ALERT ALERT: I have recently pressed up my fundraising goal to $4566. It may be a random number to you, but to me it is very important: the 2014 route takes us through 13 states and 4,566 miles. I'm hopeful that having raised a dollar per mile will give me the strength to continue pushing through those days when the heat makes me feel sluggish, those miles that feel longer than just one, and those muscle aches that make me want to stop pedaling.I'm super excited to make this goal! If you'd have asked me in November if I thought I'd be aiming a thousand dollars over my initial pledge, I'd probably have choked on my diet coke. Actually if you'd have asked me a year ago if I thought I was ready to bike across the country, I'd be laughing and diet coke would be running out of my nose. It's funny how time changes things, no? (Except for the diet coke addiction. That's still the same.)Okay, so enough about that. Let's shift gears a bit (ha ha bike pun, @Kevin Daliva that was for you). This past week and weekend have been pretty trying for me. For those of you who don't know, I've been struggling to ride my bike without shoulder pain; this means my bike time has been extremely low lately. Throughout this stuff, I'm teaching myself the importance of keeping perspective, and I'm learning how my emotional strength naturally ebbs and flows. When I wake up first thing in the morning, I feel invincible. And then as the day goes on and stress creeps in, my perspective clouds up and sends me down a bit. But recognizing this pattern has allowed me to manage it; so much can be different by changing how you consider a situation.I4K is one of the greatest things that I have done this year because it has taught me everything about perspective. There's something about being part of this organization that gives us all a rosy glow in our cheeks, I swear it. Never in my life have I been so consistently surrounded by good vibes, warm spirits. You guys, this organization rules so hard. It is full of such enthusiastic, powerful, beautiful people. My teammates and my Board of Directors are so admirable; they are smart and positive and altruistic and caring and cool. They know to be strong when it's hard, and they support me in the most perfect ways when I need it. They are full of light and passion. They glow. I feel so proud to be part of this organization and this group of people. We started this journey so many months ago, and now we're 16 days from departure. My time so far has taught me so much, and it only gets better from here.
Trial Run
92 miles. That was a long way to ride. Yet here we are, sore, exhausted, and content, in Fairmount, IL, at Faith Church. We are together and as we gather round in this cozy gymnasium, the reality is sinking in for many of us concerning the magnitude of the coming journey. This weekend has been such an exciting time for us all! It is a trial run stayover, and we find ourselves alone as a team at last, the 20 riders who are mad enough to bike across the country this summer. The magic which began at our first team meeting back in October has been working to build a team throughout this school year. We’re already best friends, and it’s awesome! We have great expectations for the days to come. The summer rapidly approaches… 19 days from now we board a train bound for New York City.On today’s ride out of Champaign, we biked through Kickapoo State Park again (last weekend’s ride), and into Indiana! We saw a number of beautiful things along the way, from swans and apple orchards to rolling hills and crops sprouting. As we conquered mile after mile together in small groups, we faced the good and the bad. After many miles flying east with a powerful tailwind, we experienced pay-back time… which is when we had to rely upon one another the most. Drafting, for you non-cyclists out there, is where riders follow each other very closely so that the person in the front (pulling) blocks the wind for everyone else, doing significantly more work.When we rolled into tonight’s stayover, we learned our chore partners. Essentially, tasks are distributed among riders each night and morning, such as cooking, dishes, policing, van packing, and waking everyone up. We cooked our first meal as a team: spaghetti, lentils, and pasta sauce. Afterwards, we got ice cream at Casey’s. A quick 30-mile ride is ahead of us in the morning! The next few weeks we’ll continue our training as the riders are swept through a whirlwind of final exams, final projects, and many people graduating. The end… or just the beginning?
