Who Is?: Robin Rongey

Who Is Robin Rongey?

When Patrick asked me to write a post about “who I am”, I kept thinking, I really don’t

know what I can say. I mean, I could tell the truth and say that I am this super smart,

ultra fit, amazingly hot mom, “oh wait, I’m channeling Reese Witherspoon again, so

that’s not right. Well I could tell you what I have been called in the past, the little round

ball of muscle, and the … oh wait, I can’t put the other names in print, so maybe that’s

not who I am either.

After putting some more thought to it, I think to tell you who I am, I need to tell you

where I come from. So let’s see if I can sum up my life’s journey in just a few short

paragraphs.

I was born in March of 1964, one month pre-mature, my name was going to be April,

but when I was born in March, my mom decided on Robin because it made her think of

springtime. I was early arriving in the world and have been early at everything since,

like talking, walking, tying my shoes, everything I do, I want to do fast and be the first

one done, it doesn’t matter what it is, work tasks, workouts, races, I was even the

fastest person at picking berries in the summer, no one could keep up with me. I think

there is a pattern here; maybe that is where my competitiveness comes from.

I grew up in the projects, we were poor, but of course I didn’t know it at the time

because poor is relative. We may have been financially poor, but we had a close family

and always had fun, we just did stuff that didn’t cost anything. So many people living

around us were poor in my eyes and I always felt so sorry for them, little did I know, I

was as poor as they were.

I am the only girl in a family of 5 kids. I am the second in line, but I ruled the house like I

was the oldest. I was always told I was really mean and bossy.

I spent my summers heading outside at daylight and not coming in until dark. We

played kickball, hide n seek, kick the can, football, baseball, soccer, we even setup

a ring with our shoes that we ran around acting like we were in the roller derby and

knocking people out of the ring. Most often I was the only girl allowed to play any of

the neighborhood sports. I think that is because all the boys were afraid of me, at least

that’s what my brothers tell me.

When I was 9 my dad died and at 12 we moved from the projects to the country. I went

from having hundreds of kids to play with, in a quarter mile radius to having 10 kids to

play with, in a 5 mile radius. This is when I started picking up endurance activities, riding

my bike, skateboarding, even running, I would run laps around my block and it was 2

miles long.

Two weeks into my freshman year of high school I was in a bad car accident, I spent a

few months in a hospital and then spent months on crutches. My mom was told that I

would most likely have brain damage, so now when I do stupid things I blame it on the

brain damage. It took a year to recover, so it was my sophomore year before I could

play any sports. I ran track and cross country the rest of high school, then I ran track in

college on a scholarship. I was just an above average runner, but heck back then they

just wanted to find girls that would run, that’s why I had a scholarship. I was actually the

first girl to ever run cross country for SIU-E.

After college I got married and had 3 kids, I continued to run, but not really competitive.

When my kids started getting self sufficient I started training hard again and decided to

try some new things, like triathlons, mountain biking and road biking. I loved it all! Then

in 1996, I took a job with Boeing and met my friend and now teammate Chuck Vohsen.

You all know Chuck as a Badass Adventure racer, but back in the day, he was just

some overweight jeep driving, martial arts practicing engineer. That was when I could

beat him both on foot and on wheels, but now, I’m just lucky he lets me follow him

around and share his adventure racing glory.

That leads me up to the current day and the fact that I am so lucky that I have a strong

mother who raised 5 kids on a yearly income that is less than I make in a month, having

4 brothers who even though they called me mean and bossy, they put the smackdown

on anyone else who said it, having friends like Chuck who would fight a bear for me or

give me his last sip of water if I was out, having 3 healthy kids that fight like cats and

dogs and are always planning the next way to pull the wool over their dad and my eyes,

but at the end of the day always give me hugs and “I love you’s”. I guess what I’m trying

to say is that all the events in my life have made me who I am today.

I still sometimes wonder who I am, but if I have to say who I think I am in one big run-on

sentence, this is what it would say.

I’m a girl who works hard at everything I do, I’m very organized, to the point of

annoyance to my family, I love being outside and I love adventure of any kind, I never

give up because I know with persistence I can accomplish anything, I may not be great

at it, but I can do it, and most of all, I’m a real cool mom, well my kids may not say that,

but I like to think I am.

Who Is?: Chuck Vohsen

When Patrick asked me to do a Who-is, it sounded easy enough, so I agreed and started writing.
Chuck Vohsen is ….some guy ….just like everyone else.

