Winner #2 - Random Holiday Giveaway

Thank you to those of you who participated in the second holiday giveaway this year. The winner of the second round is:

Congratulations Bike Nut! Drop me an email (endlessvelolove {at} gmail.com) with your mailing info and I'll get the bike light off to you ASAP.

Happy Holidays to all. I hope you're enjoying the season!

A Heart to Heart

First, I just want to say thanks to those of you who have participated thus far in the giveaways. Giveaway #2 is still up and running, so if you'd like a chance to win, please get your responses in soon (You'll have until Monday morning - Dec. 15 - to get your name in the hat pull).

On that note, I have decided to end the giveaways with that second round. There doesn't quite seem to be the interest that there has in the past (and that's completely okay) but I still want to do something with the items I had ready to go. I'm debating what to do, but I'll either donate them to a local bicycle group that can give the items to those less fortunate, or I may store them for a bit and decide what to do after we're through the holidays. Either way, the items will find a way into the hands of someone who will use them and/or enjoy them.

*Image found here

If this blog is still up and functioning, I may simply do one-at-a-time giveaways over the next year. It's difficult to say at this point.

Which brings me to my next point for this post: The blog itself. The last several months I have been debating whether or not to continue the blog. It's not the first time I've questioned why I continue to write here, and if the blog continues to exist, I'm sure it won't be the last, but I have seriously pondered walking away. I have been writing here about bicycles and related topics for the last nearly seven years and it's difficult to think about giving up on it.

I started writing as a way to document my own experiences and to use this platform more as a journal type of spot and it has remained a great location for me to get out my frustrations, ideas, and it has grown into a place to get input from others who may or may not agree with my thoughts.

Right now, I think it's possible that I am clinging to a lost form of communication (It's a bit sad when even blogging seems antiquated). I know that many prefer to get information via Twitter, and while I have an account, I frankly don't use it as much as I should. Twitter is an easy way to get small tidbits of information out without having to sit and think more thoroughly, edit, attach photos, edit the photos as needed, and so on. However, as someone who doesn't sit at a desk a good chunk of the day, it's a bit more challenging to use it regularly.

Even with that, there are so many different ways that people are communicating. Twitter is a big one, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, Google+, and on the list could go. It's challenging to keep up with all of the different possible forms of communication in this day.

I wish that I had the time to be active on all of these sites, but the reality is, it can be challenging to choose even one and remain a valid participant. It is really why I have clung more to blogging over the years. It simply made sense to me to have one location to share ideas and then link to the thought via other outlets on the web. I don't know how valid much of this has been, but it's been a lot of fun for me to get feedback from others and to talk with people via e-mail about various happenings with bicycles in their own lives. I wouldn't trade that for anything.

From the beginning, I never sought out a means to be a superstar blogger. I never worried about how many people were reading or whether or not I hit a list of the web's greatest. I know I'm not the best writer and I have never pretended to be. There are those who have found a way to remain relevant, funny and insightful, and I enjoy reading their blogs (and will continue to do so) as well, regardless of what takes place here.

Perhaps in my passiveness with blogging it has prevented me from remaining of interest to others. It's difficult to say as I know there is an ebb and flow to many things in life.

Much of my motivation with the blog has been simply to share my experiences and to get thoughts from others who may have their own opinions. It can be challenging to continue when I'm not sure I should further spout the thoughts in my head or the things that take place every day on a bike. We all have our own experiences and perhaps this space is simply no longer needed or even a source of information -- or perhaps there are just better places to get the information.

While I could go on about reasons for thinking perhaps it's time to give up the blog, there is no point in further boring anyone who does read here. I suppose I have simply reached a juncture at which I must make a decision whether to continue on in this same manner, to move on to other possibilities, or to give up on any/all of it, and I thought it was only fair to share this with those of you who have remained and/or continue to offer your responses.

If I do choose to continue blogging, I know that posts will be sporadic for quite some time. Our family is preparing for yet another move (It's a local move, but it's time to move out of our rental... and, hopefully, we can stay settled a bit longer this time, as moving is getting quite old). With this impending move comes a substantial amount of renovation which is going to keep us busy for some time. I'm expecting long days of labor for many months, so I am already aware that posts will likely be more sparse than even the norm for this space if the blog continues on.

As always, your thoughts are welcome on any/all of this. Perhaps there is a better way to communicate and I should seek it out, or maybe you think blogs are still relevant? While your ideas may or may not influence my decision, I am always open to opinions so feel free to comment here or even drop me an e-mail if that is more comfortable for you.

Thank you to all who have continued to support my sometimes crazy and more often than not erratic posts, and particularly I am grateful to those who have offered your own thoughts along the way. We will see where this journey takes us, but no matter what I am grateful to have had the opportunity to chat with some really amazing individuals along the way. I will keep you posted! {Ha! No pun intended} :O)

Winner #1 - Random Holiday Giveaway

The winner of the first random holiday giveaway is...

Congratulations, Corny! Please drop me an email at endlessvelolove {at} gmail.com with your full mailing information and I will get your gift off to you as soon as possible. Thanks to those who participated and don't forget to enter giveaway #2!

I look forward to more giveaways this holiday season.

Happy Holiday's Random Giveaway #2 - Anonymous Gifting

Before we get started with giveaway #2, a quick reminder that you have until Wednesday, December 3 @ 1:00pm MST to enter giveaway #1, so go and check that one out too!

The holiday season seems to bring out the best in many people. One of the things I enjoy the most this time of year is hearing or reading stories of inspiration or recollections of a moment when a person went out of his/her way to help out someone in need or to make someones day a little more special. The list of tales is quite long and often I am amazed at humanity and our ability to do the right thing when it is most needed, or simply to bring a smile to someones face without expecting anything in return. Stories of mysterious or anonymous gift-givers appear frequently in December and it truly warms my heart.

