Thank You!

As I mentioned previously I wasn't sure what to expect when I sent out my request for help. Well, my high school teacher taught me never, ever to use the phrase, "needless to say" ("If something is needless to say," she opined, "then why say it?"), but I'm going to eschew that advice and say that needless to say, I've got some amazing family members and friends. The outpouring of support has been truly inspiring. I got my first donation within 10 minutes of sending out my plea for help. That was a rush. Then the next day I received several more donations. I'm moved by the support I've received so far. Several of you have sent me emails mentioning people you know who are battling cancer. You and the people you care about are among the thoughts that run through my mind as I pedal toward my goal. Your support means a lot to me and I'm as motivated as ever to make this my most important century ride ever. Thank you again!

Funds raised so far: $1,675
Funds left to go: $1,325

On Track (for now)

I commuted to work yesterday (13.5 miles round trip) and participated in my bike club's weekly training ride this evening and for the first time since I started this venture I'm finally above the 500 mile pace mark. This is good news, but trouble looms... We're leaving Friday for a 4-day camping trip, which means 0 miles for those days. I need to ride 72 miles in the next two days to not leave myself in a mileage hole when we return. I don't think I've got 72 miles in me the next two days, particularly considering that I've now ridden 5 straight days to finally get on track. Next week will be another challenge for me to get back on track. The good news here is that I'm feeling in better shape than I've been in for quite a while.



Mileage so far: 120.5
Projected mileage: 508 (yes!)
Days left: 32

Weekend Wrap-up

On Friday things weren't looking too good for my mileage goal. Even after riding that day I was still on pace to make only half of my target miles. Two weekend rides that resulted in a couple of sun-burned arms* have positioned me closer to where I need to be. I'm still not there yet and I'm going camping next weekend (no riding) so it's still going to take some hard work to get fully on track. The daily projected mileage graph is trending in the right direction, however:


* I forgot to use sunscreen on Saturday but I lathered up on Sunday.

Mileage so far: 86.5
Projected mileage: 454
Days left: 34

Inspiration

With over 10 million Americans battling cancer the chances are pretty good that you know someone who is currently fighting cancer or has fought cancer in the past. I lost my Uncle Bob to cancer several years ago. Bob was one of the biggest-hearted people you could possibly meet. He lived in Wisconsin so I didn't get to see him that often but I remember our visits to the dairy state when I was a kid and young adult. Bob always had time for the nieces and nephews and taught me a lot of things that kids growing up in California may not be familiar with.

Another person whose fight against cancer has inspired me is David, a 12-year old San Jose kid who was on the robotics team I coached in 2006. David is a real trouper with an indomitable spirit that is truly inspiring. His determination and drive to be just like the other kids, while undergoing fairly aggressive chemo treatments, is something I think about sometimes when the going gets tough.

Two other people I never met but who have provided more inspiration for me are Jimmy Valvano and Randy Pausch. In 1993 Jimmy V, as he is often called, gave a moving speech at the ESPY awards. In this speech he said that everyone should strive to do three things every day:

• Laugh
• Think
• Cry ("have your emotions moved to tears")
  

"If you laugh, you think and you cry, that's a full day, that's a heck of a day," he said. The first two items on that list are easy. If you need any assistance with the third item then I recommend watching his 10 minute speech on YouTube. His cancer foundation's motto is: "Don't give up. Don't ever give up." Words to live by.

Randy Pausch is someone you may have heard about already. His Last Lecture video and book became internet sensations a few months ago, and for good reason. I first encountered his work when I downloaded Alice, a programming environment for kids that I was interested in as way to help my kids and robotics team members learn to program in a fun and engaging environment. Randy's group at Carnegie Mellon University was responsible for this great programming tool. More recently, however, Randy was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and he's chosen to spend his remaining days helping others achieve their childhood dreams through his words of wisdom. This 11 minute video from his Oprah appearance provides a short but inspiring glimpse of this amazing person. I've also read his Last Lecture book and highly recommend it. You can also follow Randy's journey on his personal information page.

If there is somebody you would like me to honor during my ride, please let me know. I will display a list of all honorees during my ride. I haven't figured out exactly how I'm going to do this yet, but the actual form of the list will depend on the number of names on it.

Fundraising

The LIVESTRONG Challenge is a benefit ride (or run) and requires participants to raise money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. This is my first event of this type so I've never been on this side of the fundraising process. I'm not really sure what to expect but I set a personal goal of $3,000. I'm already a week into my training so that leaves only 5 weeks to go. Can I raise $600 per week, nearly $100 per day? We'll have to see. If you want to help you can go to my LIVESTRONG Challenge page:

Steve's LIVESTRONG Challenge Page

If your employer has a matching gift program then you will need to provide the following information for your matching gift to count towards my goal:

• Participant's name: Steve Dakin
• Challenge City: San Jose
• Participant ID: 223528977

The LIVESTRONG Challenge site has more information about the matching gift process. It can take several weeks for matching gifts to be applied to my account so if you are planning to take advantage of this please do so as early as possible. If you need any assistance with matching gifts just let me know and I'll be happy to do the paperwork for you.

Thank you!

Funds left to raise: $3,000
Days left: 35

Nobody Said It Would Be Easy

I said my project was wrapping up, but that doesn't mean I'm off the hook yet. I was pressed for time again this week so I found myself driving to work to save some extra time. Here it is Friday and I haven't ridden the bike since Sunday. Not a good omen. I decided to work from home so I could take a break in the afternoon for a repeat of Sunday's ride. Aside from a bee flying into my helmet, it was an uneventful ride. I saw the bugger heading for my head and I knew it was going to be a close call. I heard a slight thwack! on the side of my helmet and I wondered if he had managed to avoid the gaping vents on the side and top of my helmet. I reached up tentatively and heard him buzz like crazy. Oh-oh. Thankfully I learned to ride with no hands long ago so I sat up, removed my helmet, brushed out my hair and thanked my lucky stars that I didn't get stung.

Here's a chart that shows how this week affected my projected miles:


I've got a long ways to go...

Mileage so far: 37
Projected mileage: 259
Days left: 36

First Ride

I dusted off the cobwebs (metaphorically speaking) and took the bike out for an easy spin. I did my ol' standby, an 18.5 mile loop that comprises three medium sized hills. These hills are enough to get your heart rate up but not enough to bust your knees, a wise choice considering how long I've been off the bike.

Being a Sunday I was able to stop at the farmer's market on the way home and pick up some peaches. Nothing quite like peaches, I say. I picked out two nice looking ones and handed them to the woman behind the scale. She weighed them and announced the price as $1.50. I handed her $2 and told her to keep the change. She said, "Then you can grab another one." I saved $0.25 cents on that third peach! Sometimes it's the little things in life that really perk me up.

Total mileage so far: 18.5
Projected mileage at this rate: 777 (yeah, right!)
Days left: 41