It's 90% attitude
We're just 24 short days away from departure, and things are pretty exciting here in Champaign-Urbana. Trainings have been speeding by. We're practicing how to be safe cyclists, we're seeing so many parts of the region, and we're learning to call out when there's a hole or stick or parked car or territorial dog to be aware of. Last Saturday we rode a total of 60 miles to and from Allerton Park. I had to stop after about 40 miles because I was having sharp piercing pains in my back - specifically the space between my spine and right shoulder blade, which I learned is the rhomboid muscle and/or lower traps (#themoreyouknow). After visiting two physical therapists, it was concluded that I need therapy for these weeks leading into our departure...and that I should lay low for a while until I get going with correcting exercises. This past week and weekend the team rode 25 miles in a Champaign loop and 75 miles to and from Kickapoo State Park... without me.To say I was disappointed is an understatement. Rather than taking the roads around central IL, my past week was chock full of foam rolling exercises and really lacking in bike time. I spent some time moping around, laying in bed feeling sad for what happened. But then I came to a turning point. (HERE'S WHERE IT GETS POSITIVE. HANG IN THERE, DEAR READER.) My turning point was all about perspective. Sure, my shoulder precludes me from riding my bike because of the position of my handlebars and the strain on my back. But my legs work - I can run. And you bet I have been! Sure, I can't ride my bike right now. But I can look at it all day long and dream about when I'll be riding again. And you bet I have been. It's true what they say - life is 10% what happens and 90% how you react.Cancer affects people all over the world, and so many of those affected say it's all about your attitude. Diagnoses don't change, but attitudes do. Our Portrait on Debbie Richardson touches just that. Debbie is from Wheeling, West Virginia, and the 2012 Bike America team interviewed her about her diagnoses with breast cancer and thyroid cancer."But I do think your attitude, your outlook on things, has a tremendous effect on your recovery. I think it’s so easy to feel bad for yourself, but you have to look beyond that."Perspective is a powerful thing.
The Road, Not a Novel by Cormac McCarthy
One month from today at this time I'll be in New York City. I'll probably be getting off my bicycle or sitting in a church in North Brunswick, New Jersey wondering what the heck I got myself into. "What the heck have I gotten myself into" has essentially been my mantra as of late and tonight I'm dwelling on it a little more than usual. Mostly because I'm running my first marathon at 7am. In less than twelve hours. I should really go to bed.But I'm not in bed. I'm sitting here thinking about what I got myself into. I got myself into a 26.2 mile road race. Since I've been training for Illini 4000 in conjunction with marathon training I also think I got myself into a pretty serious relationship with the road. To be perfectly honest, I've probably spent nearly as many hours out on a road as in the library over the course of this semester. Roads are pretty complex things. They can act as a symbol of a journey whose road you travel down, they can be the turn you take to get to the grocery store, or they can simply be a slab of concrete stretched infinitely out in front of you. Illini 4000 and marathoning both encompass all three of these definitions which is pretty cool, but its also a little overwhelming to think about how heavily tomorrow, the next four months, and probably the rest of my life depend on some bits of concrete. Especially when you take into consideration the fun fact that I changed majors almost solely to avoid taking a class called "Concrete I" (This might be a slight exaggeration. Might.).I've spent a lot of time preparing for roads. I'll be living on the them this summer, both literally and figuratively as I travel with my I4K family. I'll push myself as far as my body has ever gone tomorrow on them. I can't wait for the winding roads this summer, but at the moment I'm quite preoccupied with the flat tarmacs of Champaign-Urbana. I keep thinking about all the things I'm going to leave on the road. The usual sweat, spit, snot (running is gross), and probably some blood. Most likely a few tears. Definitely some sanity. Probably some self respect. Giving all these things to something that on the most basic level is some ground up rocks mixed with water and set out to dry. And on this same level, all I'm going to get back is some joint and muscle pain. But, like I mentioned before, roads are complex and unpredictable. Between the intense pain and euphoric sense of accomplishment that comes with long distance anything is the most insane spectrum of immortal fearlessness and true terror. These things come from the road. The ability to handle uncertainty, fright, and excitement with the ignorant grace of having absolutely zero idea of what's coming next. This comes from the road. The ability to literally struggle harder and farther than you ever have before. Again, from the road. The knowledge that your relationship with the road is just that: a relationship. Two things working together. After a point it isn't about speed, or time, or other people. You're a thing and its just you and the road. You're going your distance and I'm going mine and we might be here together but we're on different roads.To make a long story short, roads are important to me. I want to get one tattooed on my leg (sorry to drop that bomb here, mom and dad). And even if you don't enjoy cycling or running, I hope you can understand why running marathons or biking across the country is so important. There's a reason we choose to raise money for cancer and cycle, and to me, it has a lot to do with the road.And now here's some food for thought that relates to my own personal relationship with the road. I guarantee I'll be thinking about it a lot tomorrow somewhere around mile 22.