Personally, there are a lot of stories that have touched me, but there is one in particular that makes me smile (and tear up a bit) each time I watch it.

I encourage you to watch the video, if you haven't seen it, because it really is one of those instances in which no one was expecting to have exactly what they asked for sitting at their destination.

I cannot think of much that is more rewarding than giving without expecting something in return. Some of my favorite memories involve giving a gift to someone I knew was in need and never revealing who the "mystery Santa" was that provided the gift. It's a great feeling, certainly! I always wish that we could all keep the spirit of giving and generosity alive throughout the year.

For this giveaway, I'd love to hear about a time (or more than one, if you choose) that you gave something to a person in need. Did the person know that you were the gift-giver? What was his/her reaction? If you've never had a memorable gift-giving moment with someone, I encourage you to go out and do so and post your response here. It could be something simple like paying for coffee for the person behind you in line, donating to a local organization, or even offering kindness to someone such as opening a door for a person with his/her hands full. There are really so many opportunities every day that I will leave that up to you to decide.

The gift for this round of giveaways is a MonkeyLectric M204 light set.

If you missed my post (or just want more information) about the MonkeyLectric lights, you can find it here. I have really enjoyed using this light so much already this season, and I'm sure I will continue to. Hopefully, one of you will enjoy your own wheel light set very soon.

All entries for this giveaway must be time/date marked no later than Monday, December 15, 2014 at 10:00am MST. Your reply will serve as the date/time stamp, so please check to make sure your response goes through (There have been some issues with Blogger sending comments into a black hole, never to be seen again). I highly recommend copying your response before clicking the reply button. If you don't see that your "comment will be visible after approval," then it probably didn't go through. I'd prefer to delete duplicates than have someone miss out, so please don't be afraid to send something twice if you're unsure. I will do my best to be quick with approving comments/replies to help facilitate the process as best I can.

The winner will be announced no later than Wednesday, December 17, 2014, so check back here to see if you're the winner.

Happy Holiday's Random Giveaway #1 - Holiday Traditions

Yippee! The first giveaway is ready to go, and I hope you're ready to participate in some of the fun. If you didn't get a chance to read the rules quite yet, please do go here and check them out before posting your response. If you're ready to proceed, please keep reading.

Growing up, I was a ridiculously enthusiastic lover of animals (some things don't change). My love of animals was so great that I often came home with stray cats, frogs I'd found nearby that I thought needed shelter, wounded birds, and so on. It became a bit much, I think, for my parents but they tolerated my need to "protect" the animals from harm. I'm certain it was a little frustrating because some of the animals ended up being pets of neighbors.

Although I don't go to quite the extremes I did as a child, I still find it difficult not to help animals that are lost, injured or homeless. This time of year particularly, I am always grateful for the fur-family and all of the joy they bring into our lives. We have a small shoot each year with the pups just before the holiday season begins and we send the photos out to friends and family.

A small selection of family photos from the holiday season through the years.

At first, the holiday tradition started as a means to give to our local animal shelter, but it's become a fun (and sometimes challenging because the four-legged kids don't always cooperate) way to have a timeline of sorts of the entire family. We enjoy some of the photos more than others, but it's fun to see the changes through the years.

For this particular giveaway, I am wondering what one of your favorite holiday traditions is to do or participate in this time of year? Is there that one thing you look forward to doing each year, or maybe it's the one thing you dread, but still end up appreciating in retrospect?

Bonus Entry: 
A few years ago, Sam and I rode our bikes to the grocery store to pick up a couple of items and came across a wounded animal. If you can tell me the type of animal Sam and I rescued that day in your response, you'll get an extra entry into this giveaway. If you know what I named the animal, you'll receive two extra entries.

The gift for this giveaway will be Caz Nicklin's The Girls' Bicycle Handbook in paperback form.

Men, please don't feel you need to shy away from entering this giveaway. I'm sure there are plenty of females in your lives who would appreciate this book, or perhaps you know someone who is teetering on the edge of giving in to riding a bike? Maybe you yourself would like to give this book the once over? This book is full of bright photos and pulls together a reasonable list of how to's for anyone looking for information or who may be a bit shy asking for help.

All entries for this giveaway must be time/date marked no later than Wednesday, December 3, 2014 at 1:00pm MST. Your reply will serve as the date/time stamp, so please check to make sure your response goes through (There have been some issues with Blogger sending comments into a black hole, never to be seen again). I highly recommend copying your response before clicking the reply button. If you don't see that your "comment will be visible after approval," then it probably didn't go through. I'd prefer to delete duplicates than have someone miss out, so please don't be afraid to send something twice if you're unsure. I will do my best to be quick with approving comments/replies to help facilitate the process as best I can.

The winner will be announced no later than Thursday, December 4, 2014, so check back here to see if you're the winner.

I look forward to reading about your favorite holiday traditions!

Happy Holiday's Random Giveaway Contest - 2014 Edition

We have arrived in December! This year has flown by quicker than any I've experienced to date. I'm honestly not sure where all of the time went, but here we are, right in the thick of the holiday season. With that, I am very excited to get started with the random giveaway contest this year, so I thought that now would be a good time to lay out the ground rules for any and all who would like to participate.

*Image found here

First and foremost, this is not meant to be anything stressful or difficult. I want to be able to have the opportunity to share a little something this time of year, and hopefully everyone will have a good time just participating.

Additionally, I know there are many different people who read here that also celebrate a variety of holidays this time of year. Please know that I do my best to keep things as general as I can, but I will apologize in advance if an occasionally-Christmas-specific item pops up. If it does, please feel free to insert your own preferred holiday instead, as I in no way mean to offend or upset anyone.