And that was all I had.
I had to come up with something better or this would be the shortest post ever. I read the previous
awesome who-is posts to get some ideas. They were great, but there was nothing there I could blog-
jack and call my own. So it was time to do some real thinking. A couple of days later when I was out on
a run, I was finally hit with my ‘Ahhaa’ writing idea. (Does that happen to everyone? ALL my ideas come
during runs and bikes.)
Nobody wants to read how I am like everyone else. Lets face it, as much as we like to pretend otherwise
there are more similarities between people on this planet than differences. We all eat, sleep, fart, work,
drink, and live and die.
So what makes me unique? My ‘Ahhaa’moment said experiences and memories are what define us. So
here’s my list of random memories that happen to be floating around my head today in no particular
order of importance. Maybe some of you have shared in them with me:

Seeing my first kid being born by C-section
Second kid being pulled out with giant pliers
Elbowing wife on altar after getting married
O’Fallon Gold Ale
Crashing Chevy Monza into a telephone pole
Buying my first ‘real’ moutain bike
Group snow run at Lewis and Clark
Finishing my first bike century
Trekking through flooded cave at Lightning Strikes AR
Paddling the last leg of 2011 Berryman 36hr AR
Finishing my first adventure race – Castlewood 8hr
Running through ankle deep rainwater in Berryman marathon
Hanging from my climbing harness over a canyon in Moab
Standing on top of my first 14’er in the cold sunlight with youngest kid
Stinging nettle and thorns at Thunder Rolls AR
Wife falling out of boat at Lake Taneycomo in December
Youngest kid catching monster brown trout at Taneycomo
Oldest kid driving my old jeep in the snow
Building my first set of bike wheels
Paddling across Kentucky Lake in the most amazing fog
Coyotes howling at midnight in LBL
Running along river during Colorado Relay
Pelicans on the Mississippi below Winfield dam
Saying: ’I will never do that again’ after 50K trail run
Thinking about doing 50K trail run again
Discovering I have two birthdays
Whitewater rafting the Nantahala River
“Chuck Vohsen, you are an Ironman”
Swimming laps in that little f’n pool training for IM
Riverboarding on the Colorado river
Sliding down dirt hill and in creek at the CAC
Kids behind house in underwear carrying a rabbit in fishing net
Grandpa Vohsen saying, “Don’t get old Chuck!”
Riding lost valley first time without putting a foot down
Navigating Moab canyons in the dark with crappy headlamps
Pulling kids in little wagon down trail to fishing spot
Rattlesnake at Berryman Duathlon
Hanging out with oldest kid in garage removing transmission from his car …. again
Foggy graveyard after dark in mountains
Jeeping Breakneck trail in Colorado
Every Berryman Epic mtn bike race
Bacon Donuts
Man, I seriously could go on all day! I’ve got some great memories. But I’m stopping with this and
hopefully that list gives an idea of who I am.
++++++++++
I’ve had a two week break since I made this list. Looking back over the random memories a second time
made me notice a few obvious exceptions.
All the years I’ve spent in school - not one
25 years at my current job – not one
All the TV or movies I’ve ever seen – not one
I think the exceptions speak even louder than the list about what is important to me. FAMILY, FRIENDS,
and DOIN COOL STUFF.

Who Is?: Lukas Lamb

I am Lukas Lamb, and I am nobody. Well, that’s not entirely true. I’d like to think that I’m someone
special to my wife, my four children, and my close friends. It’s just that I’m nobody compared to most
people.

I’m not that bright (it took me 13 years and 3 different schools to graduate college), and I’m not
even that athletic (although I used to be a mediocre high school wrestler if that counts). And I don’t
really have any unique talents, skills, or abilities. But if there’s one thing I have in abundance, which
I’ve always had in abundance, it’s an unadulterated willingness – a willingness to try new things, a
willingness to test myself, and, perhaps above all, a willingness to fail.

Most people are familiar with the phrase “decision through indecision” - by not making a decision, you
are essentially making a decision. To put it another way, Henry Ford said, “Indecision is often worse
than wrong action.” For me, the same thing applies to adventure. By not trying something at which I
might fail, I’ve essentially already failed. I think never attempting something difficult is far worse than
actually failing. And that’s why I do the things I do even though I have failed pathetically at many of
them.

When a friend asked me to do my first adventure race over ten years ago, I could have (and in hindsight
maybe should have) said no, but I didn’t hesitate to try it. Although I was woefully ill-prepared, I
was willing to jump in over my head. That race ended in complete disaster. Since then, though, my
teammates and I have finished the 36-hour race twice.

When another friend asked me to be part of a duo and do half of the Dirty Kanza 200 with him, I agreed
to do so fully aware of the high probability of failure. And I did fail when I only finished 60-ish miles out
of 100. But the following year both of us went back and completed the full 200 miles of gravel with the
rest of our teammates.

I’ve DNF’d several other races, I’ve come in last place many times, and I’ve even been DQ’d from a race
before. Failures? Sure. But without those “failures,” I never would have experienced any successes
either. Without those “low points,” the high points would never be so high.

So I’ll just keep failing. And then I’ll fail some more. Maybe next time it will be a 5-day expedition
adventure race. Or perhaps it will be a 50- or 100-mile ultramarathon. Whatever it is, I’ll be willing to
give it a shot. I’ll just keep failing until I succeed.

I am a failure. I am nobody. I am Lukas Lamb. Who are you?

Old Goals and New

2012 was the first year that I set some goals to try and achieve.  I will spare you the suspense I only achieved one of the three.  My thoughts on only being successful in one goal are a mixed bag that I will explain in full.  The first goal, while technically being a failure, was sort of a success.  The second goal I totally dropped the ball on.  Whoops!  My bad.  The third goal was very much a success, and I am proud of my efforts.

Goal #1:  Get 12 bag nights

I got ten.  Several times I could have gone out and picked up the other two but I always opted to stay home and spend time with Beth.  So while this is technically a failure to meet the goal, I failed on acceptable terms.  It is also worth noting that ten bag nights is way more than I normally get in  a typical year.  Some of the nights I spent outdoors were terrible, and others were enjoyable.