"Nobody wants to be here and nobody wants to leave." -Cormac McCarthy, The Road
Why I ride?
Why I ride?
It is such a simple question, but one to which I seem the answers to be never ending. Distilling it to the purest form, I ride to fight for everything I hold dear and can be summed up in two simple four letter words: HOPE and LOVE. I ride to support hope (through raising awareness and fundraising for new research efforts) that someday that the diagnosis and successful treatment of cancer will be common day practice and the pain and heartache that it caused will be fleeting distant memory something that we only read in history books. I ride to bring hope to close family members and friends that are currently battling (or have battled) this terrible disease, so that they know that they are not alone, we are all connected and that only together we can provide the needed support to weather the storm. I ride to bring hope and love to those that have lost their way and save precious friendships that are priceless. I fight to restore my hope in humanity, because a world in which noble pursuits, commitments, and selfless acts of kindness and compassion are not done is a world that I cannot fathom to live in. Lastly, I ride to better myself to always remember what is truly important in life and to never lose sight of it.
What People Do: a documentary
The full length video documentary of What People Do: a documentary (following the summer 2007 Illini 4000 ride) has just been made freely available for streaming and can be seen at the following website:http://filmsthatmove.com/movie/index.htmlSpecial thanks to Films That Move, Zachary Herrmann, and Jeffery Ginger for helping to share the amazing, inspiring, heartfelt story of the Illini 4000 journey with the world; words cannot truly express my gratitude.
Persevere
Outdoor training is in full-swing. So is outdoor raining. I wish that were as funny as it sounds, but honestly the rain has resulted in some miserable, very difficult situations. Yet we persevere. Lately, the definition of “Monday” has been: cold and rainy. Fortunately, I have survived. And from finishing difficult rides, I feel greater confidence in our team’s ability to complete the great journey ahead of us this summer. Allow me to elaborate. By cold and rainy, I mean 40-degree droplets of water pelting Phoenix and I for longer than 2 hours. (For those of you who forgot, Phoenix is my lovely bicycle.)I have a condition called Reynaud’s Condition, which means whenever I am stressed or cold, my blood vessels decide to constrict and stop allowing blood to flow to my extremities (fingers and toes). During the ride several weeks ago, I lost circulation in 9 of 10 toes, and failed to have any sensation below mid-calf. Towards the end of the ride, it was taking a very long time for me to clip in because of this. Yet I know these experiences were not the most difficult things I will have to accomplish on a bike. There will be difficult days. And such days magnify the important things.What is 20 miles in the rain? What is a mountain range or a relentless wind? How can I possibly compare an hour of my so-called “agony” to the suffering which cancer brings? Struggling through the harder moments of training, I must broaden my vision and open my eyes to the pain. I must recall my purpose here as a rider on the Illini 4000 team. As the bigger picture comes back into focus, I miraculously find strength to carry on the next few miles. We will persevere as a team.Alright, that’s enough fluffy stuff. There is so much that I want to talk about in this blog post, yet I don’t totally want to bore you. Beside rain and some chilly days, we’ve also had some extraordinarily beautiful days, which we’ve put to use to ride farther than ever before. Last Friday, I rode 60 miles to Allerton Park and back with Walder, and it was great to get out for such a long distance ride. Now do that 70 days in a row and you have the I4K trip. It’s becoming more real. Next time I blog, I’ll hopefully talk about non-bikey things. Have a great week!!