In the past, I have randomly posted a question or asked for an opinion on a random day and provided a time cut-off for entries. It may be something simple or it could be slightly more complicated. As an example, perhaps I would ask for your favorite holiday song or it may have nothing to do with the holiday season and I'd ask for your favorite bike tale. Really, I've left the possibilities quite open (because sometimes it's nice to have a simple task, and other times it's fun to dig in a little more), so who knows what thought may cross my mind.

As you may notice (if you played the last round a few years ago), the overriding rules have remained pretty much the same. In case you missed the last iteration or need a refresher, here they are again for your review.

These are the things you should know for each giveaway (though exact rules may vary from giveaway to giveaway, these will remain the same, unless otherwise noted in the specific contest):

1) Entrants must have a mailing address within the U.S. to win, but anyone is welcome to share and participate in the individual contests just for fun. Also, if you are outside of the U.S. and are willing to pay the shipping costs of the item, I am happy to send it off to you (or I will pay the costs of shipping in the U.S. and you would pay the difference). If this should apply to you during the game, we'll have an email chat and you can let me know what you've decided. Otherwise, another name will be randomly selected to win the giveaway item.

2) Anyone may enter. As with prior contests though, entry is limited to humans, and my family members are ineligible, though friends... and enemies... are welcome to play along. As stated in the past, I truly hope I don't have enemies, and if I do, please don't identify yourself. I prefer to live in my fantasy world in which we all get along. You may re-gift the item (I'll honestly never know the difference), or if you want me to send the item to a friend instead of you, that's acceptable as well (see rule #1 above if this is applicable).

3) Having the ability to post anonymously on the blog is great - but, for a contest or giveaway, not so much. Because of this, if you are someone who generally posts anonymously, please do include your name (or a nickname, if you prefer to not tell others your real name) with your answer/entry so that I can add you to the entries. If you don't provide a name in some fashion, I won't be able to put your name in the "hat pull" so to speak.

4) Participants may only enter each contest once, but may enter any and all contests.

5) Any taxes, fees, and so on for reporting purposes and other reasons are the responsibility of the winner (Check with your professionals, which is certainly not me. You don't even want to know about the tax bill we received recently because of my mistake three years ago. Needless to say, I am not a tax professional, and probably shouldn't even be doing our own taxes - but I digress).

6) Shipping of each prize will be paid by Endless Velo Love (except as indicated in rule #1, if applicable to you).

7) Please read each contest requirements carefully, as they will likely vary.

8) All winners will be chosen by a random name generator selection process online... which also means that it is possible to win more than once. However, I am placing a limit of two wins for any single person throughout the contest (we have to keep this somewhat fair and spread the love around...you know, to all three of my readers). I don't think anyone was a winner more than once with the last round, but it is possible. 

9) If a prize isn't claimed in a reasonable amount of time, or in the time frame given after the winner is announced, and/or if I am unable to reach the winner, I will move on to the #2 participant or possibly do a new giveaway (completely at my discretion). 

10) Though I'm not a very good rule follower myself, participants must abide by all rules for each contest, or the entry will not be included in the selection process.

For anyone who may be wondering about the random selection process, I don't want any means of interfering with the selection, so I use an online random generation process by putting all names into a list like this:

A sample list of entries for any given giveaway
*Generated at random.org

Then, I hit the "randomize" button toward the bottom of the page and it provides me a ranking for each entry like this:

This is a sample of what might turn out given the list above. In this case, Bernie would be the winner of the giveaway.

It makes things really easy for me so that I don't have to pick favorites from a bunch. Whomever is listed as #1 gets that specific gift. If s/he doesn't respond by the time cutoff, then I move down the list to the #2 person (or do a new giveaway) and so on. If the prize isn't claimed, it goes back into the prize pool and someone else can win it at a later time.

Time is of the essence, both with entering the giveaways and with responding if you are a winner, so please do check in often. Generally speaking, only a few folks have entered each contest in the past, so there are decent odds that you will win something.  I do my best to provide a reasonable amount of time for entries and responses for those who've won; however, having said that, I may allow shorter or longer periods of time for entry, depending on the giveaway, what I have going on in life, and so on... so, as stated early on, please do read each giveaway carefully to know how long you have to enter and check back soon after the end point to see if you've won.

There haven't been an exact number of giveaways set quite yet, so it could end up being just a few or it may turn into more. There may be more than one giveaway in a day, or they may end up being several days apart. Regardless of when they show up here, I hope that you'll participate in the giveaways.

So, what's going to be given away exactly? That's still a bit up in the air, but in the past giveaway items such as a year subscription to a bicycling magazine of your choice, bicycle decor, small personal items, and other such sundries were up for grabs. Generally speaking, all of the giveaways will more than likely have something to do with riding a bike.

I'm excited to get going, so the first giveaway could go up at any time. If you have questions, please feel free to ask away. Otherwise, I'll look forward to hearing from you all soon in the form of your entry. Happy Holidays!!

Happy Thanksgiving and an Upcoming Giveaway

First, I want to wish all of you here in the U.S. a very happy Thanksgiving. I hope you spend it with those you love - be they friends, family, or both. The E.V.L Thanksgiving will be a simple one this year, but I am thankful to be spending it with those most important to me - both the two-legged and four-legged variety.

*Image found here

We have plans to go for a Thanksgiving day ride as well. Our weather is supposed to be pretty pleasant and I'm looking forward to spending a bit of time on two-wheels without thought of where I'm headed or how fast that ride may or may not be.

