Purpose. Perseverance. Progress. And A Parcel.

My posts on Facebook have provided updates on my training and fundraising progress but I haven't written much about it here. Guess it's time for a major update, eh?

Yes, Jonathan, I look serious - I took
this pic while on the bike at about mile 10!

Recently, it's been a challenge to find time to train. Many reasons for that. First there were all those crazy medical tests. But that's all in the past now and shouldn't affect my training anymore. Then it was too cool in the morning and I don't have cold-weather gear. So I opted for training on a stationary bike at the gym. Finally, my work schedule isn't a traditional 9-to-5 - it's more like 6-11am, 1:30-3:15pm, 7:08-9:36pm. That's one day. Sometimes difficult to find time for a ride in between all that. But I've made it work when I could.

Believe it or not, even a few months into this I'm still learning new things, some of which I hadn't thought about when I first started training. Like going to the gym to log miles when the weather doesn't cooperate or when my schedule doesn't allow time until after dark. A few weeks ago it hit me that I could pedal at the gym and, although not as demanding or enjoyable as hopping on the Cannondale & riding through Red Rock, it does help to maintain my endurance and can be just as picturesque - in a different way, of course - usually when a hottie gets on the bike ten feet away... talk about an incentive to show off a bit and pedal faster, hah!




There are some drawbacks to logging miles at the gym but none of them will keep me from continuing to do it. My first visit, I did learn the bikes only allow you to log a one-hour workout with a five-minute cool down. That night (wearing my official ALC shirt above!), I logged 15.67 miles in the 65 minutes the LifeFitness cycle's computer allowed. Not bad. Didn't feel anything like riding up and down hills on the road even if the screen on the bike computer kept telling me I was climbing a hill. The other thing I learned is an hour on one of those stationary bike seats is much less comfortable than an hour in the saddle on my road bike. Quite surprising actually considering how small and firm the road bike seat is compared to the large and cushy seat on the gym bike. But I persevered. Even went back for another round.

Doubling down at the gym 'cuz 65 minutes isn't enough!

The next time I visited the gym, I chose a more difficult level (7/10 instead of 3/10). Still didn't feel as challenging as the road bike. But it must have made some difference because my pace was a little slower. Only reached 14.93 miles in 65 minutes. So I reset the machine and kept going - not for much longer, just 22 minutes. Added another 4.77 miles to the workout and got to finish the episode of Tosh.0 I was watching while pedaling (yes, one benefit of the gym is being able to catch up on your television shows while working out!). So I can do this and continue to since it's a decent way to workaround any of those challenges I might have in finding time in the day to ride or getting a workout in when the weather says it ain't happening outside.

And I've hit some milestones in my training too... finally passed 400 miles! Seems like so much. Then, I think that I still have to work my way up to 545 in seven days. Oy! I WILL get there though! Just gotta stay focused on the training and pedal pedal pedal!

Speaking of milestones, I hit another one in my fundraising too. I think I've mentioned before that there's been a major slowdown in contributions to my ride - most likely due to the fact that I've hit up everyone I know like seventeen times! And many of my friends and family have contributed. Quite a few of them even came back to provide a second donation! But I'm still making progress. I've been holding Pampered Chef fundraisers and donating the proceeds to the ride - I think my total donated through those is close to $400. And, although I'm fallen in rank to #12, I'm still very pleased to be in the Top 20 Fundraisers! But the milestone...I passed the $6,000 mark just a few days ago! As of today, I think I'm at $6,060 and some loose change. Feeling so good about that. Even more, my team is closing in on a major milestone in fundraising as well... there are thirteen of us and our combined total so far is over $19,400! And we're just starting! A few of the guys haven't even registered yet or are just getting started on their fundraising. Man, feels so good to see us working together to hit these goals! Our team, Manning Up Allstars, is currently ranked sixth in Top Team Fundraisers and four of our team members are in the Top 100 Fundraisers!

All in all, progress I'm pretty damn happy with! We still have over six months until we set off from San Francisco but I'll hit that 545 miles and that $22K mark in fundraising - I know I will because you all have proven you're with me on this! All of that support is what's going to get me there.

Speaking of support - and the "parcel" reference in this blog's title. I've said before that reaching out beyond my own circle of family and friends is going to be key to reaching my final fundraising goal. Some of that I can use your help with - think about sharing my fundraising link on Facebook and reach out to your community to support the cause. Or have a chat with your employer about holding a fundraiser in your office or securing a matching contribution from them. I know it seems like a lot  and totally understand if you're just not up for it. Trust me, I've definitely had to go outside my comfort zone to continue raising funds and it's made me very nervous and even felt a bit cheesy at times. I mean, I'm not a salesman as anyone who's attended one of my Pampered Chef shows has seen. But I've done it because it's going to benefit the ride. But I've gone even further than that. I've hit up complete strangers to support the cause. Not only complete strangers, but celebrities. One thing I've realized, it's hard to get a response from a celebrity. But just the other day, I did.

Do you know who Matthew Mitcham is? He's an Australian guy. You may have heard his name over the summer... from the Olympics in London. Diver. Gold Medalist. And, most recently, author. I've never met him. Although, I wouldn't say no to a meet-and-greet, heh! Handsome guy. Seems very down-to-earth in interviews. And from what I've read about his book, very candid and honest. I've also learned he's very generous. On Tuesday, Matthew autographed a copy of his book Twists and Turns and shipped it out to me from Sydney (it's not available here in the U.S. yet). Oh, he did more than autograph it. He put a personal note to one of my sponsors - thanking the recipient for supporting AIDS/LifeCycle. I haven't received it yet - that's the parcel I'm waiting for - and don't know exactly what the message says but I'm checking the mail daily. I wasn't going to mention it until I had the book in hand but I'm a little excited about it! I plan on placing the book in our online auction in the hopes that someone might be interested in not only reading his story, but in having a memento that recognizes their generous support in the fight against HIV & AIDS. Kinda cool, eh? I'm gonna have to send that guy a thank you card.