Final Days & First Rides
26 Days until Graduation.32 Days until I hop on a train to New York City.I've had this discussion with a bunch of people on the team, and basically because of I4k, it doesn't quite feel like I'm graduating.What makes our final days on campus so strange is that we pass through a series of "Lasts."It's easy to pinpoint some of these moments."This is the last class I'll ever attend.""This is the last presentation I'll ever give for class.""This is my last Thursday night on campus."But other "Lasts" are harder to recognize."Was that the last time I'll see that professor?""Is this the last time me and my friends will all be in one place?""Is this my last time grabbing food at Torticas?!"Whether I'm talking with my roommates or just lying on my bed listening to my "Graduation" playlist on Spotify, it's interesting to think about how the lives we've known for the past four years are going to be radically different after graduation.But like I said, I4k has been pretty successful in taking my mind off of all this graduation nonsense. What's exciting is that I4k is a challenge and with that challenge comes a series of "Firsts."Here's a quick dozen of them:- My first bike ride.- My first time clipping in.- My first fall because I forgot to unclip.- My first crash with teenage hooligans.- My first training ride.- My first time using callouts.- My first time riding in the rain.- My first time trying to figure out what callout to use for a dead deer on the side of the road.- My first time cramping up and literally sitting on the side of the road.- My first time riding with no hands.- My first 60 mile ride.- My first I4tanlines.And honestly, each of these "Firsts" gets more exciting than the last.So yeah. Maybe I am graduating in 26 days. But in 32 days I'm starting a completely new adventure. And sure, maybe it's my last month to live it up on these old stomping grounds, but isn't it about time to leave my mark somewhere else?I'm ready. #LeggoAs a bonus, here's a snippet from our training ride on Saturday:Kathleen: Remember when we said the craziest thing we would ever do is "skydive?"Kevin: Yeah.Kathleen: Remember when we're biking across the country this summer?Kevin: LOL
Welcome to Camp I4K
Back at a desk. Back at work. Back at school. Back in class. No matter where you are, you’re probably not on Spring Break right now, but wishing you were. That said, it’s already Wednesday and sooner or later, once we get lost in the shuffle that is the post-Spring Break sprint to the finish, Spring Break will just seem like a distant memory. We’ll look at pictures and think to ourselves, “Wow, did that actually happen?”I always liken these brief, intense periods in our lives to camp. The idea of camp is that there is a definite distinction between the “inside world" and the “outside world." “Inside” can refer to any number of places: a vacation abroad, a school trip, or an actual summer camp. “Outside” is simply anywhere that is not “inside.” That is, “outside” simply refers to the “real world” we left for camp. We forget all about our jobs, our responsibilities, our schoolwork, and just learn to just enjoy life at camp.Camp is interesting because in these insular societies everything seems a bit more intense. In my life I’ve been at speech camps, band camps, yearbook camps. I’ve taken trips to the Philippines, China, and to countless other destinations. But it looks like my biggest camp experience will be this summer. Illini 4000 consists of 72 days with 20 people that are constantly exhausted. It really sounds more like a season of Survivor than camp.At camp, everything seems a bit more intense. Everything on these trips happens so fast and much more dramatically than in the real world. If you’ve ever seen the show “Bug Juice,” you know that camp drama was more explosive and that camp romance was the most important thing in the world. And then, before you know it, camp’s over. Everyone goes their separate ways. Everyone says that you’ll all be best friends forever, but slowly, you lose contact with people and soon it’s like camp never happened at all.But even if there are these moments that seem fleeting and temporary, the beauty of camp is what you take away from it. After speech camp, I came home with an award-winning speech, and I met the person would eventually become my freshman year college roommate. At band camp, we learned drill that we worked all season to perform, and made countless inside jokes that only a handful of dehydrated/nerdy high schoolers could make. And after this spring break, I’m exhausted, a bit more tan, and have enough pictures and memories to #TBT for the next few years.Camp is important because we find out who we are when we don't have to worry about anything else. We meet new people, make new friends, and together we get out of our comfort zone and grow.Illini 4000 is a unique camp experience. It allows us to leave camp with new (and super fit) friends, fresh tanlines, and an amazingly unique opportunity to make a huge impact on the fight against cancer. And yeah, a year or two from now or maybe someday when I’m telling my kids about the ride, I’ll think to myself, “Did I really do this? Did I really bike across the country?” But I’m optimistic that I’ll make friends for a lifetime and that the impact we make will be felt for a long time in the future.
