Take Off Your Running Shoes

Finding time to write in a fundraising blog, post-fundraising event, is almost as difficult as getting back into the brutal gym routine, post-painful-fundraising event. A month late, but im here.

The Peru ride was spectacular, nowhere near the challenge I was hoping, or expecting. We had an incredible time however, and as the evidence shows, a lot of fun along the way. Israel was probably more to my heart, being the holy land, amongst other things - getting to ride across the Negev and feel in tune, in touch, with home was really very special - and the ride was physically and mentally tougher. I also felt closer to the cause of Breast Cancer. I haven't lost anyone personally to it, fairly recently I did lose one of my aunts to Bowel Cancer, also, it seems to be the cancer age, as Dina Rabinovitch put it.

Dina lost the fight to Breast Cancer very recently. She was an orthodox Jew, a successful journalist, and, above all, devoted mother of four and stepmother of four more. Her blog Take Off Your Running Shoes, was a great fundraising excercise to raise £100,000 for cancer research, by not running a marathon.

[P]artly because I am pretty washed out by the run of non-stop cancer treatment I’ve been taking since June 2004.

Her formula was pretty simple, she said that if everybody who reads her blog contributes one pound a week for one year, then she would reach the target really quickly. Well, unfortunately Dina has passed away, but the money keeps coming in, currently its up to £80,068.00. Check out her links below:

-- http://www.dinablog.com/
-- http://www.justgiving.com/dinaspage



Cuss

--By way of Just Giving's blog

Well, im back...

The ride went incredibly well and ive a ton to say about it, but have been side-tracked with the huge amount of work to climb over first. I plan on posting a little ride summary mid-week.

Instrument of pleasure or torture, the bicycle leaves racing cyclists with memories either exalted or painful but, once they have dismounted, each one of them retains an indistinguishable affection for the two wheels.

Robert Chapatte, a pro rider - 5 Tours De France, three abandons - later a journalist.

No so fishy-fish nutrition

Chris Carmichael and Jim Rutberg have a really great and interesting post on correctly preparing and cooking fish at Train Right. It focuses on how easy it is to cook simple fish dishes:

...[F]or both the high quality protein and heart-healthy fat that comes with it. But most people I know aren’t too familiar with preparing it and wrongly assume that it requires some special touch.

Cod is great for those who like a milder, less “fishy”–tasting fish, yet it sill packs the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid punch of other cold-water fish like salmon, tuna, and halibut. The recipe below goes well with shredded cabbage or lettuce and warm corn tortillas or served over a bed of brown rice. Leftovers can be used in tacos, salads, or in a sandwich.

Mmm fish.

I've been following an endurance fitness meal plan of Chris Carmichael's to help get my body what it needs and burn more than im eating, in preparation for my Israeli Rider and Peru challenge's. He's the guy that trained Lance Armstrong (the 7-time tour de france winner (if you didn't know)) pre and post-cancer and certainly know's what he's talking about when it comes to training. Currently im eating around 2,800 calories a day and buring somewhere between 800-850 at the gym or on the bike. All i seem to be doing these days is eat, sleep and train, oh and a little working ('blogging') in between ;) hehe.

That's all for now, time for more food ;)


Mx

Bikes, bikes and, more bikes...

Cannondale is killing me with concept bikes and new singlespeed leftyfork's. This concept is just awesome...


Then there's Colnago's bike which has been built to celebrate 60 years of Ferrari, with every inch of the bike being colour-coded and ferrari-ed to its eyeballs. Yikes.

Shofar so good

(Picture courtesy of asimplejew.blogspot.com)

L'Shanah Tovah to all my Heebs out there... Here's a little story from Revach L'Neshama for you:

Rav Tzvi Meir tells a story that goes something like this. A person meets his friend after Rosh Hashana and asks him "Nu, so how did your Rosh Hashana go?" He replies "It was beautiful. The baal tefila didn't leave a dry eye in the shul. The meals were full of divrei torah and zemiros. The afternoons we learned straight without dozing or schmoozing for a minute. The kids behaved like angels" "Wow! Gevaldig. Sounds like it was perfect" his friend replies. "Well almost perfect. The kid next to me in Shul couldn't stop making noise during Musaf and the father the "Groisse Tzaddik" was so busy shukling away that he didn't do anything besides keep shuckling. I had to shissss the kid half of Mussaf. Besides that it was perfect.

To this Rav Tzvi Meir says, "Fool! That was your whole test of Rosh Hashana. Maybe your whole year depended on your reaction to the kid. The rest of Yom Tov was not your Nisayon!" This Rosh Hashana don't decide for yourself what Rosh Hashana is all about. Submit yourself to what the King of all Kings decides is your particular avodah.Gut Yom Tov!

I wish all of you a beautiful new year full of gezunt, parnossa, and nachas!

Mx

It's Not About the Bike

I've been reading, the Lance Armstrong book 'It's Not About the Bike', or I should really say consuming it as its been impossible to put down.

I have wanted to read this for some time now, not for what might be the obvious reason of Lance being a world-class cyclist, and for those who know me, know im pretty keen on cycling. Mainly though its been due to the fact that its such an inspiring story of a man who always had to fight to get what he wants and a lot of the time, comes out winning. Whether thats growing up with no father or being diagnosed with testicular cancer which in turn leads to having brain surgery, following which going on to compete in the Tour De France and win it, 7 consecutive times.

Definitely recommend this if you're looking for a great read, but also an uplifting and beautifully told story too.

That's all for now, i've got to get out on the bike ;)


Mx

mooooo - how very exciting

My Moo Cards arrived today! Not much to say really, except what it says on the packaging:) how very exciting.