Great Riding

The riding has been great these days.  The weather has definitely been crisp, but I've still been out riding.  The morning commute to work can be a bit chilly, but afternoon rides are just fine.  This weekend I got out and did some riding and even at the end of last week, clear skies got me on the road - some days just after work for a quick hour spin, but Friday after finishing up everything at work I took the long way home for an easy 18 miles.  Ended up in some higher traffic areas which then means that based on basic laws of probability that there are more idiots on the road.  Just like there are a few cyclists that drive the stereotype of "cyclists never obey the laws" well there are a few drivers who ruin it for the conscientious cyclists as well.

Friday night my wife's brother had his wedding reception so we left her car at her work so that we could get the carpool lane.  Saturday I took a long meandering ride to get to her work.  Ended up being about 25 miles, but a good 12 of those were going at a 15mph headwind that had 25-30 mph gusts.  Then I had about 2 miles of hills. It was a GOOD workout.  Sunday I got out for a nice spin too, though not as long.

The fraternity that I'm in is actually going to be doing an Alumni Spotlight on me and my fundraising so Sarah took some pictures of me for that.  Here is my favorite:

LIVESTRONG!

Our LIVESTRONG Story

LIVESTRONG urges those affected by cancer to share their story.  This is what I shared...

After 4 months of what I was told could be a 6 month chronic cough, several appointments to the doctor until I could finally tell he was annoyed that "oh, you're back again" I finally pointed out additional research to the doctor and asked that I be referred to an ENT.  Despite the pathology reports not being 100% confirmed the ENT called that Saturday night as I prepared dinner prior to Trick 'r Treating to tell me that I had Hodgkin's Lymphoma.  "Looks like we caught this early."

I didn't know if it was a trick or a treat, but I definitely got sick from it after the PET scan revealed it was Stage 3.  27 years old.  Married for just 1 year and told we have cancer.  Immediately, my beautiful wife started telling everyone that "we have cancer" because she wouldn't let me go through it alone - and it impacted her just as much. 

We were recommended to visit a fertility clinic, but just couldn't see going that route.  So instead, knowing that there was a risk of infertility we took advantage of the 4 days between my PET scan and first round of chemo.  Our daughter was born in August of 2010.

Throughout treatment there were probably more good days than bad - I was blessed.  But during the rough days, the hope of our child growing kept spirits high.  Also, knowing that aerobic exercise has been recommended to help patients through treatment, I kept riding. There were nights when I'd ride on my rollers for only 3 miles and I would sit in the garage and cry.  But 3 miles was all my body could handle.  Still, though, we signed up for the Livestrong Challenge Seattle, shared our story of getting pregnant with Lance's friend College (who couldn't wait to tell Lance), and exactly 2 months after my last chemo I rode 70-miles in the rainy Seattle Challenge.

Those 6 months of treatment were the worst of my life, but they were also the best.  They taught us so much.  Patience.  Hope.  Love. Family.  Perseverance. Strength.  Unity.  My diagnosis was the worst thing for me, but the best experience.  Finally, my family knows someone with a cancer story that wasn't a death sentence.  My perspective on life, love, cycling, and the LIVESTRONG community is forever changed.

I will keep riding for those who can't.  I will keep riding to be a riding billboard for LIVESTRONG.  I will keep riding for my health and to share how much LIVESTRONG has impacted my life through my treatment and now afterward.  I will keep riding so that my daughter someday can say, "my daddy had and beat cancer, and LIVESTRONG did so much that now there is no more cancer.

Donations

I've been very proud and even a little amazed at some of the great donations that have already come in on our journey to $12,000.  Just after Christmas, I sent out my first email blast.  Although it didn't yield the quantity that I was hoping for, the quality (read: generosity) of those that I did receive were amazing.  As I write this, we are sitting at $725.  Aside from begging friends and family on email, twitter, and facebook, I've been designing things to help get some big funds raised - I hope!


I've submitted a letter to a past employer to see if the would provide a business donation and/or sponsor a ride for me, however, have yet to hear back.  It was a long-shot and not sure if I should expect to hear anything in return.  I've contacted Golds Gym to of Redmond/Issaquah/Bothell to see if we could set up a bike-a-thon or 24-hour ride fundraiser.  I haven't heard back yet and will be checking back with the manager next week.  Though Microsoft Gift Matching doesn't apply to vendors, I did submit a letter to them to see if there was anything else we could do - set up donation jars at locations on campus, if they could support me with a donation, etc.  Hopefully, whether positive or negative, I'll hear something back on Monday.

Other ideas that I'm going to pursue are with Albertsons, TOP Foods, local restaurants, and maybe Performance Bike (though I dont think that would happen because Brent said that stuff comes from corporate down).

I'm really hopeful that I can get some businesses to allow me to put out donation containers or do a LIVESTRONG night at a restaurant for a certain percent of profits.  Or, the easiest, is always a overall sponsorship.  It would be the best, and I think it is really what we will need to really get us climbing the ladder with the added zeros on the fundraising.

Just gotta keep on keepin' on!

LIVESTRONG

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!

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!