Missing My Bike During Break
People tell me I am obsessed with my bike. It may be true, but come on, I've been waiting for this day for 3 years. Ever since I rode my Dad's 1981 Trek with crank shifters and a rattling cage on the back wheel in my first triathlon, I've been begging him for a new bike. It was kind of fun when I would pass a $7000 bike in a race on my rattling piece of junk, but I was very rarely the one doing the passing. Now after 1095 days of waiting, I finally have a bike I can call my own, and she's a beauty. So if I post 7 pictures on Facebook, and lock her up with 3 different "kryptonite" locks inside of my room, who can really blame me? Originally I had her just standing behind the couch in my room, but for 3 days in a row I sat in Physics 213 texting my roommate back and forth, paranoid that one of us forgot to lock our door. So on the fourth day, I went to the campus lock store and bought a bike chain. Unfortunately, the only thing to lock a bike to in my room is the bed, which is on the opposite side of the room. So we have a cable around the bike, which is locked to another cable, which stretches all the way to the bed and locks to the frame. Maybe this is overkill, but it's justified after 156 weeks of anticipation. The only problem is, I can't get homework done in my room anymore, because I just love to look at her.
Portraits Gala
Part of the mission of the Illini 4000 is to document the American cancer experience, which we accomplish through our work with the Portraits Project. As part of the Portraits Project, we interview all sorts of people we meet while cycling across the country who have had some sort of experience with cancer, be they survivors, patients, doctors, caregivers, friends, family, or any other sort of connection they may have. These interviews are then processed and presented on the Portraits Project website (currently under construction) or presented in an art-gallery setting in locations around campus or elsewhere.On Sunday April 6th, the Portraits Project will be holding a Spring Gala, featuring a number of the portraits collected over the years as well as a brunch for all attendees. It will be held at the Levis Center (919 W. Illinois St, Urbana IL) from 11-1pm. Tickets are 20 dollars, and be purchased by donating through the PayPal button on THIS page.We hope to see you there!
Waiting for the Sun
First, please listen to this song on repeat while you're reading this blog post.Great! Now that that's set, please prepare yourself for the cheesiness that will somehow come full circle to the include the title of this post. If you've read either of my previous posts you know what I'm talking about. I refuse to acknowledge how tacky it is. Sorry. Also sorry if you're half a minute through that song and you've realized how much you dislike psychedelic rock. But I'm not really sorry because The Doors are great and we should both listen to them more often. Anyway...Spring break! We made it! And no matter where in America you're reading this from you'll probably agree when I say that this winter has been the longest and coldest I can remember. I'm sad to admit that between school, some traveling, and the nasty weather I've only been out on my bike for one real ride (which Christy talks about here!) this semester. However, regardless of what the weather is or will be, that's all about to change. Outdoor training rides begin in only 10 days. This is beyond exciting because, since we're already well on our way with fundraising and gear shopping, its essentially the last hurdle we have to jump over as a team before we actually leave for the ride.Before we actually leave for the ride. Wow. I can't believe how close that time actually is! It seriously feels like yesterday I was impatiently waiting to hear back from the Illini 4000 on whether or not I had been accepted to the 2014 Trek Bike America Team. Now, a blink of an eye later, we're all here. We're standing with our bikes feeling self conscious in our spandex outfits. It's been cold out, but the weather is starting to turn. We're unsure of what the future will hold and have no idea what we're going to learn, but we've been told and we think we agree that its important. So the time has finally come, and in 10 days you'll be able to find us loitering in a parking lot waiting for the sun.