For most of my life, this time of year has brought about a season of falling into a retrospective that can leave me feeling drained, alone, and sometimes even a tad bitter. I don't like what this season can do to me because I want to be full of cheer and spend time with those I care about, but it seems that the more festivities I'm invited to share in, the more I withdraw and find excuses not to be around other people.

I am well aware that I am not the only person who falls prey to this season, but it's easy to believe I am the only one who just wants through the holidays. I do my best to put up bright lights and festive decorations, but it can become mentally difficult as the weather turns and it's easier to get caught up in my own head than doing the things I should be doing.

One of the few things that does bring me great joy (really at any point in the year, but specifically during this season) is to be able to give to others. Because I can already feel myself heading down the dark path, I want to get things off to a good start. We've had the opportunity to give a bit already this season to an organization that helps the homeless, and I know I'll be donating to our humane society, but I'd also like to have another go-around with a holiday blog giveaway.

This is where I ask for your input, dear readers. I have a couple of items to give away, but if you have specific bike-related items you'd like to see as part of a blog contest, please let me know in the comments section. In addition, if there's a specific type of contest you'd like to participate in, feel free to let me know that as well. At this point, I'm guessing it will be something similar to the past holiday giveaway, but I am definitely open to ideas.

For those newer to the blog, the last holiday contest was pretty simple (and as a side note, holy cow... has it really been three years since the last one?!). There was a question posted and anyone who chose to participate with an answer was entered into the random electronic drawing and the winner was announced following a certain time cut-off. The prizes generally aren't significant, but it's hopefully a way to bring a little smile into a few of your lives during the hustle and bustle of the season - and to those who don't win anything, hopefully you'll have fun participating in the contest regardless.

So, as you spend the day tomorrow giving thanks for all that we've been blessed with, I would like to thank you for being a reader and continuing to offer your thoughts in regard to my sometimes random or seemingly unintelligible ideas here. I'm looking forward to a fun December with a few bicycle-related giveaways and look forward to an interactive holiday season with you.

Pedal the Plains: Vote for Me, Please

Just a quick Friday post to ask for some assistance from all of you fabulous readers out in web land. I have entered into a contest for Pedal the Plains, a 3-day ride that takes place on the plains of Colorado. In order to get to the next stage of the competition, I have to get the most votes for my photograph. This is where you all come in to help me out.

*Image from Pedal the Plains

Voting is taking place on Facebook here. All you (and/or your friends/family/neighbors/enemies/etc) need to do is go to the page, look for the photo entitled "Steeling a Ride" and either "like" or comment on the photo. That's it. Easy peezy! You can also vote on Twitter or Instagram by using #steeling AND @pedaltheplains.

The contest is to find someone (referred to as a "Plain Pedaler") who will document the ride while on the journey with other participants. If you can take a few moments to vote, I would greatly appreciate it. Voting will take place until August 1. Thanks in advance for you vote... and Happy FRIDAY! Get out and enjoy the ride, my two-wheeled friends.

Final Check In: The Last Five Months

First, I want to thank you all for indulging me as I have checked in with you via the web over the last five months regarding my progress with getting stronger and losing some weight. It's probably not what you come here to read about, but it's been quite beneficial for me to have some accountability. I've done my best to keep it to a minimum, posting follow ups only on the first of each month (with one exception), however, this is the last of my check in's for my five month project.  I have to say, it's both a little strange for it to be over, and a little sad. Five months can go by incredibly fast! Five months ago, I was preparing for the "big art show," and was stressed beyond belief. Five months ago, I was living in a pit of despair, realizing just how large I have become. And, five months ago, I pledged that I would lose 25 pounds over the course of these five months. So, how did it all go?

I very intentionally started the five month project on the first of April. I didn't want to spend another birthday feeling the way I had been, and since my birthday is today, I wanted it to be one that I would remember for accomplishments, rather than failures. In truth, I had started this project about three weeks prior to my announcement here, and I felt I had a good jumpstart with losing some weight to carry it on for a more extended period of time. Ultimately, I was feeling confident that I could make some life changes, and just needed a place to see it in black and white. I started out with mini-goals for each month and set out to achieve them, most of which I accomplished (though perhaps not exactly in the time frames originally specified).

 This is about as close of a comparison from the start to current date I can find.
Left was about a month and a half after starting all of this (hard to believe I'd already lost about 20 pounds in the 'before' photo - oh yes, it was worse than that), and just a few days ago at the Venus de Miles ride.

And another - because one just isn't humiliating enough

Since the announcement here on April 1, I have lost 30 lbs, but in total since March 9, I have lost 48 lbs. Although I've been working extremely hard to get to the 50 pound mile marker, the last few weeks my body has not cooperated at all. Despite the fact that I couldn't quite get there in the time frame I wanted to, I know it will happen, and I'm trying to be patient with myself and realize that not everything happens when and where I decide.  I know that I've built muscle, and someday, I'll actually be able to see it when it's not covered by the fat that still needs to go.  I cannot express how much better I feel. Not necessarily because of the weight loss itself, but because I am doing better things for my body. Although I wasn't doing anything so dreadfully bad to myself prior to starting this experiment/project, I wasn't doing anything really great for my body either. As I've stated before, I have never been a person to lose weight quickly, but I knew that I needed to do something or it would simply continue to go up. I was absolutely, without a doubt, unwilling to accept that as an option.

There have definitely been a lot of ups and downs with each day (sometimes, each hour). I went to try on some pants about a week ago because those I have currently are large in the waist. Unfortunately, everything I tried on was absolutely absurd. It varied from super tight in the legs and huge in the waist, to flat out not fitting even well enough to get over my thighs. I couldn't help but think, "I must be the only person who can lose this amount of weight, and still not be able to find things that fit...or better yet, still be wearing the same clothes." It's frustrating, to say the least.  I know I have to not allow these types of things to get to me, but it can be challenging. Beyond the clothing, there are just mental happenings that tend to mess with me on a more routine basis, but I'm slowly trying to work through it.

