Immense Generosity

Having the support of my family and friends is paramount to me.

The emotional support I get is extremely helpful, as this can be a stressful endeavor at times. However, to also have people doing everything they can to get me to the starting line is humbling to me. I know some people cannot afford to give much (or anything in some cases), and the fact that they do speaks loads about how much they want me to be fulfilled. Receiving the financial support for this ride from the people who love positively makes me glow.

My boyfriend has been the best throughout. There are times when I could (and really should) be better to him, yet his unrelenting support and encouragement inspires me to press on with the training and fundraising. He shares in my excitement for every donation I receive...even when he doesn't know the individual who tossed money my way. He is acutely aware that each donation helps me approach my goal

Charlie has also been helpful with fundraising ideas. He came up with the genius name for my lip balm making fundraising party: Balmpocalypse Now! Despite the fundamentally girly nature of this shindig, he still made an appearance after running some errands to mix delicious cocktails for my girlfriends and just socialize. It's a good thing he's so sociable, because I know his presence contributed to the rather jovial evening.

Everyone agrees: His cocktails are out of this world.

The party was successful and a lot of fun. In addition to quality girlfriend time and good food, I raised $120 for my ride.

In addition to his emotional and symbolic support, he made a very nice donation to my ride that unwittingly matched my top donor, who shall be known as W. White:

I am incredibly grateful for all forms of his generosity and his love.

We are a team in every aspect, and certainly partners in crime.

I don't know how I can possibly articulate how much I appreciate him and the many forms his generosity takes, but hopefully my actions in our life together will adequately reflect just how much he means to me.

With all my love.

House to House

Let me start off by declaring that my ass has never been so sore. Holy crap, do I need to invest in padded shorts.

Being that the leaves are turning colors and are beginning to fall, I am worried that the number of nice weekends that will lend themselves to epic-long bike rides are rapidly dwindling. Today, however, was a beautiful day, and if I could pause the progression of the season from now until spring, I would... nevermind the cataclysmic consequences that would have on our environment.

The weather was so perfect today that it was hard to justify staying indoors or even in the city even as 2pm approached. I knew I had to get in a long bike ride at some point before the winter came, but sometimes it's all too easy to stay home when you have good company. The thing is that barring some major tragedy, my good company will always be around...even in the short, dark, depressing days of December and January, whereas the nice Autumn weather will not.

So 2pm rolled around, and I hesitantly got dressed for my ride. My shoddy pre-ride meal consisted of an apple and peanut butter, some tomatoes, and I'm sure there was a piece of dark chocolate or two in there somewhere. I made one great decision and one egregious error when I went out. The great decision was that I brought my sweatshirt with me, the error was that I brought my backpack. While handy, it puts a lot of strain on one's shoulders.

As I set out for my ride, I made the decision to hit up one of my favorite sites that is an uncomfortable distance from my house. I wasn't prepared for HOW uncomfortable it would be. Mount Vernon was my destination, and I. Would. Not. Be. Deterred!

As I biked out of Capitol Hill, I haphazardly found my way to the Memorial Bridge, thanks to my Droid RAZRM  (like that advertising, Verizon?). The air flowing through my hair (and helmet) felt great, and I leisurely crossed the bridge, savoring the view as it floated by.

The trail itself was stressful at first. With the dexterity of a lizard, I skillfully dodged runners, site-seeing cyclists, and oblivious children. Casualty-free day! Counts as a win in my book.

The weirdest thing about the Mt. Vernon Trail was the stretch that goes through Old Town Alexandria. I was not prepared for city cycling, and certainly was confused when the trail turned into asphalt. Thank god for the cyclists ahead of me. "These ladies look like they know what they're doing. I'll just cycle right behind them so we look like a group!" Eventually, I caught the trail again.

After Alexandria, the traffic was much more clear, and I could speed up or slow down at my own pace. It's amazing how much less stressful riding is when all you have to account for are the few suicidal squirrels who dart out in front of you.

I don't know if it was the lateness of the day or the shade from the trees in the wilderness I was biking through, but the crisp air was so rejuvenating and reminded me of my passion for long outdoor rides. Gyms have got NOTHING on this.

Except when you get towards the end of your ride, and you find that there is a Final Boss at the end of your journey (of course) in the form of a mini-Mt. Everest. My legs were already tired of pushing, and the near-vertical ascent seemed to never end.

Since I am writing this blog, it is safe to assume I survived!

Mt. Vernon was just over the hill. I locked up my bike to visit George Washington's house.

Silly me, it was closing! So I strolled through the gift shop, called my folks, and started the 20 mile journey back. The first down hill was glorious, and I took it without braking...or breaking anything. BOOYAH!

I could tell my butt was mad at me, though. I had never experience buttosis (as Dad would say) quite like this.

By the time DCA was in sight, I stood up with planes whizzing over my head for the rest of my journey to DC. I don't think I had ever felt more relieved to be home, but I knew I still had a few strenuous miles to go. Thankfully, I brought my Bluetooth headphones. I called Kimee and talked with her all the way home. She told me stories of her students and their parents. As she complained, I groaned...not so much in sympathy, but in pain.

However, I made it. I did it. I will do it again. And I am proud of the impromptu journey.

I deserve my sleep.

Personal Page

Fundraising requires that individuals sell their cause to others. You have to convince others to buy into what you're working towards--that your goal is one worthy of their financial support. In tough economic times, this can be a hard ask.

...and even a harder sell...

When devising a personal donation page, one needs to think about what makes their cause different from the rest of everyone else's. For me, it's personal fulfillment in addition to a worthy, charitable cause. The more I can tell people about why I am riding, the better.

This is an art.

No one wants to read a novel about your commitment to the cause or the reason why you want to do any charity. By the time they get to the end, they may feel that they've already committed enough! I tried to explain in just a few paragraphs what the ride is and what it supports, why I want to do it, and also tell potential donors that any amount helps and is appreciated equally. Additionally, I thought it was important to share something a bit unexpected (hence the picture of me at the Golden Gate Bridge when I was ten).

Here is my participant page: http://www.tofighthiv.org/site/TR/AIDSLIFECYCLE2014/AIDSLifeCycleCenter?px=3032259&pg=personal&fr_id=1630

Tell me what you think and if I should expand more on it or change anything. 

So it Begins

- The Inspiration -

I heard about the AIDS/LifeCycle when I was just a young Starbucks barista in undergrad. My girlfriend, Tara Ross, told me that she was signed up for a ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. On top of that, she had to raise $3,000 to participate! Crazy distance and crazy money...but I was in awe of her goal.

She started taking spin classes at her school to get in the daily training, and went for long rides on her days off. She'd often stress or get antsy about the ride, but she had everyone's support for the event. We knew it was just a matter of time.

Eventually, she did do it. To see the confidence she had when she came back was inspiring. I had never seen her so strong and at ease with herself.

I decided I wanted to do the AIDS/LifeCycle, too!

- Signing Up -

I finally got to a point in my life years later where I had a job that would support such an endeavor. If needed, I could support the fundraising requirement with my own salary. So I decided that 2014 was the year I would finally do the 545-mile ride. 

So on October 4, 2013, I signed my life (and $3,000) away for the ride. 

- Hiccups -

Turns out, I'm not allowed to overtly solicit at work. So I'm going to have to be creative in the way I fundraise.

Tonight's forecast: BRAINSTORMS!

(...speaking of brains...zombie 5k tomorrow morning!)