Fundraising with an assistant
Inaugural blog post starting in 3...2...1...Hello! Welcome to my little corner of the Illini 4000 online presence! Yes, this will be very hokey, and yes, there will be many exclamation marks... but who can blame me!? I'm doing the craziest, coolest thing this summer and yes. I'm pretty jazzed about it.Since I joined I4K on October 18, it has been quite a ride. This spring, fundraising has become my part-time job. Alongside my actual part-time job, it's made for quite a busy semester! It's pretty crazy how gradually investing more time and money into something makes it become gradually more real. I can actually see myself doing it now, whereas before it was like ehhhhhh-but-its-so-scary-and-doesn't-feel-real-its-so-far-away sort of feelings. And I have my bike now! I put a picture down below on my porch in Urbana. More to come, of course.So yesterday I found out my grandma has an elevator speech for my trip. She even has the number of days memorized - 72! I'm at home for U of I's spring break this week and yesterday I spent all day with my grandma, Meme, and my mom. By chance, we ran into some family at a restaurant in the afternoon and Meme took off on her speech, rattling off the information like it was something she's said 10,000 times before. Because at this point, she totally has. I know she's telling everyone she meets about her granddaughter and this ride. And she's the type of person that makes friends at the makeup counter so there are probably some cosmeticians at Nordstrom that know what I'm doing too. So anyway we were sitting down at lunch and she interrupts our conversation to get on the phone to call her friends about it. She's a total hoot. She has commissioned herself as my assistant fundraiser - and the best one I could have.My family has been so supportive of this endeavor, and I feel so grateful to be sharing this experience with them. My mom has been involved in the whole thing since day 1, asking about bikes and making sure I sent timely thank you notes and even offering to train with me while I'm home. Sadly, Chicago has graced us with a very cold spring break and I'm not sure how much riding time I'll get, but we'll be doing some indoor exercise to make sure I keep on track. 
Crazy
There’s a Steven Curtis Chapman song that keeps popping into my head and the lyrics go like this: And he knows it may look a little strangeBut he just smiles and says "that's okay"Cause you know sometimes love makes you act that wayIt's crazy when love gets a hold of youAnd it's crazy things that love will make you doAnd it's crazy but it's trueYou really don't know love at allUntil it's making you doSomething crazy This team of cyclists-in-the-making is biking from New York City to San Francisco. Sometimes I wonder how hard it will really be. Riding into the wind with Ryan and Alex yesterday on the first half of our 25-mile ride, we thought it was tough. But this is Illinois; this is level ground. I hear all about the Appalachia Mountains, the first major challenge where we’ll realize that all the training in the world cannot prepare you to climb mountains on a bike. During training I always find myself thinking, 70x70. Approximately 70 miles per day for 70 days.7x70 times is the number of times Jesus says we should forgive those who do us harm (Matthew 18:22), thus portraying the kind of unconditional love we are called to bless others with. This kind of love is something I want to always have on my mind, whether I am fundraising, interacting with teammates, or simply telling someone about I4K.During Unofficial weekend, Shiqi and I raised $450 together by selling cookies. One boy I met simply started telling me his life story. He thrust dollar bills into my hand as he listed off the types of cancer his mother had dealt with. Then he started to cry and walked away. I was reminded of how deep the hurts of cancer are. Cancer never goes away because it can bring even the strongest people to a place of brokenness; it takes away so much from our loved ones. As the boy walked away, all I could do was call out “Stay strong! Stay strong for your mom.”Yet despite cancer’s evil infiltration into this world, there is a huge amount of hope to combat it. Last weekend was Relay for Life. I’ve never been to a Relay event before, and the most emotional part was definitely the Luminaria Ceremony. It is a period of walking around the track during which we are asked to remember the survivors, the fighters, and the lost. I prayed the entire time, praising God for sparing my mom, and desperately calling out to Him for my friend’s dad. During Relay, I spent time remembering why I am a part of the crazy organization Illini 4000. I contemplated why I chopped off 9 inches of my hair. That night I donated my hair – it is now quite short! – in order to contribute whatever I can.Whatever it is that I can contribute, I will do in love. I love meeting people who have stories to tell because that’s really what Illini 4000 is about: the cohesive, yet individualistic compilation of stories. People go through crazy experiences and trials and make it out not only with their lives, but as changed people. I use this motivation as a reason to do SOMETHING CRAZY.