Campsite on Two Branch

Here is a list, in no particular order of where I spent my bag nights this year:

3 nights spent out on the Katy Trail.  During these 3 nights everything was conspiring against a good nights sleep.

1 night camping at Carlyle lake.  The day of our arrival the lake was too choppy to have any fun paddling, the next day it was smooth as glass.

1 night camping on Two Branch island.  My nephew and I paddled down the Cuivre to the Mississippi.  Horrible stretch of river after we left.

3 nights during the Kayak100+ (MR340).  I have never been so exhausted in my life.  Paddled 340miles in 76hours.  Very little sleep.

1 night on a random boat ramp on the Missouri river.  100miles from Jefferson city to St Charles, we decided to take a nap.  Bad idea.

1 night camping on Two Branch again.  I enjoy paddling out to the river islands.  Last time we were racing the dark this time a storm.  We lost.

During Kayak100+ I was trying not to look exhausted.

ROCK Racing teammates Chuck and Robin (among others) met me at the finish of Kayak100+

 

    Goal #2 Increase level of fitness

I think subconsciously I made this goal as vague as possible so that I could claim success in the end.  Even with a vague goal I have to admit to failure.  It wasn’t all failure though.  Leading up to Kayak100+ I was doing great.  Then the wheels fell off and I now at my heaviest weight (can’t weight to eat?) and feel like crap.  Epic fail y’all.  Being heavy is not the only area of failure in this goal.  I am also not any stronger, but that is probably because of all the workouts I missed.  As far as running goes I am doing okay, not great just ok.  I have a plan to correct all of this though because 2013 will be one of the most physically demanding of my life.

Goal #3 Build on the foundation of the 100+Project

I would call this one a success!  While the 100+Project is not widely known around the world, I have been working hard to spread the word and draw attention to the efforts put forth.  In 2012 I had a couple mentions in the media, completed Cycle100+ and Kayak100+, and also held a very successful 12hour run/fundraiser.

Cycle100+ was 240miles on the Katy Trail.  Gary Wilson and I rode the entire length in 4days.  What a great ride it was.

Kayak100+ was a 340mile paddle from Kansas city to St Charles along the Missouri river.  Cycle100+ was a joyride compared to this.

Page of the Health in the St Louis Post Dispatch section (below the fold) 

Blurb in a local Sunday magazine.

The 12hour fun run, was a just a great day all around.  This was something that I was doing as a training event for Run100+ and decided to invite people to join my friend Cheri and me for as much as they wanted.  I suggested a $5 donation.  We started at 6am and I don’t think there was one lap that we had to run alone.  In total 30people showed up and many donated a lot more than the suggested $5.  We raised a lot of money for a good cause.  My only regret is not keeping track of everyone’s miles.  I wasn’t expecting that many people to show up and it was difficult enough keeping track of my own miles.  Maybe I can reconstruct them.

Cheri (far left) and I with some of  the people that came out for the 12hour run.

Summary

I think in the goal department I broke even.  I’m not happy about #2 but can only blame myself.  I couldn’t be happier about #3 although I have some things that I need to work on in the future to make it even more enjoyable for everyone following along.  As previously stated I’m ok with how #1 turned out.  I didn’t get 12 bag nights but I did get 10 and that is pretty good for me.

Goals for 2013

I like these goals so I will keep them for 2013 but with a few modifications.

1. Get 20 bag nights.  I will have 8nights associated with Hike100+ so 12 would be to low a number.  Increasing to 20 cancels out the hike nights and leaves me with 12nights to get on my own.
2. Increase fitness.  This will be measured a success by meeting two of three minor goals.  Weight 170, pass the Army PT test according to the standards when I was still serving (pushups, situps, 2mile run), and break a running PR.  Within these there is certainly criteria by which success can be measured.
3. Build on the success of the 100+Project.  There are big things in store for 2013.  Run100+ and Hike100+ will be two of the most demanding challenges of my life.  They both have such a slim margin of error, one tiny mistake could mean failure at both.  I am thinking about adding another 100+ mile journey but as of yet haven’t decided what.  More fundraisers apart from the big events might be a good idea.  I would also like to get the 100+Project on TV in 2013.  That a lot, but I assure you it is all one goal.

That is how my year went.  Hopefully 2013 will be much better and more successful, and I hope yours is the same!

Elevator Manifesto: Part 2

In part one of the Elevator Manifesto I introduced you to the most important rule of being a responsible and considerate elevator passenger.  Just to remind you that rule is, “Exiting passengers have the right of way”.  If you only take one thing away from my frustration with elevators I hope it is that one simple rule and not that I am slightly deranged.  There are however other rules should you be interested.
Rule #2 Don’t be a Space Invader.
I’m not talking about the video game from the 80’s, what I am talking about is people that stand way too close when it is unnecessary.  Seriously give people some room.  We are passengers in an elevator together not lifelong friends.  I like to maintain my personal space, and in doing so help you to maintain yours, but some people just don’t get the concept.  Now I fully understand that everyone’s personal space diminishes as the elevator gets more and more full.  I don’t expect everyone to be jammed into the corner to accommodate my needs.  However if the there are only a few people in the car then there is no reason that someone should be shoulder to shoulder with me.  Spread out and explore the space, enjoy the ride.  That’s how I feel.