I am nowhere near my ultimate goal, but I do think I have learned a bit over the last several months - some things the easy way, and others, well, not as easily. I'm a bit hard-headed at times, so some things take time to sink in. A few of the things that have stuck with me that seem to have helped:
- It doesn't have to be an "all or nothing" kind of mentality, and I don't have to cut out every food. Moderation in everything is key, and making this a change in life rather than viewing it as a diet (which it's not) has been so beneficial.
- Finding an activity that I love to do was extremely important. I love to ride, and was doing so throughout, but I just seemed to need more. For me, kickboxing was that "thing." I honestly don't know what I would do without it now (but never fear - bicycles and cycling abound in the E.V.L. household).
- Having a support system is absolutely essential. It doesn't matter who or where it comes from, but having someone to vent to/cry with/join me on the journey has been a godsend... and I'm very lucky to have many "someone's" to talk to.
- Perhaps the biggest lesson has been to not focus on the weight loss itself. It's definitely tough when all I want to see is my body shrinking, but being able to find other little things to distract me has been extremely beneficial.

I am not even close to the end of my journey, but this has been a great start. I feel stronger than I have in a very long time (maybe even in my life), and I feel confident that I can keep moving forward, even if it's not at breakneck speeds. Although this will be my last update here, I may throw something up once in awhile just to check in, but I promise to keep it to a minimum.  If anyone is interested in starting up a new challenge, feel free to send an email, and if there's interest, I'm happy to put something together.

Again, thank you to all for tolerating my updates over the last several months. If you've been silently participating in a self-project, I'd love to hear how you've been doing as well, so feel free to leave a comment or drop me a note.

August 1 Check In: One Month to Go

Happy August! Summer is certainly rolling right along, isn't it? Today is check in time for me while participating in the self-started, 5-month challenge to bettering myself. I've said this every month, but it has gone by so quickly. I can't believe there is only one month left! While the bettering myself will not end in one month, the challenge that seemed incredibly long at the start has gone much quicker than I anticipated. So, here is how the last month has gone...

*Image from Pinterest

I will say that it was the first month of this challenge that I have been made aware of some changes taking place physically. It was, of course, exciting to see something changing (though I have been noticing muscle for some time now). I am nowhere near what I would hope to be ultimately, but after a couple of months of fighting with the same few pounds, I've actually experienced weight loss in this last month. As much as I don't want this to solely be about weight, I have to admit that it's nice to see it go down. I also stepped up to the next level belt in kickboxing, and hope to continue pushing forward in that area of life.

My goal for July was to complete a 50 mile bike ride, and unfortunately, this did not take place. I did go on several rides from 15-20 miles, but never had the time to get to longer distances. I would still like to complete the 50 miler before the end of summer, but time was not on my side for this ride to happen in July. Because I'll be participating in the Venus de Miles ride, it looks like I'll be able to complete this in August. I don't want to let that goal go though because I think it's important for me to complete. I don't take it lightly that I didn't reach this goal, but at the beginning of this, I would have had no way of knowing where my head would be at this point, nor the focus I would have on different areas, so I'm trying to cut myself a bit of slack.

During the upcoming month, the final month of this challenge, my goal is to have lost a total of 25 lbs from the start date of April 1. I seem to be moving toward that, and I hold out hope that I will make it...or maybe I should say that I have a strong belief that it can be done. As of this writing, I have 1 pound to lose this month, which doesn't seem impossible (though I have had months during which I have lost bupkis - so I'm knocking on wood as I type this).  Hopefully, I will also complete the 50 mile ride that didn't happen in July, and I hope to have some kind of long term goal for moving forward at the end of this challenge.

How about you? Any challenges you've faced in the last few months that you'd like to share? Please feel free to chime in.

Win for Giving: Your Help with Riding Venus de Miles

Well, I have allowed all of your thoughts and ideas to sink in over the last couple of days, and decided to go ahead and participate in the Venus de Miles ride... and, I'm going to do the 51 mile ride (who talked me into this again?).  The purpose of the ride is to raise funds for Greenhouse Scholars, a worthy cause that assists under-resourced, high-achieving students on a variety of levels. At the moment, I have set an incredibly low monetary goal for my fundraising because I know I'm getting a late start, but I thought perhaps there might be someone (or multiple someones) out in the blogosphere who'd be willing to help out with a buck or two, and who knows? I could surpass that goal. Anyway, this gave me an idea...

*Image from Pinterest

Sometimes having an exchange or prize is a nice motivator for people to give, so I thought perhaps setting up a chance for a prize might help push someone to make the leap to donate to a great cause. Here are two possible ways you could win.

Option 1) Donate an amount from $1 and up to Greenhouse Scholars through my personal Venus de Miles page before August 25, 2012 at midnight MST and you will be entered into a random drawing to win your choice of a 1-year subscription to one bicycle magazine of your choosing (Urban Velo, Bicycle Times, Bicycling, Momentum, Bicycle Quarterly) OR your choice of one of the remaining pigeon paintings shown on Etsy. So, if there is only one person who donates, you will definitely be the winner of your choice of prize, and if there are more donations, you still have a really good shot at a prize anyway... and, you'll feel really great about giving to a good cause, even if you don't win a prize. This category will have only one winner.

Option 2) Donate $75 or more to Greenhouse Scholars through my Venus de Miles page before August 25, 2012 at midnight MST and you will automatically win your choice of a 1-year subscription to one bicycle magazine of your choosing (Urban Velo, Bicycle Times, Bicycling, Momentum, Bicycle Quarterly) OR your choice of one of the remaining pigeon paintings shown onEtsy. This category could have multiple winners, depending on how many choose this route.

