has to be completed within 12 days for an official finish in Annapolis, Maryland. The route is over 3000 miles, touches 14 states and climbs over 100,000 feet. Solo racers typically finish in 9 to 12 days, averaging 250 to 350 miles per day. To achieve this staggering accomplishment, Urs will have to maximize time on the bike, minimize sleep, and conquer adversities such as desert heat, high altitudes, and blustering headwinds. An official finish would represent the fulfillment of a long-sought dream for Urs and be the pinnacle of his athletic career focused on endurance sports. The 2009 race is actually Urs' second attempt - he competed as a Soloist in RAAM four years ago and had to pull-out after 850 miles due to pulmonary problems he developed in the Rocky Mountains. Exciting news for Boyer Children's Clinic and our families: Urs and his wife Catherine Parker have chosen to use RAAM as an opportunity to raise funds on our behalf this year. Together with Boyer, they'll ask friends, colleagues, family and our extended network of supporters and donors to follow the race and pledge their dollars for Boyer's benefit. Please stay tuned as Boyer rolls out more information on how to sponsor Urs to support Boyer in 2009!

Back to work

Sure enough: after a great training and family week work has me again. Have to cut costs. Lots of number crunching until all hours. The market is hurting us.

Had a good strength session at the gym: CORE!

Four months until RAAM!

Great training week

Just finished my second 'stacking week' 29 hrs and 480 miles and almost every mile of it in the sun! Not bad for Seattle in February. I feel very good. Of course tired but very thankful that my knee issue is slowly getting better.

Here we go!

After a lot of soul searching and discussion with Catherine, I decided in December of last year to give solo RAAM 2009 a shot. I also want to make this 'ego' trip bigger than just me. I will be raising funds for the Boyer Children's Clinic. Boyer has a special place in my family's heart. Our three year old son Luc was dealing with developmental delays and went to Boyer for speech and physical therapy. http://www.boyercc.com/.

I will use this blog for updates on my training, the logistical preparation and our fund raising efforts.