Words of Wisdom from Tynisa Henry:

Here are some words of wisdom that I received and feel obligated to share with others, so they are knowledgable as well and know how to behave while eating:

This (Bike and Build) sounds like such a cool thing to do - i do have one piece of advice for you - if you meet any cute girls do NOT ask them are they going to finish their food (no matter how hungry you are) be a gentleman!!!

Its a Small World

So Wednesday night, I am talking about bike and build after my spinning class (even showed up 45 minutes early for a good bike and to start my workout early) and another rider heard me talking and said that she was also doing bike and build - It was Jess Medors, one of the leaders for the Providence to San Francisco trip. Of all the spinning classes in all the gyms in Columbus...who would have thought. If you want, now is a good time to start singing Its a Small World.

Simulated Day in the Life of Bike and Build

In what was truly just a simulation of what I will be doing this summer, I hit the Sat morning spinning class, and after a quick shower and bite to eat, headed over to the Columbus Habitat Rebuild Store, to help move things for customers. During the actual bike trip, I will of course be riding one day and building on another, but its good to combine the two tasks into one day as well. There was a steady stream of customers, and you could really tell that some of the customers that were down on their luck were extremely grateful for the items they found at such low prices and made sure to express their appreciation to the volunteers. There was also a steady stream of donations that came in, including about 50 sets of blinds from Max & Erma's, heating ducts and a washing machine. The guy opened up the washing machine to put the hose in it, and found some of his laundry still in the washer! He removed it (of course) and after I wheeled it into the store and stopped to put a price tag on it, another customer had already purchased it. Talk about a quick turn-around. I am sure most retail companies would be thrilled with such a short shelf-life.

Early Morning Spinning

I started to put in some serious spinning this week, hitting the 6am spin class on Monday and Wednesday and following up with the Friday evening class. The early mornings have taken a toll, but it will be perfect training for the trip - getting up early to ride (especially to beat the heat in Arizona). I am not quite ready to do back-to-back spinning classes, but should be in a couple of weeks as long as training goes well. I figure I'll hit the erg as well, just for old time's sake.

Thank You Doris!

I would like to thank Doris Kusan for her generous contribution this week. I am sure it has nothing to do with the fact that her year-end review was also due to me this week. Just Kidding! Doris is a fine member of my team and I am greatful for all her hard work. She makes my life easier since she knows what she is doing. I will miss her great attitude and sense of humor while I am on the trip. Don't worry Doris, I will be updating this blog as often as I can on the road.

On a side note, no riding in LA for me. I have had a good time in Santa Monica and hope to get in a workout tomorrow morning at the hotel. They have some cardio equipment and free-weights that seemed pretty good. I will be hurting after the red-eye flight back to Columbus and probably will be taking it easy on Monday.

Rock Climbing

Tonight, instead of hitting the bike for a workout, I went rock climbing. Not necessarily the best workout to train for biking, but it was a nice change of pace. It was a workout that I will be feeling tomorrow since I already feel the burn, so tomorrow I expect I'll really be feeling it.

Looking forward to spending in the weekend in LA. I had some grand aspirations to get in a couple of bike rides, especially since I would be able to rent one right near the hotel. But then I checked the weather forecast: rain and high of 55. Oh well, I am going to take some riding clothes and hope for the best and worse case workout in the hotel. On the plus side, I will get to meet up with Heather, who is at UCLA getting her MBA, and help celebrate her birthday.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Had a good weekend; got in two 45 minute rides on the bike at the gym. Nothing too strenuous, but I got stronger the longer I rode. I'll probably start increasing the intensity next week. I would have kept going, but others were waiting to use the bike, and being the kind individual that I am, I gave it up. I have commitments every night this week, but hope to either get some late nite (for me - 9:30pm) workouts in or get up early and get them in before work. Time will tell...

I would like to give a shout out to Rebecca Gorney for her generosity today. We went bowling, and upon hearing about Bike and Build, she asked if she could make a donation on the spot. Thank you Rebecca!