This life.
This is one of those times I just need to write.My mind is very busy tonight. Yesterday we had quite an intense training which left my legs shaky and my stomach a little sick. It was tough and it was great. We also had the chance to do a practice Portrait of Connor. It was a good taste of what's to come - it's hard to describe the feeling of listening to a cancer story. Tonight I had a lengthy discussion with friends about history and theories and cultures and religions.Sometimes I just wonder about it all. Day by day we go about life, working hard or staying on the couch or debating and discussing or learning or playing or traveling and exploring. After each sunrise and sunset, each hour and minute of every day, new things can happen, and it's all up to us. What we create and the knowledge we soak in and the people we love and interact with - it's all there each day awaiting us.I don't want to take that for granted. No matter who you are or what successes you've had or what challenges you're facing or how you think your life has been or where it's headed...forget all of that. We've got this one life (that we know of) and it's here and it's today. It's ours for the taking and we should cherish it. If my experiences with cancer have made me realize anything it's that your time is unknown and your life can be unexpected. But just being alive is a gift. No matter the time we're given, it's beautiful. I try not to forget that in the times that I doubt or am fearful or think my life has hit a wall.You may have seen this video as it has been popular the last few days, but I want to share it here. I could quote many of its lines, but I'll quote the last: "You're awake. You're awesome. Live like it."http://www.faithit.com/his-open-letter-babies-first-day-on-earth-pure-poetry-something-for-you-too/P.S. I'm glad you're here.
Final Summer 2015 Info Session
We will be having our final info session for the 2015 Bike America Team this Wednesday, March 19th, at 7pm in English Building 303. Come out to learn more about Illini 4000, the Portraits Project, and how you can fight cancer on two wheels in Summer 2015. The application is open now at illini4000.org/apply and closes on March 30th at 11:59pm.
Crisis redefined
The Oxford Dictionary defines "Crisis" as "A time of intense difficulty, trouble, or danger"Often we cannot control the situation we find ourselves in, but we CAN control how we respond to it. Sometimes is it just as simple gaining new perspective through redefining as a function of its parts. "When written in Chinese, the word 'crisis' is composed of two characters - one represents danger, the other represents opportunity." -- John F. Kennedy
(Specially thanks to Zhenduo Zhu for the translation.)
The First Ride
Today was our first beautiful day of spring (60+ degrees!), which of course meant that it was time to take my new bike out on an inaugural ride! Marissa and I went out for a 22(ish) mile ride south of Champaign-Urbana. She's had her bike since last summer, so she was kind enough to take me out and show me the ropes. She was our navigator and shared a few tips (and an extra pair of bike gloves), all of which was very helpful. The biggest news about my first ride using clipless pedals is that I didn't fall!! Woohoo! Marissa and I really enjoyed the deserted country roads and it was really nice having the time to chat and get to know each other even more.After today's ride I'm really feeling a lot more relaxed about this summer. Knowing that I could ride nearly 25 miles without much difficulty makes me feel so much more relieved about the ride this summer.Prior to today's ride, I had said that I was 70% super excited about the ride and 30% scared beyond belief... now, I'm happy to say that those numbers have definitely shifted. Nonetheless, fear is a good thing. It means you're challenging yourself. And as my mom often reminds me, we must all "Go Fearwards" and go towards the places that scare us!
May the wind be at your back.
