Bike Rides and Bonus Bike Rides

The other week we had gorgeous unseasonably warm weather, so we went for as many bike rides as possible. In fact, AJ, Teddy and I went for a bike ride the night before my team's 55-mile running relay race. AJ was up for the longer route, so we ended up doing 8 miles instead of 5 miles. 

As we finished up our ride, I turned around and noticed Teddy was missing not one, but both, of his brand new shoes. This was the first time I think he wore the shoes, as I had bought them the previous night. When I asked him where his shoes were, he just giggled.

So, despite the fact that I was done and daylight was fast disappearing, Teddy and I headed back out to double back at least a bit to see if we could find his shoes. I found the first one about 1/4 of a mile back, and he laughed like a giggle monster when I picked up that shoe and muttered choice words under my breath. 

I had planned to go 1-1.5 miles back at the most, as AJ was waiting at the vehicle, and it was late. Fortunately at 1.03 miles I found the second shoe. Apparently Teddy decided we needed some extra time to enjoy the beautiful evening. And I decided he no longer can wear slip-on shoes on bike rides. 

This is how the bike ride ended, thankfully.

Biking with my Boys

We absolutely love the chairs used by myTEAM Triumph that are made by Adaptive Star. We've used them with the group since Teddy was 2. (He turned 3 by race day, but he had a few practice runs as a 2-year old.) The chairs push wonderfully for running and are so adaptable. It's easier to push Teddy because he's relatively small, but it's feasible to push adults with relative ease. 

Last year we were fortunate to work with Teddy's case worker to get our very own chair that we could use any time for running and biking. That was such a Godsend as it arrived right at the start of the pandemic. Teddy and I ran most weeks last summer, with AJ often tagging along on his bike. We went for family bike rides, and it was safe and enjoyable for everyone. 

Teddy's chair will grow with him for years to come!

The only downside of the chair is that it is so large that it's tough to take it to our land for a weekend with all the rest of the stuff we need. So at the land we haven't had anything beyond his Kimba Kruze, which has served us well. However, he's so tall that he can drag his feet and scoot himself all over the place (or just try to snap his ankles, I swear!). That chair also isn't quite designed for all the adventures we've used it for through the years, so it's a little tough on the trails and rougher terrain at the land.

So Dave ordered a custom-designed chair specifically for the land using our HSA (as it's a medical device for Teddy). This beauty of a chair has bigger tires for easier pushing over rough terrain, an extended carriage underneath to catch all the things Teddy drops (accidently and on purpose) and a higher clearance for going over bumps and hills. 

Let's just say the first weekend we had it at the land we had extreme flooding. So we gave it a thorough test by wandering through the flooded fields that still had standing water, mud and the likes. And it pushed through without getting stuck, so we all got to enjoy the mud while checking out the flooding.  

We've also been able to go for several bike rides, both around our land as well as at a really cool trail that's within an hour of our land. We've been to the Elroy-Sparta bike trail twice, as the boys really love the biking and the old train tunnels. 

Teddy loves the dark, rainy tunnels with all the water dripping.

We need to work with Adaptive Star to adjust it a bit as the wheels rub on the side of the frame, but we're so looking forward to the adventures this chair will allow our family to enjoy!

So Many Miles, So Many Smiles

Last week our family was incredibly blessed on a rainy, dreary day. A giant package arrived at our house that made me literally squeal with excitement when I saw it. Teddy's very own running chair had arrived, after being approved late last fall. We had requested this through his case worker who approved it after her due diligence. We were super excited to partner with myTEAM Triumph (MTT) to order Teddy's chair because we've used these race chairs for several years through them, so we knew what works for Teddy.

Captain Teddy in his new wheels! And, yes, we ran down the street in the pouring rain.

We were able to get a chair that fits him wonderfully now but also fits me, which means that he can push me. Just kidding. It means that he can grow with this chair, with a few simple adjustments like switching the seat pads. It has a foot basket to help contain his feet and wheel guards to make him work just a bit harder to get to the wheels.

It also has some pretty sweet wheel covers that highlight Teddy's diagnosis with the CDG symbol, his name and the MTT logo. He'll do his part as a MTT ambassador wherever we go.

This chair means so much to our family because it gives us more freedom to enjoy the outdoors together. This allows me to return the chair to MTT that I had borrowed during quarantine, which enabled us to go on several runs while AJ biked along side us. This also adapts to pull behind a bike, which means that Dave can pull Teddy. (See, I push for running, so he can pull him for biking.)

