I love cycling

Yup, I love cycling. Today I made it outside on my good bike for the first time in about a week. It was fabulous. I went for almost 3 hours on the trails, with my ipod in, I just loved everything about it... I hope this is how the summer will be! Fun, beautiful sights, nice weather, and relaxing.

Oh, the gym.

I sadly didn't make it outside again today. After class I drove out to college park to have dinner with a friend from undergrad which was fun, but the sun was set by the time I went home. So, I'm stuck biking in the gym. The beginning of this week I was super confident in my ability to start this trip, but this week is really hurting me. Good thing there are still 2 more weeks when I don't have class!

Stress...

So, taking this stress management class is turning out to be a great thing for me. Today we had a conference call and I'm getting really worried that a few of my hosts are not yet lined up. More importantly, its the first two nights after we start biking, and would suck for everyone if we have to camp. I have MANY phone calls to make this week which is difficult when I'm in class 9-5. Today I went for a short bike ride because there was just not enough time to do anything else. Hopefully tomorrow will be a day when people answer the phone, and I can get outside and enjoy the sunshine :)

Thanks to Kevin Smith and Colin Kemper for your donations!

yay $4,000

Wahooooo! I hit the $4,000 mark today :) I'm very excited to know I won't have to pay anything for the trip, but am of course still accepting donations as they are going to a good cause. 

I went for a bike ride today, a very cold and windy one... I'm also heading to the gym to do some cross-training. My good bike is in the shop getting some work done on the handle bars so that they are more comfortable, and so today's ride was on my specialized bike. I noticed the difference of how it felt, and of course in how heavy this bike was. Basically, I'm extremely happy with my choice to upgrade to the Giant Advanced. 

Thanks to Bryon Martinez and Anne Buckley for their donation!

Saturday's Ride

Saturday's ride was cut short by the rain and incoming thunder storms. However that didn't stop me! I brought the bike inside, set it up on the trainer and watched 2 hours of the NCIS marathon while biking in my living room :)

A different kind of ride

Friday morning was my graduation ceremony for my Master's from the University of Maryland. My parents came into town, and the ceremony was lovely. In the afternoon, we headed into DC and my parents took me on a bike tour of DC. We arrived, and got our bikes, helmets and tacky orange vests. I got on the bike and laughed, as it was nothing compared to the bike I normally ride. We went on a tour of the monuments, seeing some lit up at night. Everything was lovely! It was by no means a workout, but it was fun. 

(Thursday was a rest day so there was no need to blog)

Thanks to Cassie Ravo and Abdel Piedramartel for donating :)

65+ ride

Bike and Build says we have to do at least one ride over 65 miles before orientation. Today was my first one! It was low 70's and sunny, which was perfect. I mapped out a nice 65 mile route where I could have lunch by the Annapolis harbor.... however, I got a little lost, making it closer to a 70 mile ride, haha. Even better, when lost I pulled out my iphone for help, and it told me my "location could not be determined", BUT the lady at the gas station was very helpful and directed me correctly. At the end I was gratefully not in too much pain... a bit in my hands and a bit in my back but that's it, which is great news! Afterwards I went to the gym and did some strength training. Let's see how I feel tomorrow, haha. I think I'm pretty much ready for this summer. But, I am going to try and do at least one more long ride in the coming weeks. 

Lots of Donations!

I tend to check my Bike and Build account everyday, but went away last week and didn't check it for 5 days. I happily came back to many new donations. Thanks to all of you :)

Cassie Ravo, Mike Osbourne, Sara Montag, Lindsey Dean, Elyssa Diamond, Kevin Socha, Michael Yestramski, Joey Szynal, Nick Wetzel, Laura Fletcher, Ryan Cohick, Angela Kinney, and Harlyene Goss!!!! I'm now up to $3,860.... so close!

Today I rode the Baltimore and Annapolis Trail. This trail is nice and a bit longer than the BWI loop. However, it's a farther drive to get to, and I have to go during the school day or there are kids everywhere which hurts my average speed!

I made the Habitat website!

I've been volunteering for Chesapeake Habitat for Humanity, here in Baltimore since September. I've met some great people, and had many joyous days there. I joined the Volunteer Engagement Committee back in December. As part of this I got to know some of the staff, and well, they learned a lot about Bike and Build. (I should also mention that I learned about Bike and Build from one of the Americorps at Habitat, Roger Knight, who did my route last summer!) A few weeks ago, I was asked if I would like to be featured on their website?!?!   Here is the link, check it out:   http://www.chesapeakehfh.org/volunteer/meet.php?ID=107

I'm taking a summer class entitled Stress Management. As an assignment we have to implement a 10 day stress management program for ourselves. I'm going to use an exercise and journaling format. Therefore, I will be trying to blog every day for the next 10 days. 

Today I went and rode the BWI loop. This is one of my favorite rides in the area because it is a wide path, fairly quiet and doesn't have too many little kids. 

BBQ Fundraiser

The BBQ didn't go quite as well as I had planned :( But, everyone who came had a good time, and I profited about $60! I'm now up over $3,200 total, and am still counting. 

I biked 298 miles outside in the month of April, let's hope I can do the same or more in May!My total since I started training is up to 760 miles. So, training is going well, but it keeps being interrupted by my going out of town and visiting people now that I'm basically done with grad school.... Which, is totally worth it and I'm trying to get the mileage in regardless of where I am. This coming week, I'll be biking in Chicago!

Thanks to Sharon Heselden and James Dunigan for donating!