In order to win one of the prizes you will need to have a U.S. mailing address, and shipping costs (if you should choose the painting) will be covered as well. If you live outside of the U.S. and would still like to donate, you will have my sincerest gratitude, but unfortunately, it has become quite a pain to ship internationally, so I apologize that I cannot include you in the giveaway. Should an individual decide to donate $75 or more, please email your choice of prize, as well as complete mailing information to endlessvelolove {at} gmail.com. Because there is only one of each painting, whomever donates first will have first selection (if multiple individuals should make that choice).  Please note that I cannot control the potential sale of your choice of paintings (if that is your selection), so please let me know A.S.A.P if you donate $75 so I can take your choice off the market. If you would prefer not to receive a prize at all, please let me know that as well. The random drawing for option 1 will take place before the end of August 2012, and will be announced here on Endless Velo Love. The drawing will either be done through a randomizer online, or with a good 'ole fashion drawing a name out of a hat (which will likely be determined based on the number of donations).

In case you missed the link above to donate, you can find it by clicking here. Please note that donations can be made through credit cards, EFT, or through Paypal on the donation page. I thank you so very much in advance for any kind of support you can offer, and please wish me luck as I attempt to climb in just a few weeks!

July 1 - Third Check-In

I can't believe three months have already passed since the 5-month journey of bettering myself began. It seems as though it has gone extremely fast! Perhaps part of that is that the first month and a half of it I was still wrapped up in a lot, but regardless, as my mother used to say when trying to motivate me to do anything I wasn't sure I could do - the time will pass, regardless of what is accomplished. So true.

*Image source here

My goal for July 1 was to have my jeans falling off of me, which was edited at the beginning of last month to say that I also wanted to attend at least 6 classes a week of kickboxing. Although I cannot say that my jeans are falling off of me at this point (they are loose, but they stay up on their own - Sam assures me that it "takes a lot" for them to actually fall off), I am happy to be getting stronger and feeling more physically capable than I ever have in the past... thanks, at least in part, to maintaining the 6 (or more) a week kickboxing classes. I had a couple of weeks during which I attended 7-8 times, so I am feeling rather accomplished at the moment.

The August 1 goal I had set for myself at the beginning of this was to complete a 50 mile bike ride. I realize it's not a horribly long distance for some cyclists, but as I stated initially, normally when I get above 35 miles my hands begin to ache so much that I have to stop. I have to say, I haven't been great about training for this "event" I'm supposed to complete in the next 4-ish weeks, but I think it's still doable, even if I have to take breaks along the way.  I am kind of hoping I can drag Sam along on a 50 mile ride since he is far better trained for it. Hopefully, he can give me that extra push to finish up what I have set out to do.

Overall, I think things are moving along fairly well, and I'm looking forward to the last couple months of this self-challenge. Any summer challenges out there that you've completed and would like to share?

June 1 - Checking in

This is the second "check in" for my self-motivated adventure to try to improve myself over five months. If you missed the post about setting goals and what I thought might turn into a contest, I'm basically trying to accomplish something for the first of each month until September 1. The problem has been that I am finding I need to re-evaluate the goals every time I check in because things change or I've already accomplished what I set out to do (I know, poor me... accomplishing my goals quicker than I thought).

Image source here

My goal for June 1 originally was to lose 10 lbs. Oddly, I did that pretty quickly (even before the May 1 check in), and instead, have struggled for the last six weeks with the same 3 lbs. I cannot even begin to express how annoying it is to be working out constantly (okay not constantly, but a good chunk of each day), eating properly, and not losing weight over that stretch of time. I have read about calorie consumption and working out, what truly is the right amount of caloric intake for me, BMR, RMR, BMI, waist to hip ratios, protein rich diets, vegetarian diets - pretty much you name it and I've become fairly well versed on the topic. Everyone seems to have an opinion - "Eat fewer calories, or you won't lose," or "Eat more calories. Your body is starving," or "Do more muscle training."

Speaking as someone who struggled with an undiagnosed eating disorder when I was young, I desperately don't want to eat too few calories. It becomes addictive and game like to try to see how few calories one can eat and still survive. I have done so in the course of my life a few times and I will lose (my body has no choice at some point to give in), but it reaches a point that I am no longer capable of functioning, and I stop seeing the drops.  Although I have never been thin, the disorder itself has nothing to do with that - it's more of an opportunity to have power over something. It's all very unhealthy, and while I would prefer not to carry extra pounds around, I would much rather be strong and lively, than thin and sick.

Currently, I am trying a kind of opposite method to see if it will work. I am actually going to eat more (as insane as it sounds) to try to lose. In some ways, it actually seems more logical to me. If we think of the body as an engine trying to power on, it needs fuel to keep running. If we keep feeding it, it works better and more efficiently - or so the theory goes. Since I have been working out quite a bit, and some fairly intense workouts (including kickboxing), I think I need to be eating more like an athlete... or so this round of my personal challenge will explore. I have added a minimum of 300 calories a day to my food intake, in the hopes that it will actually force my body to work in my favor. Time will tell if this is what is needed, and in the mean time, I'm just hoping it doesn't cause a drastic weight gain.

My July 1 goal was to have my jeans falling off of me so that I could buy new ones. I'm going to keep that as the goal, but honestly, I'm not sure it will be doable in one month. I won't discount it, but I also don't want to be disappointed if I cannot quite get there. I'm going to add on to the challenge attendance to my kickboxing class at least 6 times a week for the next month. I've been doing some 2-a-day's of that class and it's truly a butt-kicking experience, so I'd like to see what I can get in over a relatively short amount of time.

