I apologize that I've been so absent on this. I had been holding off on getting a video posted here, but our FLIP has not been cooperating when it comes to uploading to YouTube and it is irritating me. I pulled together a nice video of cycling in the garage for my friend and fellow survivor Robert who made a nice donation to me.
I'll give it another try and then I'll have to just move past it and get some better postings up here. Especially with the Tour Down Under kicking off today.
Ride hard and LIVESTRONG
Showing posts with label Donations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Donations. Show all posts
Monday, January 17, 2011
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Sarah Leopold, Christmas, and Health
Today is the day after Christmas and as Sarah and I were eager to enjoy some of the day after Christmas sales. Well we didn't yield much in terms of the sales but there also wasn't much to yield - in my opinion. However, after not being able to get out on a run yesterday I told her that I'd really like to either take a 3 mile run or get some time on the rollers. We got home, she, being the incredible wife she is, told me to get out and do something before I settled into other projects while she took care of the dishes from last night (that's right, I'm a lucky guy!). Out to the garage I went. 1.67 miles into it, I remembered that even with the garage door open I dont get much of a breeze so I moved the rollers to the edge of the garage (still under the overhang of the roof) and got back to pedaling.
I enjoyed (though complained to myself at times) a great 20 miles in a rather brisk breeze. Though I didn't receive a specific request those 20 miles were broken down for a few different reasons. Firstly, I rode for Sarah Leopold (my wife was named after her late grandmother). My wife never had the chance to meet her grandmother because she struggled with various health issues throughout her life, and was ultimately stolen from the family by the evil cancer. Though it is never easy to say goodbye to a family member, grandma's passing happened at the same time that my wife's parents found out they were pregnant. Being the first female born in over 70 years, my wife was given the name Sarah. I'm sure she was an amazing woman, and she fought so much more than cancer in her life. I'm sure she was an amazing woman and I was happy to ride in her honor.
The reason I chose to ride for Grandma Sarah is because one of the gifts I received for Christmas was a donation from my father-in-law toward my fundraising. The donation was given in my honor because the whole family has really enjoyed to see how Sarah and I have embraced the Livestrong movement. It was a great Christmas present to receive. Yes, it gets me $100 closer to my ultimate goal, but most importantly it provides added funds to help those who need it most as they battle the beast. We need all the help and funds we can get to support those who are fighting cancer now, will tomorrow, and continue to live life after cancer.
Another reason that I moved the rollers out of the garage (besides the wonderful benefit of keeping my body temperature down) is that in riding in honor of my father-in-law, I know how much he REALLY loves and embraces the outdoors. In fact, as I was riding, he was skiing Stevens Pass (I just hope it wasn't as winding at the mountain because it had a miserable potential). Shortly before my diagnosis, Dad really wanted to improve his health. He began focusing more on what he was eating, started doing more hiking, and became a fanatic on rowing like I have with cycling. We all need to find the hobby that best suits us and get out and keep the body moving, and stay healthy before it's too late.
On a side note about the rollers. Riding the rollers isn't much fun. I mean, it is because I love biking, but it is SO MUCH more enjoyable when you are actually moving. There were various times when I would look down at my distance and say, "meh, that could be good enough," but then I would remind myself why I was out riding and my promise to those who donate to my support of Livestrong. So I kept riding. But while I was out there, I saw a total of 4 cyclists all bundled up, fighting the wind on the road. As much as I don't like the rollers at times, cycling with 30+ mph gusts just doesn't seem very enjoyable either.
LIVESTRONG!
I enjoyed (though complained to myself at times) a great 20 miles in a rather brisk breeze. Though I didn't receive a specific request those 20 miles were broken down for a few different reasons. Firstly, I rode for Sarah Leopold (my wife was named after her late grandmother). My wife never had the chance to meet her grandmother because she struggled with various health issues throughout her life, and was ultimately stolen from the family by the evil cancer. Though it is never easy to say goodbye to a family member, grandma's passing happened at the same time that my wife's parents found out they were pregnant. Being the first female born in over 70 years, my wife was given the name Sarah. I'm sure she was an amazing woman, and she fought so much more than cancer in her life. I'm sure she was an amazing woman and I was happy to ride in her honor.
