Greetings from afar,
Since my last update, I've been to Mexico, Atlanta, and I'm sending this update from Las Vegas. Only one trip, Mexico was for pleasure. It's been nearly a month since my last update, so there's a lot to cover. Of course, I'm still raising money to fight Leukemia and Lymphoma. If you're interested in joining me in this fight - that is by sponsoring me - please go to my fundraising site at http://www.active.com/donate/tntgsf/steveasche
Traveling and Training Don't Mix
So I was in Mexico for a week. My wife, Sherri, and I spent a week in Cabo San Lucas. Fortunately they offered spinning classes at the resort where we were staying. Spinning is an interesting exercise experience. If you've never taken a spinning class, you should try it out. You get to spend an hour on a fancy stationary bike while a super-fit instructor yells at the class to put more resistance on the bike and pedal faster. The objective of the instructor is to get you as close as possible to puking. People actually pay for this experience!
I told the instructor that I was training for the Death Ride - or in Spanish the "paseo de la muerte". He said if I wanted a real death ride, I should try riding the streets of Mexico. Apparently it's every vehicle and pedestrian for themselves. I saw a total of three cylists in the week we were there. All the other people were apparently smarter than these three. But that's generally the opinion of most motorists of cyclists.
When I got back from Mexico I did a couple rides to get back into the swing of things. Burritos and margaritas are not ideal training foods. The first few rides were quite miserable. It's been reported that Lance Armstrong used to weigh all his food to make sure he did not eat too much. It's amazing how a few extra burritos can add extra pounds.
A donation! A donation! My office for a donation!
Unlike Richard III who did not actually give up his kingdom for a horse, I gave up my office at work for a fundraising sponsorship. Here's the background. We have a shortage of offices with doors where I work. Besides my boss, I was the only employee in our department that had an office. We were hiring a new director of communications who needed a space where he could have confidential communications. So my boss came to me and asked if I'd be willing to give up my office. I said that I would, but that I noticed that neither he nor the incoming director had sponsored my fundraising yet. I said that I was counting on them to "do the right thing." Well I was expecting a nominal donation. I was blown away when my boss popped for a $1000 donation. I thanked him for the generous donation, and he said he was glad to do it. He also reminded me that $1000 means another 1000 training miles. And just when I thought I was catching up.
Since the office for sponsorship deal worked so well, I'm considering other goods and services I can offer in exchange for donations. Here are some of the items I'm willing to exchange for donations - my parking space, the opportunity to rename my cat, an autographed picture of me on a particularly grueling road, a package of power gel (so you can experience what cyclists eat), my old bike shorts (actually worn by me). If you want to sponsor me in exchange for any of these fabulous items, then I'll count on you to "do the right thing." http://www.active.com/donate/tntgsf/steveasche
The Miles Keep Adding Up
I was doing so well. I had the mileage goal in easy striking distance. Currently I have trained 1546 miles and have raised $3291. I'm not complaining about the donation, but this is turning into a difficult task. I'm holding to my promise though. I've been riding over 200 miles a week. I'm going to try and get it up to 300 miles per week. That will help immensely. Over the next three weeks I expect to climb over 45,000 feet and log 500 miles.
Stay tuned. The rides just keep getting more difficult. Thanks for your support.
Steve
Since my last update, I've been to Mexico, Atlanta, and I'm sending this update from Las Vegas. Only one trip, Mexico was for pleasure. It's been nearly a month since my last update, so there's a lot to cover. Of course, I'm still raising money to fight Leukemia and Lymphoma. If you're interested in joining me in this fight - that is by sponsoring me - please go to my fundraising site at http://www.active.com/donate/tntgsf/steveasche
Traveling and Training Don't Mix
So I was in Mexico for a week. My wife, Sherri, and I spent a week in Cabo San Lucas. Fortunately they offered spinning classes at the resort where we were staying. Spinning is an interesting exercise experience. If you've never taken a spinning class, you should try it out. You get to spend an hour on a fancy stationary bike while a super-fit instructor yells at the class to put more resistance on the bike and pedal faster. The objective of the instructor is to get you as close as possible to puking. People actually pay for this experience!
I told the instructor that I was training for the Death Ride - or in Spanish the "paseo de la muerte". He said if I wanted a real death ride, I should try riding the streets of Mexico. Apparently it's every vehicle and pedestrian for themselves. I saw a total of three cylists in the week we were there. All the other people were apparently smarter than these three. But that's generally the opinion of most motorists of cyclists.
When I got back from Mexico I did a couple rides to get back into the swing of things. Burritos and margaritas are not ideal training foods. The first few rides were quite miserable. It's been reported that Lance Armstrong used to weigh all his food to make sure he did not eat too much. It's amazing how a few extra burritos can add extra pounds.
A donation! A donation! My office for a donation!
Unlike Richard III who did not actually give up his kingdom for a horse, I gave up my office at work for a fundraising sponsorship. Here's the background. We have a shortage of offices with doors where I work. Besides my boss, I was the only employee in our department that had an office. We were hiring a new director of communications who needed a space where he could have confidential communications. So my boss came to me and asked if I'd be willing to give up my office. I said that I would, but that I noticed that neither he nor the incoming director had sponsored my fundraising yet. I said that I was counting on them to "do the right thing." Well I was expecting a nominal donation. I was blown away when my boss popped for a $1000 donation. I thanked him for the generous donation, and he said he was glad to do it. He also reminded me that $1000 means another 1000 training miles. And just when I thought I was catching up.
Since the office for sponsorship deal worked so well, I'm considering other goods and services I can offer in exchange for donations. Here are some of the items I'm willing to exchange for donations - my parking space, the opportunity to rename my cat, an autographed picture of me on a particularly grueling road, a package of power gel (so you can experience what cyclists eat), my old bike shorts (actually worn by me). If you want to sponsor me in exchange for any of these fabulous items, then I'll count on you to "do the right thing." http://www.active.com/donate/tntgsf/steveasche
The Miles Keep Adding Up
I was doing so well. I had the mileage goal in easy striking distance. Currently I have trained 1546 miles and have raised $3291. I'm not complaining about the donation, but this is turning into a difficult task. I'm holding to my promise though. I've been riding over 200 miles a week. I'm going to try and get it up to 300 miles per week. That will help immensely. Over the next three weeks I expect to climb over 45,000 feet and log 500 miles.
Stay tuned. The rides just keep getting more difficult. Thanks for your support.
Steve
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