Entry about Boston

After the bombings at the Boston Marathon, I ended up taking pen to paper and wrote this note - it was written on Monday, April 15, 2013. It was half in response to the outpouring of comments about how horrible the world was, half in response to what I knew would be a witch-hunt and cries of ultimate justice.

I know my views are not common when it comes to these things, but, I think this is what I would want to communicate to anyone who sets out in such a way to cause harm and chaos.

I do gain some comfort from two quotes:

When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” To this day, especially in times of “disaster,” I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world. - Mr. Rogers

Also a less known and slightly corrupt proverb based on, what I believe, is a Chinese saying:

Without evil, good cannot triumph - without war there can be no peace.

What we value most in the world - love, peace, harmony - only exist because these are vulnerable and uncertain. However, so are the things we fear the most - hate, murder, chaos.

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Hello,

We don’t know each other; at least, I can only imagine we don’t know each other because I don’t live anywhere near Massachusetts.

I do know most people will fly to two extremes – one that announces the need for more love while announcing the need for your savage destruction. I do know other people will use this day as proof that they are justified in despising humanity.

Here is what I think – what I think you should know.

I know you wanted to do damage, to make an impact and you did. However, those who were killed, mangled and maimed, they will be remembered for every good deed they did. From the destruction left in the wake of the explosions, everyday, mild-mannered people became heroes, friends and supporters. Born on the ripples of tragedy, amazing things happened throughout the US.

I wish this outpouring of support and love that people are capable of had been apparent to you before things fractured and splintered in your own life and led you down a path that left you no other choice but to attack. I know I am guilty of pushing people aside or telling myself it is better to not be involved. It’s easier when things turn violent or vicious to claim it was evil-born or something out of my control and so far out of my reach. The truth is, there was probably one moment, one touch or one word that could have changed the course of events if someone had had the courage to reach out rather than walk away from you.

All life is worthwhile – and so is yours. But, you will never be known for any good you have done, you will only been classified by this deed. Your thoughts, your feelings, your message and your legacy will probably never be understood due to the chain of events that led you to the Boston Marathon. Just as those everyday people were turned into heroes in a single day due to your actions, you were turned into what we all fear – the absence of choice, the absence of love and the absence of reason.

At the end of this all - no one will really understand what you wanted to really communicate. It will be defined merely as "hate" rather than a true revolution of thought that could bring about change.

What is done is done. The manhunts, the accusations  the wishes of destruction on you are only the residual of what happened long before now. I hope, in some way, you can walk from your own darkness.

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Be Part of the Adventure
Do you have a suggestion or want to see me attempt something? Drop me an email at AdventuringAmanda@gmail.com with your suggestion.

My Year In Biking

Excited

This week is all about my future biking adventures – can you feel the excitement? Probably not. Trust me, I’m excited. Nothing like talking about biking and planning out my rides.

I think I actually have a group of people who might stick with me this year and be as passionate about biking as either I am or a little more. I think that will be both a good and bad thing.

• Good: I have someone to be accountable to, learn from and be a team with. 
• Bad: I am use of doing my own thing in my own time. With others around, I have to be a team player.

Events
Well, I think I just maxed out all I can do on a bike in a year. It reminds me of a text I once got. .

Seems reasonable

Here is what my schedule looks like – and by schedule I mean the things I am going to sign up for or have signed up for a need to train for.

Girls with Gears
Date: 4/21/2013
Route: 25 miles

Quad County Metric Ride 
Date: 5/11/2013
Route: 62 miles

Nockamixon Lake Century 
Date: 8/24/2013
Route: 100 miles

Tour DaVita
Date: 9/14/2013-9/18/2013
Route: 270 miles

MS City to Shore
Date: 9/28/2013
Route: 100 miles

Covered Bridges Ride
Date: 10/20/2013
Route: 33 miles

So that means I have 590 miles booked in just tours alone. I mean, I rode a total of 1,587 last year. Whatever! I am most likely to crap out on the Quad and Nock. I wonder if other people will want to come along with me – drafting will make a huge difference. I know the people most likely to want to come with me are going to be those who are much more advanced than me – that means I overdo it trying to keep up or might as well do everything alone.

None of these people know my issue.

Revelations
I was looking over my old blog posts from my first century last year (you can read them from my Manda's Century page) and I found it sort of fun and learn-ish. I guess I will continue posting some stuff here. I really would like to document my (adrenal) crashes more. Even though, with my model-like boyfriend sticking around, I am trying to be more careful with myself.

I don’t think it is fair to subject people who love you to. . . wait a minute. That’s a lie. If I’m miserable, everyone should be miserable!

Take Aways
Here is what I am focusing on this year.

