Tennis ball!;

_posts/2019-05-02-tennis-ball.md

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+---
+layout: post
+title: "Oh shit. One month until AIDS/LifeCycle 2019!"
+tags:
+- alc
+---
+
+Today marks **one month** until the beginning of [AIDS/LifeCyle
+2019](http://www.tofighthiv.org/goto/rtyler) (ALC)! Which means I am **one month**
+away from starting a bicycle journey with thousands of other riders from San
+Francisco to Los Angeles as part of our effort to raise money for AIDS/HIV
+related services. As of this writing, my fundraising is at $3,377 which is
+still short of my fundraising goal: $5,000. If you appreciate my work in the
+[Jenkins project](https://jenkins.io),  the [JRuby/Gradle
+project](http://jruby-gradle.org), or if you have enjoyed my [sass on
+Twitter](https://twitter.com/sadserver), please convert your appreciation into
+a donation to [AIDS/LifeCYcle](http://www.tofighthiv.org/goto/rtyler). :)
+
+
+In relation to ALC, some of my friends have already started to ask me "are you
+ready?" Well, _no_. But will I ever be ready? Probably not. As a first-time
+rider, I doubt that I can fully prepare myself for a week in the saddle, but I
+sure can try!
+
+Due to scheduling challenges, I have had not been able to get out on the
+weekends for multi-hour rides on the road. Instead I have been regularly riding
+the stationary bike, which is a little bit more high-intensity, but the
+duration is always shorter. My legs are probably more than ready, my back and
+butt? Not as much.
+
+To get more cycling in, I purchased a simple fixed-gear bike to
+incorporate into my twice-weekly commute to San Francisco. It's a giant
+neon yellow contraption, which due to my height barely fits in the rack under
+the bus. It is not a delicate flower like my road bike, but like most fixed-gear
+bicycles, it is dead-simple, tough, and _light_, which makes it the ideal commuter.
+I was uncertain about how difficult the pedals would feel with just the one gear,
+but the newly developed strength in my legs has me speeding along the Presidio
+and passing other cyclists on the hills along the way.
+
+With the indoor and outdoor cycling, and the cross-training, my current level
+of fitness is the best it has ever been. My strength, endurance, and
+cardiovascular output are stronger and higher than I can ever remember. I am
+also heavier now than ever before, up 15 pounds since a particularly slim time
+a year ago.
+
+
+But am I ready?