Why would strangers choose to invade your personal space?  I don’t know.  Maybe they are lonely. Maybe they are conducting a psychological experiment (this happened to me once).  Maybe they just don’t know any better.  Whatever the reason it’s not cool. 
Space Invaders come in all shapes and sizes and you never know when one is about to strike.  One time I was riding the elevator and it stopped on a random floor that we will call the third floor.  A woman in a power chair came cruising in at a high rate of speed and did not stop until she made it all the way to the back where I was standing.  Sometimes people in power chairs do this in order to have enough room to turn around so they can exit the elevator facing forward.  I get it, looking ahead is easier than trying to look behind, and since we were the only two on the elevator I assumed it was her plan.  Nope.  She did however inch her chair even closer to me so that the chair was almost touching my shoe.  She stayed there until she reached her floor and then had to back up before she could turn around and exit.
Normally I step away from the Space Invaders if there is room and sometimes I will tell them they are a little close, but I couldn’t believe that the woman in the power chair purposely inched even closer after she was already too close.  I had to see what was going to happen. 
I don’t think it is rude to ask for a little space if you feel uncomfortable, but if there is room you shouldn’t  have too.

Who is? Dave Zaple

Hello! That's me, DZ. I'm big fan of bright shorts. I was the team medic/photographer on Dave Cornthwaite's most recent expedition Swim 1000.

The final farewell photo as I left the team to head back to the UK to start working on these:

I'm a paramedic, scout leader, photographer and general adventure nut...

I haven't always been those things though. I was lucky enough to be part of the inaugural Prime Ministers Global Fellowship where I spent 6 weeks in China. It changed my life. I worked in an engineering office for a year but I wasn't that good at it. So I saved my money, worked 3 jobs to then travel the world. Then I really got the bug, the travel bug (and a significant stomach bug in India but we won't talk about that). I went to university to train as a paramedic and now I'm here, writing about myself for the wonderful Patrick Albert.

I have the best job in the world and some big plans to see it all from a bicycle. Myself and Em Bell are are planning to cycle around the world. Nearly Naked. For MCAC and Coppafeel!

I'm super new to all this technical website making stuff but stay tuned on www.davezaple.com for updates on everything. Providing I can work out how to update it!

The Wife of an Adventurer

The Life Wife of an Adventurer

Often times storytellers start off by declaring that their most recent grand adventure was profoundly enhanced as the result of unplanned or unexpected happenings along the way. This too is the case in my tale. Once upon a time in a not so far away land (O'Fallon, IL) a typical tale of boy meets girl unfolds. Little did I know then that twenty plus years later boy and girl would still be as goofy and happy together as ever, having shared our own zany family adventures along the way.

It was not until recent years that my husband's passion for real life adventures flourished into what it has become today, which I'm sure is only a fraction of what it will be in years to come. I suppose the old adage "opposites attract" is true since on most things we are complete opposites. He is fearless and I worry enough for both of us. He is always dreaming up, or perhaps more appropriately scheming up, some new crazy endeavor to pursue while I quietly sit back, usually roll my eyes and wonder "what is he getting me into now". He loves being outdoors while I hate dirt and bugs and will break out if anyone around me just speaks the words poison ivy. Given that last difference, my involvement in his real life adventures is somewhat limited but I've found other ways to support and encourage him on his quests. I have been his pit crew and chief resupply officer on many an adventure. However in the end I'm typically left feeling like the biggest wimp in the world as I usually show more signs of wear and tear than he does even though he is the one who has been physically challenging himself.
My husband and I have been engaged in an open ended discussion the last couple years...I allege that he did not fully disclose his true identity to me before we married so that I could make an informative decision as to whether or not that was the life for me, while on the other hand he asserts that I knew what I was getting into. In my eyes I had met Peter Parker, a smart, loveable, relatively normal, somewhat nerdy guy. Little did I know there was much more underneath the surface. And while he is no Spiderman (...yet, no telling what will happen in the future from all the spiders he comes in contact with on the trails) he definitely has an alter-ego and will always be a Super Hero to me.

Who Is?: Em Bell – the oddball adventurer

I am short. Slightly odd. I have eyes that change colour. I have hobbit sized feet. I can fall asleep anywhere. I have an impressive appetite. I love penguins. I am gullible. I have been likened to a troll. I am allergic to desks. I am Em Bell. And I am about to become a full time adventurer.
After quitting my job in headhunting back in 2009, I searched the world for my "dream job". I represented the UK on a game show, became a stand-in contestant on Ant and Dec's game show, moved to Cape Town to present a music festival, organised Bat Mitzvahs, cleaned my friends houses, worked on a McFy documentary and then landed a job writing full-time for a magazine.
Life was good. I had a super pad. I had a cracking job. But my head started wandering again. And after Dave Cornthwaite came to load magazines for his next book, he offered me the spot as the blogger on his upcoming adventure - to swim 1000 miles down the Missouri River with a support team stand-up paddle boarding alongside him.
I was in.

