Two Deadlines met in under two weeks?

I just keep getting blown away by everyone’s love, support, and generosity! As of right now Bike and Build has received $3,165 in donations on my behalf. That means I’m already 70% of the way to my $4,500 goal! In less than two weeks I have gone from having raised $1,050 to my current total, and all of that is just from letter writing. It just makes me want to go make a poster that says free hugs and stand outside…even if it is in the rain. This whole experience has given me the warm fuzzies…I love it!

A new topic of discussion amongst some of the SC2SC riders and myself has been about making a video of our time with Bike & Build. We want to give our donors a way to see exactly where their generous gifts have gone. On that note, I want to know what it is that you want to see. We are planning on plenty of footage of the Blitz Build in Colorado Springs, coverage of the actual riding, and plenty of other experiences all along the way. However, if there is something in particular you want to see…just say something! Please!

As for training, it’s going great! I’m constantly sore and exhausted, but I think that means it’s working, right? This week the goal mileage is to get over 100 in by Saturday. Tuesday we went about 22 at an average of 18.5 mph, Thursday was about 20 with 7 hill repeats and a pretty good sprint on the way home, and Saturday we plan on going a steady 60. Maybe I’ll even mix in a short recovery ride on Sunday! Also, I can definitely tell that CrossFit has been extremely beneficial on the bike. There’s no way my sprints would be improving so much with out the extra leg strength the lifting has given me. In fact, I doubt I could even keep when we’re just riding out to or back from the sprint road.

Every day seems to make me just a little more anxious. I simply cannot wait to get out there, ride my bike, and build some pretty houses! Only 55 days, 1320 hours, 79228 minutes, or 4753718 seconds to go from right this second!

Cross training is a must

After a few months of preparing for this 4,169 mile trip you figure out what works for you and what doesn’t. For me, cross training is key! I know that after all day pretty much every day on a bike going an average of 65 miles I will eventually become mentally exhausted…probably physically as well. So, I’ve tried to mix it up. I started with CrossFit, but I think my true calling for this program is kickball. Yep. Definitely kickball. 

The journey thus far

I have been stressed all week worrying about whether or not I would reach my $2,000 deadline today or not. I truly didn’t think it was possible, but I’m happy to say I was wrong! In three days I had some amazing people donate very generous amounts and I am now officially at $2050!

There really are no words to express how truly thankful I am for everyone’s support. It’s amazing how people really step up when all you do is ask. This experience has become so much more to me than just Bike and Build. It’s become about seeing the good in people. It’s about how one person can actually make a difference. All you have to do is get off the couch and do something.

Not only am I blown away by my donors, but also by the support I have received from my community. The local newspaper,The Commercial Appeal, is going to write a story about Bike and Build in the My Life section (Cordova, Bartlett, Millington, and DeSoto County section) AND the I Love Memphis blog has also agreed to feature me in the “Meet a Memphian” section!

Also, the people who have been helping me to physically prepare have just been awesome! Michelle Kinney has been working my butt off and I’ve already started to see results in my riding. Then, you have Bill Fredrick and Karen Malogorski, two of my biggest supporters and the two best training partners I could ask for! They are constantly pushing me to get better…even if they have to lie to me to get me to do that 54 miles on a Saturday ride (I forgive you Bill). Also, they have been making sure I’m well taken care of and prepared. Karen is a co-owner of Bikes Plus and there is no way I could do any of this without all of her help.

Therefore, “Ride your bike”! And if you don’t have one, perfect! Go buy one from Karen at Bikes Plus….they are truly awesome over there! Everyone there has been extremely supportive of what I’m doing. It just blows me away how willing they are to help!

Lastly, I have been working on figuring out different ways to let people follow along my ride. I had a friend suggest getting a Spot Tracker, but if anyone knows of a better idea let me know! I would love to let everyone get to virtually join me on my adventure!