• Eating: I found once I stopped biking, I lost about 25lbs. One was because my thyroid woke up and started doing its business, the other was I stopped eating. I track what I eat on MyFitnessPal and I sometimes eat a couple hundred calories. I need to make sure I am fueling my body correctly. 
• Structure: I actually stepped aside with a lot of my volunteering so I would be free to ride and live a normal-ish life. I can set up a better schedule. I also don’t have to worry about dating – and I mean, the boyfriend said he would do the MS City to Shore with me and already laughed for about 10 minutes the first time he saw me in biking clothes.
• Medication: I am going to do better with my meds. I am going to do awesome with my supplements and I am going to be careful with myself. Even typing out that list spawned a little patch of neuropathy at my neck so I am going to be gentle with myself. I often write off “emotional” things but those are chemically induced and that can wreck me. 
• Truth: Winners (in life) never lie to themselves. I can’t lie about my condition and how I have to manage it. I also need to be truthful with those around me if I am going to be on a team. I know how to handle my breakdowns, I don’t know how to handle other people handling my breakdowns. 
• Logo: I am totally going to come up with a great name for my “team” and a logo. Yeah!

Be Part of the Adventure
Do you have a suggestion or want to see me attempt something? Drop me an email at AdventuringAmanda@gmail.com with your suggestion.

Go Skiing

Mission level: Success, mostly.

Whiteface Olympic Mountain

My first attempt at skiing was a sort of fail due to weather conditions when my super-hot boyfriend and I went to Lake Placid, New York. I might add, my super-hot boyfriend is not just a pretty face, he is an accomplished skier.

However, due to rain, we never made it to the slopes.

We did go ice skating, though. You can read about that in my Ice Skate post.

Context
I know zero-zip-ziletch about skiing. In fact, I have never been on a mountain, really. Not one with snow on it that is used for skiing. I never participated in winter sports, except the ever popular "I don't care if you have a snow day, get out of bed and shovel the driveway so Dad can go to work" marathon at the Estate.

Inaccurate representation of
Chickies Rock

I did once almost fall off a large hill - it was Chickies Rock in Marietta, PA. My boyfriend at the time did not seemed concerned as I slid careened down the rocky side toward the road certain death.

However, as I mentioned, MacGyver is an accomplished skier and I was pretty sure he wasn't going to let me go careening down some icey slope to certain doom.



The Build Up
MacGyver picked out where we we went, which was Blue Mountain in PA. I was able to borrow a snow-suit from my boyfriend's Mom. That's right, I'm the same size as my boyfriend's mom. While they also had skis and whatnot, I just rented the skis, ski boots and. . .those pole things that you stab the ground with.

I wasn't super keen on skiing. I was curious about it, I enjoyed seeing how happy my guy was about it, but, I can't say I was excited. I can't pin-point why there are certain times I am happy to blow past my comfort zone and why other times I just lack the motivation. I knew I was going to be uncomfortable and I did have a week full of discomfort. I'll say it's that.

The day of, my stomach was also not happy. I don't know why but I thought  was gong to hurl at least twice. That really had nothing to do with the story other than I wasn't feeling great. It passed, however. Thankfully. Being a disaster on a ski slope and hurling is not cool.

I am for cool.

On the Snow

I'm a pro

I did make it out onto the slopes. It was a balmy 20 degrees. Sven (that's what MacGyver calls himself when he is skiing) helped me get into the skis.

And then I started moving backwards. It's ok, I got myself down-ish the hill. I ended up in a rut and then almost went down another slope.

Sven taught me the following:

• Big pizza slice: Putting your ski tips together to form a triangle or large pizza slice to slow down or stop.
• Snake the mountain: Going back and forth across the hill is best. 
• If all else fails, hit the deck.

I hit the deck a lot. I'm familiar with this concept from my horse-back riding days. If your horse ever got out of control that you couldn't get it back, you needed to get off. I took a couple falls practicing this. I never had to use it.

Here are a couple things I learned:

• Snow is slippery.
• Snow boats are funny to walk in.
• Seat warmers are da bomb.
• Falling when skiing is not as bad as falling when biking (at least, at my ski speeds).
• Sven is really hot.
• My cousin works at Blue Mountain.
• Falling repeatedly hurts.
• You use muscles in skiing you might not realize.
• You can never dress warmly enough.
• Know the end of the slope.
• Snowboarders are silly and slightly annoying.

It was fun, the whole thing. I need some practice, I am sure, and I can't say I will have a hard and fast love of skiing, but, I would be willing to try it again. It was pretty cold and I felt my neuropathy flare up a bit. I decided I am not as tough as I thought I was. It's ok, they had a bar. 

I did spend some time at the bar while Sven was out skiing. First, it is obviously his element. Watching him skiing around and him teaching me was really awesome. It's never a bad time to watch someone doing what they are passionate about. I told him to go off and enjoy and warmed up.

I made friends with the bartender (key to life) and I think he gave me a drink free. 

Future Plans

MacGyver, er, Sven and I decided I would take off a Monday at some point and give it another try for me. I did get nervous with everyone around even though there were no close calls. I think I am going to work my core a little more because you do work your obliques. 

By the way, all the buttons on my snow-suit had "HEAD" written on them and I thought it was some cool way for rescuers to figure out where my head was should  be rescued from an avalanch or something. I pointed this out when I saw one of the snaps not anywhere near my head still had "HEAD" on it. MacGyver pointed out it was the brand name, not a clever identification thing. I'm awesome.

Image Credit
Slope from alistairrobinson.co.uk
Whteface from whiteface.com