The reason I chose to ride for Grandma Sarah is because one of the gifts I received for Christmas was a donation from my father-in-law toward my fundraising. The donation was given in my honor because the whole family has really enjoyed to see how Sarah and I have embraced the Livestrong movement. It was a great Christmas present to receive. Yes, it gets me $100 closer to my ultimate goal, but most importantly it provides added funds to help those who need it most as they battle the beast. We need all the help and funds we can get to support those who are fighting cancer now, will tomorrow, and continue to live life after cancer.
Another reason that I moved the rollers out of the garage (besides the wonderful benefit of keeping my body temperature down) is that in riding in honor of my father-in-law, I know how much he REALLY loves and embraces the outdoors. In fact, as I was riding, he was skiing Stevens Pass (I just hope it wasn't as winding at the mountain because it had a miserable potential). Shortly before my diagnosis, Dad really wanted to improve his health. He began focusing more on what he was eating, started doing more hiking, and became a fanatic on rowing like I have with cycling. We all need to find the hobby that best suits us and get out and keep the body moving, and stay healthy before it's too late.
On a side note about the rollers. Riding the rollers isn't much fun. I mean, it is because I love biking, but it is SO MUCH more enjoyable when you are actually moving. There were various times when I would look down at my distance and say, "meh, that could be good enough," but then I would remind myself why I was out riding and my promise to those who donate to my support of Livestrong. So I kept riding. But while I was out there, I saw a total of 4 cyclists all bundled up, fighting the wind on the road. As much as I don't like the rollers at times, cycling with 30+ mph gusts just doesn't seem very enjoyable either.
LIVESTRONG!
Sunday, December 12, 2010
My Commitment to You
It has been a challenge to get out on the rollers as the weather has turned rainy. I'm still trying to commute to work when I can, but also it really depends on my meeting schedule since it requires me to leave a little later and try and get home earlier (even with lights, you really gotta watch out for drivers). Also, now that I'm a dad, it is definitely a bigger adjustment to find "me" time (read: biking time). You really need to be intentional about things - and I'm not a morning person. So instead my day typically is something like this: get up and get Gabriella and Sarah out the door, go to work, head home and take Nikki for a walk, get dinner cooked, bathtime, bedtime, and then we have some time to decompress. By that time, it is more appealing to spend some time with my wife instead of riding to nowhere in the garage. Nevertheless, I know I need to be riding (it keeps me sane - and some pound off), and I know I'm going to need to stick to training for all the riding I'm committing to.
Therefore, as I was on the rollers yesterday afternoon, I decided what I'm going to do to stay motivated and make sure that not one donation is ignored. I WILL MEET MY FUNDRAISING GOAL, but I also need your help!! For every 5 dollars that is donated I will ride 1 mile in honor of whoever you know with cancer or in memory of someone you lost. For every 20 dollars that is donated by a business sponsorship I'll ride for 1 mile. I will use this blog to document these rides since throughout the winter many of them will be on the rollers. Look for some videos coming in the future.
Yesterday I rode for my friends Deb and Ben, and the intentions that they have.
Ride hard and LIVESTRONG!
Therefore, as I was on the rollers yesterday afternoon, I decided what I'm going to do to stay motivated and make sure that not one donation is ignored. I WILL MEET MY FUNDRAISING GOAL, but I also need your help!! For every 5 dollars that is donated I will ride 1 mile in honor of whoever you know with cancer or in memory of someone you lost. For every 20 dollars that is donated by a business sponsorship I'll ride for 1 mile. I will use this blog to document these rides since throughout the winter many of them will be on the rollers. Look for some videos coming in the future.
Yesterday I rode for my friends Deb and Ben, and the intentions that they have.
Ride hard and LIVESTRONG!
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