Anyone else who's journeying on their own path of goals, please feel free to add your accomplishments or  possible set backs. Hopefully, June is going to be a beautiful month, and I'm looking forward to it immensely.

First Check In

It's already time for the May 1st check in, and while I realize not many are participating in our self-motivated contest, I wanted to keep myself honest, so I'm still "checking in" regardless of the numbers of individuals involved. My personal goal for the first of May was to be able to get through my kickboxing class without having to stop for air. I'm not entirely sure this was a fair goal to set for myself for a variety of reasons. 1) The class varies from day to day in intensity and level of use of particular areas of the body. Because of this, there are days that I get through just fine, and other days that I struggle much more. Since I carry more weight in my lower half, obviously the days of lower body work are more intense physically for me. 2) How does a person really judge if s/he is improving cardiovascular-wise based on how hard s/he is breathing in the class? Based on info provided in my first reason, I don't know that I can say I haven't improved, but I definitely find myself still breathing quite hard during long rounds.  3) I believe my personal intensity has increased over the last month in this class, which makes me think that while it seems as though I'm not improving, I actually am, but don't see it breathing-wise because I push harder while working out.

Perhaps I'm merely fooling myself with the breathing aspect of this class, but I do know that there have been other improvements. For example, these strange, solid bulges appear to be forming in places that never have before (some may call them muscles). I am also doing push ups. Push ups. This is so ridiculously insane to me because never in my life have I been able to do standard push ups. Yes, I still struggle doing them, and they're not perfect, but since we're not permitted to do "girl" push ups in class, and we do them during every class, it has forced me to adapt. I'm also pondering new activities. I've always wanted to participate in roller derby, but I fear it because I can't skate (mostly because I'm so klutzy and have no balance) and have a complete fear of falling (as has been documented here in the past). But, I think I may set it as some kind of future goal - to at least give it a try because I know they will train people who have no experience with skating at all (unfortunately, I do have experiences - they are just all very bad experiences). Oddly, I've also already surpassed my June 1st goal, so I'm not sure what to set as the next goal. Actually, I've almost met my ultimate September 1st goal, too. So, I may have to revise these goals completely (not that it's such a horrible thing to have happening).

Overall, I feel good. I believe I'm moving in a positive direction, although I am cautiously optimistic about where it is exactly that I'm going. I know myself and know that I can get obsessive about things (exercise, weight loss, eating perfectly, etc), and I can quickly take a nose dive when things don't seem to be going well.  I am trying to find positive things to focus on, such as feeling muscles growing, or clothes fitting better, rather than actual pounds lost because I know this is dangerous water for me to be treading.

How are you doing with your goals? The next check in point will be June 1st, so if anyone wants to start now, or just wants to participate for a month rather than the full 5 months, feel free to check in as it works for you.  Happy May Day! Hopefully your weather is beautiful and gets you out on your bike.

Time to Breathe - Almost Through!

Wow! It's been so long since I've posted that the whole Blogger set up has changed. I suppose that should tell me something. I feel as though I'm in a foreign land, trying to navigate through something that I used to find quite familiar. I will say, however, that my absence from this space has been filled by many other activities, the most important of which was my art exhibition to finish out my degree. It went off without a hitch, and after two hours of my nerves keeping me anywhere buy near my designated space, I finally calmed down and felt comfortable enough to talk with people. This was one of those moments that I wished I had taken the many, many opportunities to show at other locations during my time in school. I think it would've helped alleviate a good portion of my anxiety. I have shown work prior to this exhibition, but there was little expected of me, and they were typically very causal places so it didn't bother me (at least too much) to have work hanging.

This little pigeon was hanging out in another individual's artwork, but blended quite nicely

I was extremely fortunate to have many friends and family on hand who kept me from running out a back door during the show. My brother came in from Australia, which was really fun, and I had the opportunity to see friends I haven't seen in many months. Truly, the best part of the exhibition was having the opportunity to watch people reacting to the work. I can see how it would be quite addictive!

The pigeons were all over the gallery space, even in others' art, but a couple of sections had faux-droppings, and pigeon sounds were found in this area as well.
(My apologies about the quality of photos... of course, no good camera was on hand.)

After the exhibition on Friday evening, I had the not-so-fabulous pleasure of meeting with my oral review board to defend my work. As it was explained to me, I would talk for 10-15 minutes, and then the board would ask questions as they saw fit. I was so nervous about it that I had to write out nearly everything I intended to say and go over it so many times that anyone should've been able to remember it easily. What ended up taking place was far less of a speech, and much more of a defense than I ever thought possible. Still, I lived to fight another day, and also reconfirmed for myself that I definitely don't belong among the pretentious portion of the art world. This is not to say that I won't produce art, but I definitely have no intention of trying to mold myself into what they see as a "proper fine artist," and will instead continue on doing my "coffee shop art." (<--- This is a direct quote from the board.)

Kickboxing has continued on for me as well, and I'm really enjoying the class (I know Melanie and Sam are playing along, but if anyone else wants to join in or has been participating silently in our self-motivated games/contest, May 1st is almost here, which will be our first check in date). I seem to be getting stronger, even discovering muscles I never knew existed, and am realizing how much potential I actually have to improve (that is code for "this class is tough"). I'm also still riding my bikes, as I hope everyone else is continuing to do. My rides haven't been long, but I hope that will change in the next couple of weeks as I wrap things up at school.

Oh, and if you're local, the Farmer's Market Bike Valet will be coming back early (due to popular demand) on Saturday, May 5th, so ride your bike and we'll all be happy to park your ride for you while you do your shopping.

Stress is a Killer... Let's Set Goals Instead!