Obviously.
On it, there was a 15 minute moment with Vanessa Knight. We were paddling like nutters to reach an Indian reserve where the rest of the team were waiting; and I suddenly realised, that I wanted to become a full time adventurer. I would be able to write about adventure. I would be able to film adventure. I would be able to do adventure. Every day. The female version of Bear Grylls if you will.
So I am now living on a mattress next to my parents bed. With a train covered sheet and duvet. Working round the clock to save every penny. And planning, planning planning.
Next summer I am set to rollerblade 2000 miles around Italy. Then I'm off to Australia in November 2013 with Vanessa Knight (who you have already met) to become the first people to stand-up paddle board source to sea of the Murray River. Then I am set to cycle round the world with Dave Zaple. Lots of plans. Lots of adventures. All for CoppaFeel breast cancer charity. So watch this troll shaped space...
www.embell.co.uk

Elevator Manifesto: Part 1

This manifesto is a response to a general lack of consideration and presence of common sense that I have witnessed while riding the elevators in the hospital where I work in the maintenance department.  Maybe these things are indicative of changes to society on a larger scale and just become more obvious in the microcosm of the elevator ride.  Maybe my place of work has been overrun by the inconsiderate and the oblivious, and the behaviors I see on a day to day basis aren’t the norm.  I doubt this is the case though.  While this is a manifesto about elevator rules, it is also a guide to living in polite society.  Having some consideration for others can go a long way to making the world run more smoothly.

Before addressing topics like, Space Invaders, Up Downs, Down Ups, Door Holders, Elevator Operators, and more I think I should address the most common source of my elevator frustration. 
Rule #1 Exiting passengers have the right of way.
Such a simple rule. 
So simple I will use an analogy to explain it.  Lets say you were filling a jar with red and blue marbles and you mistakenly fill it to the top with the red leaving no room for the blue.  You have to get the blue ones in there somehow.  What do you do?  Do you try to cram the blue marbles into the already full jar like a dummy, or do you take some of the red ones out to make room for the blue?  Most people would choose the latter rather than the former of the two options.  Why then do so many people rush onto the elevator as soon as the doors open?  Is it because they lack a basic understanding of common elevator rules of etiquette, or do they think the world revolves around them and we should all step aside and let them do whatever they want.
This simple rule and its violation is what finally lead me to writing this manifesto that I have been threatening to write for years.  It was a Thursday, a day not unlike any other day.  I was pushing a cart with some supplies and had to bring them to the the third floor.  I boarded the elevator with another person and we both got off at the third floor.  I motioned for him to disembark first because the room I was going to was next to the elevator bank and he would have had to walk around me had I exited first (consideration: it’s easy).  I followed directly behind him not wanting to leave a gap allowing someone to jump on before I could make my exit.  Seriously I was right on his heels, but that wasn’t enough to stop the woman who had been waiting for the elevator.  Without looking she tried to walk right on as in her peripheral vision she saw the first guy exit.  When she finally noticed I was coming off with the cart she had to do a jump back maneuver that almost made the guy behind her trip.  As the elevator door was closing I could hear her mumbling to the guy whom she almost tripped that it was rude of me to not have announced I was coming off the elevator.  I was rude?  Really?  I don’t believe I was, but if I was please tell me.  She said some other stuff too that was hard to make out.  My first thought was to abandon my cart and run up the stairs to explain to her the error of her ways but I knew better than to leave the cart unattended.  It was a teachable moment, and I had to let it pass, very unfortunate.
Rule #1 is simple, easy to follow, and is applicable 100% of the time.  If you have been waiting “forever” for the elevator to arrive at your floor, exiting passengers still have the right of way.  If you are only going up or down one floor, exiting passengers still have the right of way.  If you are pregnant or suspect you may be pregnant, if you are in a power chair, if you are rich, if you are poor, if you suspect you may have gotten that lady pregnant when you hooked up at your ten year high school reunion, remember Rule #1 and let the people off the elevator before you make things difficult for everyone.
Stay tuned for part 2 and until then be sure to put rule #1 into practice. 

Who Is?: Super Kate

I actually tried to write a post like this a few years ago and failed miserably. Back then pretty much everything about me was defined in terms of others…my roles in life and the things I did. Jeff’s wife, Daniel/Nathan/Jacob’s mother, my students’ teacher. If you asked me what I did outside of those roles, I’d tell you, “Um….I read a lot.” I didn’t have my own “thing”. We watched a lot of sports and movies. We camped. While I liked to do all of those things, I was just fitting myself into what my husband enjoyed. I can’t blame him; when he’d ask me what I wanted to do I didn’t know. I wasn’t so much an individual as a mirror.


We subscribed to National Geographic Adventure and Outside magazines. I read them cover to cover, dreaming of a life of adventure that seemed as out of reach as a date with Brad Pitt. Back then, I saw life mostly in terms of what I couldn’t do. I was afraid to try new things. Without someone to lead the way I hung back, bored but comfortable with the familiar. And then, at 35, I fell in love. Yes, I was already married, but it’s ok because I fell in love with bicycling.

