Apparently I am not so good at biking riding

It has become abundantly clear to me over the last month that my bike riding skills my be severely below par. Yep that's right. I am admitting I am not so good at something. Here is the story:

About 4 weeks ago I went biking a few days after a snowstorm. I hit some ice and snow and went flying off my bike. You can read about that fall here. Two weeks ago I was going on a long ride with my friend Hannah. We had already gone about 16 miles when Hannah thought something was wrong with her bike. Sure enough her back tire was flat. We managed to repair it (with many a fellow biker flying by asking if we needed help). No more than 3 minutes down the same path after we started again I felt like something was wrong with my bike. Sure enough I know had a flat back tire. We again managed to change my punctured tube and we were on our way.

Fast forward to this past weekend. Hannah and I ventured out on another long ride on Sunday. Hannah...being the responsible biker that she is...bought a new spare tube for her tire in case she needed it. I did not. About 4 miles into the ride, I look down and realize my back tire is flat. I am frustrated because we just started and I know I also don't have a replacement tube. Hannah had her tube but her tires are much smaller than mine. We tried to make it work but the tube was just too small....so Hannah's roommate, Rosalind, came to the rescue and drove me home.

It was such a nice day out though that Hannah, Rosalind and I decided to ride our bikes to the bike shop to get a replacement tube. I have another bike (I know lame). Rosalind dropped me off and I was to meet them at their house which is about 2 miles from my house. I switched out bikes and headed out forgetting one very important aspect about my other bike...it has disc brakes. Basically disc brakes are like brakes in cars and they make you stop very fast...almost immediately....as in if you aren't paying attention and being careful you can go flying off your bike.

I was no more than one block from my house going down a small hill (Side Note: I was only riding with one hand because I was eating an apple and hanging onto it with my other hand..I know..stupid). Anyway, I was going down the small hill and realized I was gaining a little too much speed so I "lightly" touched my front brake (forgetting again I was on a different bike and one with disc brakes as well).

The next thing I know I am flying through the air over the top of my handle bars. I crunch into the ground and realize I am not hurt. I immediately stand up and I am pretty sure my apple was still in my hand. There were quite a few spectators and they all asked if I was okay which I surprisingly was considering the situation. I know my left side hit the ground because my shoulder has been so sore all week long. I am also pretty sure my bike landed between my legs because I have bruises all over my left leg (pictures to come soon). My arm was the only thing that got scraped up and that was barely scraped at all...just bruises.

Apparently, I am not so good at riding bikes. I am learning though and hopefully I can go more than a month without falling. At least I am learning that crashing your bike is not as painful as it seems.

The Best Birthday

I would have to say this weekend may have been my best birthday ever mostly due to situations outside my control colliding on the same day...mainly Michigan State University Basketball.

Yep that's right...MSU gave me the best birthday present in the world by winning on Saturday night. I went to a bar in downtown Philadelphia to watch the game. The MSU Alumni club was also there which was awesome because it is the first time I have watched an MSU game with mostly MSU fans in a long time. Every time there was an awesome play or some good shooting the place went wild especially when Dorrel Summers had the awesome dunk over the UCONN player. I was in heaven.

I am going back tonight to hopefully watch the completion of my birthday present...a National Championship.

All in all the whole weekend was great from having dinner with my community and going bowling to my running students singing me happy birthday to watching the game on Saturday night with tons of MSU fans to finally enjoying a beautiful day on Sunday and going on a bike ride (in which I fell off my bike again but that is another story for another blog post).

Intense

This is an intense anti-domestic violence ad I recently saw....

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/video/2009/apr/02/womens-aid-keira-knightley-ad

I have never really liked Keira Knightley but I am glad she is behind causes like this...watch at your own discretion.

Yep That's Right

If you would like some good reading material, check out this site:

http://www.lasallianvolunteers.org/lvofthemonth/default.asp

Yep, that's right..I am LV of the Month for April. Now being LV of the Month does not mean I accomplished something amazing or deserve recognition. In my opinion it is more about advertising all the different things LVs do and how our experiences have changed us over the course of our time as an LV...so in turn new folks will be attracted to the LV program. While that might be the case, I know many LVs hope to attain this coveted spot.

I am not a big fan of the pictures they used...I am a little vain (Dad you better not make a comment about that) and don't think I look all that great but oh well.

Enjoy the article...

Run for Philly's Future

Well...it always seems I am raising money for something. If you feel like not reading the rest of this post, I understand, but please just take the time to read it even if you are unable to donate.

As many of you know, I am a Running Leader for Students Run Philly Style which is a mentoring and marathon training program for students in Philadelphia. It is one of the best things I have ever involved myself in. I am humbled by the accomplishments of my students who ran the marathon (check out this post about the marathon) in the fall and excited about our new group that started training about three weeks ago.

I recently raised money for the Lasallian Volunteer program and that money went directly to the LVs, which is a great cause. Now Students Run Philly Style is starting a fundraiser in conjunction with the 10 mile Broad Street Run at the beginning of May. I couldn't pass this up even though I just raised money.

I am not doing a large mailing, but simply posting this on my blog and maybe sending a few emails. My goal is a modest $250. I know this is tough economic times, but if you have a couple bucks and want to support any amazing cause please considering donating.

If you would like to donate, please visit the following website to donate online. You can also submit a check and the instructions for how to do so are on the webpage.

http://studentsrunphilly.org/future/donate.asp

I also have a small cameo on the website....feel free to check out this page to see me:

http://studentsrunphilly.org/future/fundraising.asp

Victory for MSU Women

Anyone that knows me knows that I am a huge MSU fan...and that is probably the understatement of the year. Well our ladies pulled off the upset of the women's tournament so far defeating #1 seed Duke....against their former coach no less. Here is a short article about the win.

What I love most about this win is that many of the players from the men's team were in attendance and definitely cheering the women on. Also my man Izzo was at the game.

http://www.wilx.com/sports/headlines/41793842.html

Bring on the Fixie

Over Easter Break (I wish it would get here sooner) I am going up to Maine to visit my friend Suze who is an AmeriCorps Volunteer at Community Bike Works. CBW is basically a neighborhood bike shop where kids come and learn to build bikes, ride safely and well have a good time.

Anyway, I am planning on visiting Suze but we are also building a fixed gear bicycle for myself when I am there. She already has the frame and I am basically trading volunteer hours at the shop where Suze works in exchange for this bike. All in all it is a great deal. I really only have to buy the back flip/flop tire. If you don't know what a fixed gear bicycle is well it is basically a bike that only has one gear and the pedals keep moving all the time.

I am excited to work hands on building a bike. One of my life goals/dreams is to learn how to work well with bikes. I am learning as I go but there is a lot more too it than most people realize.

Here is a picture of the frame of my bike. We are removing the chain ring, crank arm, and seat and replacing it so it will look different than what you see now. Although that awesome Schwinn frame will remain the same. I will be sure to send you a picture when the bike is complete.