Oh, dearest readers... I seem to be failing you repeatedly. Try as I might, posting has just taken the absolute lowest rung on the ladder for me. In three very short weeks, I will be exhibiting my thesis show, and while I am completely elated about the exhibition, I am... well, stressed.  I feel somewhat (somewhat) prepared for the actual show itself, but not the oral review board I must face just three days after the opening reception. I am confident (at least for the moment, though this does admittedly change from hour to hour, and day to day) about my choice of subject matter and feel as though I can defend it, but I've already met half of the review board and I will say that they scared the bejesus out of me. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't more than a little intimidated.

If you happen to be in the Denver area, please feel free to stop by. One of my show cards is posted above with details, but there will be more than 20 individuals showing in this particular exhibition so it should be a good one. For those who aren't close enough to make it, never fear, I'm sure I will post pictures at some point after the exhibition.

In all of this, I had an idea and I thought perhaps others would like to join me, so I'm going to share my thoughts here. If it sounds like something that would work for you, please do join in, and if not, that will be just fine too. 

A few months ago when my mother was out visiting, we were going through some old photos and I spotted one of myself when Sam and I were on vacation in mid-2006. I was a bit disgusted with myself that I have slowly allowed weight to creep on to my body. Mind you, I've never been a tiny person and I never will be, but when I saw that photo of myself as I was training to run my first marathon, I realized that I really have allowed a busy schedule and hectic life to take its toll in pounds on my body. A few weeks ago I decided that I'd had enough and went to work on carefully recording my food intake and exercise. It was a big shock for me to realize how many calories I was consuming, even though most days I was eating only one meal. The problem was that the one meal would consist of whatever was easy to find, and in larger quantities than necessary (not to mention the fact that eating one meal a day is just unhealthy in itself). I went back to my "training days" philosophy and started eating oatmeal in the morning (even if I don't have time), and trying my best to eat good, whole foods. Last week, I joined a local kickboxing class as well. Although I have been riding my bike, the rides have been less than 15 mile rides and I simply loathe the gym as a routine, so I had to find something to keep my interest. Now, I can ride my bike to the kickboxing class, and then ride on the off days as well.

So, what's the deal?  Well, I will first state that I am absolutely NOT a proponent of pushing weight loss on others, nor do I wish to be the scale nazi, nor do I think that beautiful people come in only one size (for the record I am perfectly happy being larger, but there is a limit to how overweight I want to be - and I have exceeded that limit)...however, I also know that it helps me with my goals when I have someone to be accountable to, or at least a small group that is trying to achieve something as well. So, I thought we could do a kind of contest that begins on Sunday, April 1, 2012 (no, it's not an April Fool's joke, but I thought it would make it convenient to end it on September 1 for an even 5 months, so it just works out this way). 

Here is what I am thinking, but please feel free to provide input and we can modify as necessary or appropriate. We will have a "contest" <-- (I hate to use that word, but I think it might work to call it this) in which anyone/everyone may participate. There would be four monthly mini-goals, and then the final five month mega goal. The actual requirements of the contest will be self-generated - meaning, if you want to lose 10 pounds in five months, that is fine, or if you want to be 2 minutes faster on your bike sprints in 1 month that is great too, or whatever your personal goal may be. The only requirement is that you list a goal for each 1st of the month (so: by May 1, June 1, July 1, Aug 1, and finally Sept 1 you will accomplish "X" goal), and then check in with your progress by the first of the month. It can be the same goal with modified results (such as "I want to cover 5 miles more on my bike by 5/1, and then 10 miles more by 6/1), or a completely different goal each month - the decision is yours.

To help get it started, I will list mine here. Please feel free to put yours in comments. I can even put them all into a post as of April 1st, so that it's something that's easy to find if anyone thinks that is easier.

For G.E.:

As of May 1: Complete kickboxing class without having to stop for air (man, that is one tough class!)

As of June 1: Lose 10 pounds (I don't think 5 lbs a month for my level of chubbs is unreasonable)

As of July 1: Have current jeans falling off of me, forcing purchase of new jeans (yay for new clothes!)

As of Aug 1: Complete a 50 mile bike ride (this is a big deal for me b/c my hands generally can't hold out more than about 35 miles, even after training for several months)

As of Sept 1: Lose a total of 25 pounds from start date of April 1st

Of course this is all on the honor system, but I would hope if you're making the decision to participate, you want to complete the goals, so it doesn't benefit you to make up information. If anyone wants to submit before/after pics, I am happy to take those via email (endlessvelolove {at} gmail {dot} com), or anything else you'd rather submit via that means is of course fine too. As far as a prize (let's face it, it's not a contest unless there's a prize), I'm still debating this, but I am thinking about little first of the month prizes and then a final prize at the end. The problem is I'm not entirely sure how to judge these because the goals will be different for everyone. Anyone have suggestions? I'm thinking a cash prize would be nice for the final big goal, but I'm not absolutely set on that, so please feel free to throw in your ideas. What about little mini prizes in between? What would help keep you motivated? We could always do a vote for who should win each month, or do a randomly generated winner as with the holiday giveaway. I really am open to ideas for all of this, so please do chime in.

Giveaway #13 Winners are...

We've reached the last of the giveaways for the 2011 season (even though I am aware that we've stretched it slightly into 2012), and we'll have two winners. The first winner for giveaway #13, for the bicycle ring is Goat Squid!

The second possibility for this giveaway was for a choice of magazine subscription. The winner of that portion of this giveaway is Ridonkulus!

Congratulations to you both on your "second chance" win! Please e-mail me at endlessvelolove {at} gmail {dot} com with mailing info so I can get your respective items to you as soon as possible. Thanks to everyone again for playing along, and a very happy New Year!