Thanks to a lousy sense of direction I accidentally rode my new bike 15 miles, a distance that seemed astonishing to me at the time. That ride – to another town! – was the first time I ever understood the sense of accomplishment that comes with the journey. 15 miles turned into 30, then 60 and later 100. Later came the decision to train for a 5K with my sister-in-law. I didn’t even like running; it took almost a year before I’d call myself a runner, but I did love the challenge. Running friendships led me to adventure racing and a whole host of new things: orienteering, mountain biking, paddling, bushwhacking, racing through the night.

Somewhere in all of this, I made a shift that has truly changed me life. Instead of saying “I can’t”, I started wondering, “Can I?” And for me, the process of answering that question matters infinitely more than the actual answer.

Can I run a marathon? Yes.
Can I race for 24 hours straight? Yes.
Can I rappel for the first time ever at night? Yes.
Can I ascend a 100-foot rock wall? Eventually.
Can I ride my bike 200 miles in a day? Not yet.

I don’t like to fail, but I’m no longer so afraid of failure that I refuse to try things that call to me. My circumstances haven’t changed, but my world is much bigger. I’m still a wife and a mother and a teacher and a reader…and a runner and mountain biker and adventure racer. I like a good challenge, can often be found jumping in over my head, and can probably be talked into joining your hairbrained scheme. I’m living the same basic life, but now it’s filled with adventure and adventurous people, and when I say “I can’t”, it’s most often to tell you “I can’t wait!”

I’m Kate. Who are you?
You can read more about Super Kate on her blog by clicking here.

One project finished as another begins

I actually finished a project! 
It was an easy one but I finished it just the same.  Beth wanted to install some lights on the mirror behind the dresser.  My first instinct was to schedule it for some later date that would probably never arrive, but instead I decided to make it happen.  After all being married to me is a lot of work so installing some lights is the least I could do.  She told me what she wanted and I immediately knew what to do.  Off to our local home supply superstore we went.  We grabbed a light, power cord, and bulbs, checked out and headed home.  I gathered some tools and realized that I forgot to grab some wire nuts, but luckily I found some in the back of a drawer.  With everything ready to go I realized the part of the mirror on which I was planning on attaching the lights was not made of wood but instead a masonite material.  Not cool.  If I didn’t have any nuts and bolts to go through I would have to make a run to the store again.  I know that sounds like a small thing but I was determined to not let anything derail this project.  Fortunately I scrounged up something that worked and I got the light installed.  The 60W bulbs we bought were overkill, so as they go out they will be replaced with 40W bulbs.  Finishing the project made me happy, because it was something for Beth.  I was glad to bring a little light into her life, she deserves much more but it will have to do for now.  If you read my Who Is? feature you know finishing this project is a big deal regardless of how small and easy it was.  As one project is completed another begins.

Finished the Berryman marathon.

A new beginning!
The training cycle for Run100+ has officially begun.  Run, run, run.  The Kettle Moraine 100mile trail run will be here before I know it, and I have miles and miles to run.  In order for me to cross the finish line I will have to work harder and be more serious about running than I have ever been.  Riding high off the light project I feel like I am up to the task but sustaining the momentum has been problematic in the past.  One thing I know for sure though is that the trail doesn’t care if I skip training runs and slack off, likewise it doesn’t care if I train harder than ever.  To the trail I am insignificant.
I know what I need to do.  All that is left is for me to do it, and do it according to plan for the next 6months.  I haven’t failed in a 100+Project challenge yet, and I don’t plan to start now. 
The END!

Who Is?: Ness Knight

I have just woken up to the rustling noises of some fat geese waddling through the leaves right by my tent, gabbling on at one another (rather disconcerting when you are still half asleep and have no idea what is going on, mind) whilst making their way to a bubbling creek just a few meters away. The morning sun is glistening through a multitude of condensation droplets all around my tent, making me feel like I'm surrounded by a thousand little suns. This is why I am an adventurer. This is why I do what I do. It is quite likely that those stuck in the traffic and fumes on a highway just 200 meters away have absolutely no idea that this idyllic little haven even exists. It reminds me of some lyrics from a Cat Empire song I listened to yesterday which really struck a chord, "Do you ever look around and find what is here to be found?".

I'm Ness. At the moment you will find me cycling 2000 miles across the USA. Everything I need to get me across this distance fits on my bicycle.
Many have asked me why I decided to be an adventurer. There are 3 reasons, 1.) I get to challenge myself physically and mentally through endurance expeditions, pushing my limits and finding the depths of what I am capable of. 2.) I want to make sure that in 50 years time I can look back and say that I truly lived, having gathered thousands of brilliant experiences to show for my achievements, and not just a house full of stuff. 3.) We live on a phenomenal planet. My expeditions allow me to see the world from a very unique perspective. As I cycle these 2000+ miles I am taking in every single brilliant aspect, meter by meter, mile upon mile.
Next year sees me SUPing the length of the Murray River in Australia source to sea with the brilliant Em Bell. A Thames River source to sea swim is on the cards and plans are in the pipeline for a Pacific Ocean row.
I'm Ness, a dorky geek who found her passion in adventure and is living every single minute to the full. Who are you?

Find out more about Ness on her website NessKnight.com

Sunday Fear

As each weekend draws to a close I always find myself stricken with Sunday Fear.  I have suffered from this condition for as long as I can remember but it wasn’t until recently that I learned it had a name.  Sunday Fear is the anxiousness that builds with the approach of the coming work week  as the sands in the hourglass of the weekend run out.  The symptoms include restlessness, irritability, depression, nervousness, and  helplessness among others. 

Every Friday we are presented with two days of freedom from the workplace.  For those suffering from Sunday Fear this can mean two things, it can make you want to jam pack as much activity into those two days as possible or, it can make you want to do as little as possible because as we all know ‘Time flies when you are having fun’, and the last thing a person suffering from Sunday Fear wants to do is hasten the approach of the coming work week. 

For me the Sunday Fear begins with a feeling of dread.  Then the mental list of all the things I wish I had done over the weekend that I tell myself that I will do the next weekend begins.  It is not uncommon for me to complain of boredom.  I am often heard saying “I want to do something”.  These last two symptoms directly led to me going kayaking for the first time.  Beth got tired of my self-pity and pretty much forced me to go and I had a great time.  Resisting the Sunday Fear is not impossible but it takes so much effort that sometimes it is just easier to give in to it.

"Only the rush hour hell to face"

There are thousands, dare I say millions of sufferers.  A simple solution would be to quit our jobs and find something we love.  Unfortunately some will never discover this simple solution and go on thinking this is the way life is supposed to be, work at an unfulfilling job until most of your life is gone and if you are lucky have a modest retirement.  There are even common sayings that are meant to reinforce this idea.  “That’s why it’s called Work, it’s not supposed to be fun”.  I think work can and should be fun.  Spending most of your life on toil and drudgery is no way to live.  How many lives do we get anyway?  That’s right just one.

Others, like me, see the answer clearly enough but because of the decisions that led to this point are stuck until they can dig themselves out.  Some are fortunate and see things sooner and therefore have an easier time finding a way out.  Whatever stage you find yourself in, know that there is a way out.  Everyone’s path is different but there is a path, you must however, make the decision to take it.

I am moving down my path with an end in sight but I still struggle with the Sunday Fear.

I was firmly locked into the career path with head down moving day by day toward my retirement age.  With 15years to go I had a countdown clock running on my desk top ticking away the seconds until it was time to be free.  One day I realized the absurdity of being a square peg in a round hole for the next 15 years and decided to make a change.  I am still at my job for now and for how long is a difficult question to answer as I get some affairs in order, but there is one thing I know for certain it won’t be another 15years.  It is an extremely frightening decision but living the next 15years with the Sunday Fear is far worse.

Who Is?: Patrick Albert

In the introductory post of the Who Is? feature I will be placing myself under the microscope for a little inward reflection to determine Who Is?: Patrick Albert.  First though an explanation of this new feature seems in order.
I find people interesting.  The idiosyncrasies that make us different are what makes us interesting as individuals.  If we were all the same everything would be boring, and there would be no need to dig any deeper than the surface because what we would find underneath would just be more of the same.  Thankfully, we are all different and it is a worthwhile endeavour to see what is below the surface, sometimes we might be shocked by what we find or even horrified but in the end it was worth a look because we  also run the risk of being pleasantly surprised or overwhelmed by compassion and that is a risk worth taking.
Who Is? is an attempt to get at a little something below the surface by simply asking the question, Who Is?: "insert your name here".
I will pass this question around and all I ask is that it be answered in a meaningful way.  That is my only guidance.  It can be answered in any manner, words, video, photograph, painting, etc.(all of the work should be your own though).

Without further adieu:



I am a person full of ideas, and half finished projects.  The Avett Brothers song Incomplete and Insecure starts out with this line, "I haven't finished a thing since I started my life, I don't feel much like starting now".  This lyric hit me like a lightning bolt the first time I heard it.  It made me think about many things in my life.  Just a simple turn of phrase and yet so powerful.
I don't know why I am this way, but I'm sure years of therapy could yield an answer.  It's not like I have never finished anything but there are many ships yet to sail into their bottles because of me.  Having come to this realization has really helped cut down on the projects though.  The other day I heard someone described as a "thinker, not a tinkerer"  and although they weren't talking about me they easily could have been.
Perhaps the string of unfinished business in my wake is what draws me to adventure.  When you announce an adventure to the world it is a declaration of self, a bold statement that I WILL______!  You can fill in your own blank.  Skate100+, the first of the 100+Projects started with a pit in my stomach.  This was the first time I ever announced anything to the world.  The first time it ever really mattered if I finished or not.  The truth was I wasn’t sure if I could ride a skateboard 100+ miles.  I couldn't back out though.   I made the announcement and the world, or at least my small corner of it was watching!   I was prepared to do whatever it took.  I skateboarded 107miles that day and felt a great sense of accomplishment.
I am still a person with unfinished projects and unrealized ideas but I realize that some projects just don’t fit and some ideas are never meant to be realized.  Just like things, ideas can clutter your life, and I have made a good start at getting rid of that clutter.  But just like the raft, the musical, the comic strip, the canoe, and the silicone impregnated nylon, all I have so far is a good start, only time will tell if I finish.

I am Patrick Albert.  Who are you?

CRASH!

Earlier this week Superkate tweeted something about most memorable bike crashes.  It prompted me to access the memory banks to determine my own most memorable crash.  I have crashed on a bike so often that you would think it would be hard to pick just one, and you would be right if you did.  I thought of three right away and strangely enough the crash on my road bike at Tour de Donut that resulted in a broken wrist was not one of them.
I have said before that if you aren't falling you aren't really living.  A life without an occasional fall is a life played a little too safe.  If you don't risk falling you just might be missing out on some really great opportunities.  The falling I am referring to here is not metaphorical, I am actually saying that a complete and total gravity check can enrich your life.  Don't go out and fall on purpose that would be foolish and be missing the point entirely.  Go take a risk and see what happens the reward is taking the risk in the first place sometimes you will totally bust your ass but sometimes you won't and that will lead you to bigger and better things.  Most of the time you won't die either or even get seriously injured.
So with out further adieu here are my top three most memorable bicycle crashes in no particular order:

This how I was rollin' back in the day except mine had a chain.

1.  When I was a kid I loved jumping ramps on my bike a Huffy Buckaroo, not the ideal bike for what I was using it for but it got the job done.  Some of the older boys in the neighborhood had built a ramp in the alley.  The ramp was nothing fancy just some plywood and 2x4's it was maybe a foot and a half tall.  We jumped our bikes off that thing thousands of times, competing to see who could jump the farthest or the highest.  It was really a fun time, but not without risk.  I was probably around ten years old at the time and was pretty good at jumping off the ramp, as simple as it was.  I remember a specific instance of riding up to the ramp wanting to jump higher and farther than I had ever done before.  Everything was perfect I hit the ramp and launched my bike like a rabbit.  This was going to be awesome, until I notice that my front wheel had come off in mid air.  This is the part where everything went into slow-motion.  I saw the wheel on the ground rolling away and had time to think about how bad it was going to be when I came down.  It was very surreal knowing that my fate was fixed.  There was no way to avoid it as a front wheel is a key component to a bicycle, I was going to crash.  The whole episode took place in a split second but it really felt like a long time.  I came down and my now wheel-less forks dug into the soft sun baked asphalt of the alley and I flipped over the handle bars with the bike landing on top of me.  I was shaken up and had a few scrapes but wasn't hurt too badly (In the early 80's no one wore any protective gear).  Thirty years later I still can remember the exact feeling I had when I was in the air without a front wheel.  Sometimes I think if I only could have shifted my weight back I could have rode it out on the back wheel, ridiculous right?  All the other kids thought it was really cool, but no one asked me to do it again.

2.  The second crash also happened when I was young a little older than crash number one (so the order is chronological after all).  My bicycle jumping skills were really getting better thanks to the new bmx style bike my parents bout me for Christmas.  Unfortunately that bike was stolen so I was forced to bring the Buckaroo out of retirement.  I didn't want to but everyone rode around on their bikes in my neighborhood so I was left with little choice in the matter because lord knows my sister was not going to let me use her ten-speed (another crash related story involving me racing a motorcycle, needing to stop quickly, and not knowing which brake was which).
There was this rock pile behind a gas station near my house that we had been jumping.  We had a lot of fun jumping it and were starting to get a little fancier with our jumps, adding x-ups, and tucks, as well as table tops (if you don't know what these are don't worry it's not important to the story).  Bringing the Buckaroo out of retirement didn't slow me down at all.  I didn't realize at the time that it could not take the punishment that my recently stolen bike could.  I was a kid not an engineer after all.  The last time I jumped the rock pile behind the gas station started off like every other time before.  Up the rock pile and into the air I went, Sweet!  Everything seemed okay.  I landed hard on the ground and immediately my handle bars broke.  The right side bent all the way down and I went down with it.  I couldn't believe what had just happened.  There was no slow-motion moment this time I was taken completely by surprise.  I don't remember the extent of my injuries but they were most likely minor.  I finished breaking the right side of the handlebars off and rode my bike that way, left side handlebar, right side jagged piece of metal for a couple weeks until I got new ones.

3.  The third most memorable crash happened about four years ago out on the mountain bike trails at SIUE. I had recently bought my mountain bike because I wanted to start riding again.  I had ridden the trails a few times but since I didn't know any other mountain bikers in the area it just wasn't as fun as it could have been. I decided that I would recruit my nephew to be riding partner.  He had a crappy mountain bike and I hoped that he would love the trails so much that he would decide to buy one of higher quality.  His bike had no brakes so he did not enjoy his time on the trails and we decided to cut things short.  I kept telling him how awesome it was to ride a decent bike, and how he should really think about getting a better bike.  I wanted to let him ride my bike but I had clipless pedals so it wasn't possible.  The area where we came out of the trails meets up with a bike path.  Right at the end of the trail there is kind of a dip that I decided to jump.  Ideally I would land on the path and ride away.  Instead, I had too much speed and realized that when I landed I would have to stop immediately or I would fly off the other side of the trail and down the steep hill into the woods.  In a panic I grabbed two handfuls of brake and flipped head over heels over bike.  Flipping a bike with clipless pedals is a little crazy.  So after trying so hard to convince him that mountain biking was the thing to do I ended the day with a spectacular wipe out.  Not very convincing.

So those are my top three most memorable bicycle crashes what are yours?  And if you don't have any maybe you should!