Earlier this week, I met up with my sister for lunch. She is my oldest sister, 9 years older to be exact, and this age difference has shown me that sometimes you do become wiser the older you get, while on the other hand, we often share the same struggles and challenges no matter where we are in life.We spent the hour discussing self-motivation and finding the will to push through busy times. It could be a homework assignment, cleaning, taking care of those you love, going to meetings, or a variety of other things. And depending on the point you are in life, you may have to work a lot harder than you thought you even could. It can especially bring you down when you see others around you making it all look easy, and when you know you are capable but for some reason you're having a hard time continuing at full power.As we discussed all of this, I realized this: self-motivation can be an extreme struggle (which I understand because of all of my procrastination), but even when that may be happening, we are never without a team.Last week, I went to a midweek training in which, as usual, we had to run for about 15 minutes to start the workout. I really, really loath running. However, it is very gradually getting easier. I still struggle though, and have often been at the end of the pack. This time, the director leading the training was running around the track with us, and when I fell behind, he stayed right behind me. I couldn't see him, I couldn't even hear him, but I knew he was there. And even though I wanted to pass out and dump water on my head, I kept going because I didn't want to disappoint him or myself, and because I knew I could do it - just a minute left, just a lap more, just a few more steps. The worst part was each time we passed the water fountain, but I kept going with him behind me.Though that is an example of physical exertion, I think it applies well to self-motivation and the difficult times we can face in life when it feels like so many things are piling on top of our shoulders. To motivate oneself is certainly its own matter, but more often than not, we have people behind us urging us to push on with just their presence and there to be the wind at our backs.For the Illini 4000, it's my team members and directors that encourage me to keep training no matter how hard it gets, and who work with me to fundraise when it seems impossible. At school, it's my friends and peers who struggle through homework with me or who talk with me about all of the challenges and ridiculous schedules that college brings. When it's a personal struggle or fears about going into the real world, I can always count on my family to help me through or to simply be my support.Moral of the story, if you're fighting a sickness, raising a family, trying to survive days at work, preparing for that daunting exam, trying to finish a million things in a matter of hours, or even just wondering what the heck you're doing with your life, remember that there are thousands of others likely with the same problem. Then, think of your support system. No matter who they are or what they may or may not understand or know, I'm sure they'll be willing to be the wind at your back. They'll be your motivation when you can't be it for yourself.
Getting fitted for a suit, okay, but a bike fitting?
I have been fitted for dress suits numerous times, but for a bike? Who knew that these things existed? I guess since I always had just rather generic bikes, it was mostly pick the bike frame that fit you, just adjust the seat height yourself, and you were off biking. Well, I soon found out, a full biking fitting is not quite that simple and should be required for a ride of this magnitude.
I was as fitted by Mr. Jerry Keen at Champaign Cycle and the entire process took about 3hrs.It was quite an involved process which included the following:
- Shoes marked for placement of cleats
- Cleats placed in shoes
- Measurements of saddle width by sitting on a pressure sensitive gel pad
- Measurement of inseam
- Seat height adjustments
- Got on the trainer/bike and started peddling changing gears as he watched my peddling and stroke
- Stopped peddling measured the angle of my knee and increased the seat height to get the angle around 30 degrees
- Peddled some more and the measured the position of my knees over the peddle using a plumb bob was 15mm, pushed the seat forward to get the knees just about a few mm behind peddle
- Back on bike peddled more to check fits
- off of bike, Mr. Keen took off the peddles and added the R.A.D.s (rotational adjustment device) (shown on the pedals in the image above)
- Positioned right foot in the R.A.D and strapped in and hopped over and positioned the left foot and strapped in
- Started peddling again while he looked at the R.A.D.s , peddled faster and then stopped and he make adjustments to my right cleat moving it forward
- Strapped in again and started peddling, finally everything looked correct except that my handle bars which where 44-in and should be 42-in wide due to my shoulder measurements
- Moved the bike to one of the mechanic stations and 1hr later new bar was installed and re-taped and I was out the door with the two wheeled vehicle that I will be riding approximately 75 miles a day for 71 days