Just this weekend alone, we logged 12 miles over the course of two bike rides. Of course, one of those bike rides was to look for the missing bolt we lost on our first adventure with the chair. I'll blame that on my 8-year-old crew member who doesn't quite tighten the bolts well enough for trails ... and my 6-year-old passenger who intentionally was trying to unscrew the bolt.

Pretty sweet ride for Teddy, and it pulls nicely, except with the gusty winds we had both days. 

We're so grateful for this chair. It will help us share so many miles and smiles together as a family. AJ and I were joking that now we could train for a family triathlon in a few years when AJ is strong enough to pull Teddy for the biking. I'll do the running, and Dave can pull Teddy in a boat for the swim. I was pretty happy with my plan to get Teddy a whip to make them go faster until AJ pointed out that whips still swing backward, so I'm not safe from Teddy trying to make me go faster either.

Happy Dance

Today we got this e-mail from Teddy's case worker:

Hello Kerry,   Great News. The Family Support Team approved long term support funding for the Axiom Race Chair!   Everyone wants to see a picture of you and Teddy in action after you receive the chair  J  I will talk with Adaptive Star next week. 

And then I proceeded to do my happy dance. This means that we'll have a way to go biking next summer as a family because there's no way that Teddy would still fit in our pull-behind carrier because it was a squish to get him in there this year. This means that Teddy and I can go for a run on the weekend together or join the local running groups who do evening runs. We tried a few times this summer, but the running stroller I have is not meant for a large 6-year-old. It barely worked until the last run we did, which was our last run with the stroller, because Teddy learned that it makes a cool sound when he drags his foot on the ground. It also feels neat ... until he breaks his foot or ankle.

The Axiom Race Chair is essentially the same chair Teddy uses when he races with myTEAM Triumph. We can (and will) order a chair large enough that it should last Teddy for years to come because he's ridden in all different sized race chairs. The same chair can be used for racing as well as being pulled behind a regular bicycle.

This is such a blessing for our family!

Have Bike. Will Crash.

Teddy has been interested in bikes for a long time, including climbing on AJ's big boy bike with training wheels. He can pedal our tricycles for short spurts, but his feet fall off the pedals. We've had a pattern to adapt the foot pedals to better support his feet, but we never got around to actually making them. (My somewhat valid excuse is that we spend so much of our time Teddy proofing and supervising and repairing damage from Teddy that other projects get pushed to the backburner.)

So when I saw a room full of adapted bikes at Teddy's last appointment to get fitted for new braces, I inquired into how those are typically funded. I was surprised to learn that it is something that could be funded by Children's Long-Term Support Waiver (CLTSW). That's the county program that supports Teddy's additional needs above and beyond a typical child (with a parental cost share, of course). I e-mailed Teddy's case worker and received approval within 24  hours for the assessment for an adapted bicycle, which astounded me that it was that easy! (Apparently, it's not always that easy. The guy who did the adapted bike said that it's extremely rare for the process to move this quickly. When I spoke to Teddy's case worker yesterday, she said that she knew Teddy would benefit because Teddy and our family are so active.)

That means the highlight of today was picking up Teddy's new bike! This custom bicycle is designed for Teddy, so it fits him perfectly, yet will grow with him both as he develops more abilities and grows older.

He climbed right on and waited patiently for the adjustments.

It has a couple straps to help secure him in place to his backrest, which provides support for his core, so he doesn't have to work as hard to stay upright. The handlebar adjusts in height and gives him a wide, steady base for steering. Until he masters that concept (because he's a wild man now!), there's a guide bar in the front for someone to help Teddy when he needs assistance steering or is stuck and needs a boost. There's also a handle in the back for pushing, but the guide bar will be the main form of support until it's no longer needed. Then it can be removed.

Nice wide handle for steering, not that he intends to actually steer any time soon.

The pedals have a series of 3 straps to secure his feet in place, so he doesn't have to keep adjusting them to stay on the pedals. Perhaps the neatest part is that whenever the bike moves, the pedals move. That helps ingrain the reciprocal motion of medal into his muscle memory. Wait, there's a brake, so I can keep him still when I get him strapped in. That might be the coolest part.

Pure (blurry) joy at having his own bike!

That's the technical side of why an adapted bike is so great for him, but all you really need to see is this: