Anjie Schell's
I'm Riding to End AIDSFrom June 1-7, 2008, I'm bicycling in AIDS/LifeCycle. It's a 7-day, 545-mile bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles to make a world of difference in the lives of people living with HIV and AIDS. Help me support the San Francisco AIDS Foundation by giving what you can. We'll keep riding until AIDS and HIV are a thing of the past. While I have ridden in many charity rides in the past for the MS Society, this is by far the biggest challenge I have put myself up to!! In some form or other, we are all touched by the AIDS pandemic - be it knowing some one personally, or a friend of a friend, this is our chance to make a difference!! Small or large, I would greatly appreciate your donation to this worthy cause. While the minimum I must raise is $2500, I want to at least double that. YOU can make all the difference in the world!!! Please take a moment to review what this ride is about, who it benefits, and consider making a donation. EVERY DOLLAR COUNTS!!! Thanks for your support & I look forward to keeping you posted as every mile passes!!! ~anjie
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Anjie's latest blog entry:
Monday, Jun 9, 2008 
Anjie's Goal: $5,000.00
Current Total: $5,415.00 |
Listen to Anjie's Gabcast |
HIV/AIDS Fact of the DayProvided by AIDS/LifeCycle The number of women in the US living with HIV has tripled in the last two decades. |
Anjie's LinksSan Francisco AIDS Foundation
L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center
Experience AIDS/LifeCycle 2007
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Anjie's BlogMonday, June 9, 20082:23 PMWhat a Ride!Well gang....it's over: WE DID IT!!! Thanks so much for all your support and encouragement last week. You have no idea how much it meant to be able to read your words of support every night after a long day on the bike! I love you all & am grateful to you for everything. We raised $11.6 million total!!! My personal ending total for this year was $4105 -- thank you, thank you, thank you!!! One thing I learned on this ride is that it's a "cult" of sorts, and they "have me" now - I have already registered for ALC 8, which I hear will be 590mi, so next year I want to raise even more than I did this inaugural ride!!! Now that I am resting in San Diego w/ family, I am surprised that I flushed the toilet the first time - a fear after so many trips to the port-a-potty! I have yet to call out "Slowing!" or "On your left" while driving (another fear!) and have yet to get back to my normal eating habits after 3 squares + rest stop food all week! Tomorrow I'm going for a massage on my weary muscles! This was an amazing adventure for me & I am so grateful I participated. I ended up doing all but ~40mi or so due to issues w/ my ankles & knees. The "voo-doo" docs at chiro & sports medicine did an amazing job of getting me (and everyone for that matter) up & running again. The sheer level of detail & coordination of this event is absolutely mind boggling to me. The staff, roadies & riders are the most wonderful, supportive & energetic bunch of folks I think I have ever had the pleasure of meeting in my whole life!!! I am so looking forward to training for, and participating in, next year's ride - although I am going to give my ass & legs a few weeks of rest before I hop back on the bike!! I hope that some of you may come on out & join me too. If I can do this, you can do it!!! Thanks again for everything. All the kind gestures, words of encouragement, and emotional/financial support you gave me & my fellow riders is overwhelming. You Rock!! Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Thursday, May 29, 20081:15 PMGabCast Up & Running!Yikes - 2 days away from that 5am start in SF! I'm not packed (at all) but the bike is ready, the butt may be ready, the legs are ready, the spirit is definitely ready, and at long last the GabCast is ready!!! You'll be able to listen to life on the road if I'm not too dead to record after each ride!! This will be my last post other than Gabbing.... I want to thank you ALL for your support. YOU ROCK....one more favor to ask now: Prayers for the Up-Right Position!! I want not crashing! I'm fine with bruises and the like, but I do not want to crash this bike (or this body) one more freakin' time!!! If you want to leave any words of encouragement while I'm pedalling the rest of my weight off (I'm down 11lbs) feel free to do so here: http://experience.aidslifecycle.org/2008/support/ All notes will be projected on a screen at camp each night from what I am told, so remember to watch your language!! :) I will not be able respond to your words, but you know I'll appreciate them!!! Until June 7th (or I come back to life, which ever comes first!!) be well & thank you! Love to you all! Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Wednesday, May 21, 20088:46 AMDamn it's getting closer!!!Wow, 10 days to go.... it's real. Our training ride Saturday took every once of effort, spirit & muscle I had even though it was no where close to my longest ride! Beautiful ride from Novato to Pt. Reyes via Marshall and Hwy 1, back through Lucas Valley and head wind mania and increasing heat. Every pedal push was a huge effort & I found myself wondering for the first time, "how in the world am I going to complete 545 miles?" That doubt was replaced quickly by thinking of all of you who are supporting and loving me through this. By the Positive Pedallers who are pedalling with AIDS along with the rest of us. By those who cannot ride because they are too sick with this disease....and low & behold, I was back to my truck before I knew it. 4 days later and my quads are still sore, my back & neck have been trough the chiropractor and I'm ready for another ride. So in 10 days we depart for the journey of a lifetime... I'm still wondering how I'll make it, but I have faith that I will & that no matter how sore the body gets, I need but only remember everyone ahead & behind me, and those who cannot join me. Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Saturday, May 17, 20085:54 PM14 days of training left......and my quads are arguing with me over their "job" in this event... A long, hot, ride today totally kicked my quads among other things!!! Did really well for the first 50mi or so, and then the last 10-12 + a head wind just killed me. BUT NO CRASHES today!!! I'm trying hard to loose that nickname! As training winds down and the event draws nearer, I find myself wondering just what have I gotten myself into?! I'm on a team of really cool folks, many of whom have done the ride before, so I'm sure my "mentors" can help calm my nerves a bit. For now, it's time to ICE the quads and relax. Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Monday, May 12, 200811:02 PM18 days to go......and now I'm asking "Am I ready for this adventure?" Hard to believe after all these months of training that it's now just a few days away. So much left to do and many more miles to put on the bike still to make sure I'm as ready as I can be....supposed to be in the mid-90's here in the bay area for our weekend training rides! Sunscreen & extra water are a definite must! I'm not sure I'll make my personal goal of raising $5k, but I'm not that far off & I TOTALLY appreciate all of you who have so generously gotten me to where I am in that effort! Next year we're going to make it!!! :) Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Tuesday, April 29, 200811:43 PM32 days to go!!!Ok, the Big Ride is 32 days away.....ready? After 10 days OFF the bike, I've got some ground to make up that's for sure!!! I survived the Presidio's 12 to 26% grades in SF. I survived Wilson's Hill. I survived 87 miles in a single day followed by 63 the next. Am I ready for 7 consecutive days that average over 80 mi a day - the 2 100+ mi days not withstanding? Holy crap I need to get back on the wheels ASAP!!!!! I've got ground to make up over the coming weeks to make sure my body & mind are ready for this puppy! My new motto ala Finding Nemo, is "just keep swimming...just keep swimming" :) Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Tuesday, April 15, 200811:20 AMNew helmet, 60mph!!There are certain things one should never know about going down hill in my opinion, chief among them is the SPEED at which you're hurtling yourself across asphalt with nothing to protect your skin!!!! However, some riders do not share this same philosophy!! I was enjoying a great down hill run (having climbed climbed climbed climbed up the hill earlier in the day) when some one slowed beside me and said "Hey, do you know you're going 60mph?" and then he promptly picked up speed and took off....with me yelling to his back "That's information I did NOT need to know!!!" Somehow I just don't "feel" scared of speed until some one points out how fast I am traveling & my mind starts racing with things like: "your tires are 1/2" thick - a rock would kill you"; or "what happens if a bug goes down my throat (or in my eye)"; or my personal favorite because it happened on the down hill "Holly crap I'm going toooo fast for this turn!"
Sometimes it is just best not to know..... Good news : NO CRASHES!!! Not even so much as a scratch on the new helmet I had to purchase after last week's head-butt into a curb. Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Sunday, April 6, 20089:03 PMWhy we wear helmets...aka 2nd fall... Did another hill climbing clinic in the Presidio this morning - little over 17mi touching every hill criss-crossing the Presidio, 12% to 26% grades with great views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz and the bay - as well as an all-too-close-up view of a curb! As ride leader John so aptly put it, "this is why we wear helmets!" and thankfully I had mine on. There is now an official ALC scratch & dent in it (and my ego). John assured us that if we could survive the Presidio, we'd conquer the hills on the actual ride. I'm going to take him at his word, not that I want to tackle a 26% grade again!!! Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Tuesday, March 18, 20089:08 AM1st of 3 falls on the clipsWell, everyone warned me that I would fall at least 3 times now that I am riding in shoes that clip to the pedals...1 doesn 2 to do!!! Thankfully the fall Friday was relatively minor & on a soft spot. I've been nursing some bruised/stretched and hopefully no torn muscles. By Saturday I could not even really lift my arm above my head it hurt so badly!!! :( Today is much better so I should be in good shape for the F/Sa rides.....praying I don't fall at all!!! The ride we did Friday was supposed to be Windsor to Cloverdale but we goy absolutely drenched on barely at the half-way mark so we changed the route, still got some really great climbs out of everything and I was ALMOST dried off by the time we finised. Fall, rain & all, I had an absolute blast - think we went about 47mi total but I'm not sure. Everyone told me riding with "real" riding shoes (is clip-ins) would change my ride & boy did it ever!!!! I'm even more excited to ride now!!! Now if I can just stay up-right & injury free :) Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Monday, March 10, 20081:31 PM2 days, 108 miles, 10hrs sleepI'm beginning to wonder just how I'll handle 5 days / 545 miles -- 108mi of training rides on 2 days kicked my ass!! I slept for 10hrs Sunday night after riding Fri/Sat. I guess that's why we train so we can handle the lack of sleep?! Wilson's Hill from the cheese factory in Marin County headed back into Petaluma was a bitch of a climb, but that down hill ROCKED afterwards!!!! Now I'm ready for another weekend of 100+ ...just hope my first ride on clip-shoes doesn't end in a crash!!! Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Sunday, February 17, 200810:07 AMSunshine, cramps and pulled musclesAfter 10+ days of rain passed and sun began to shine here in the SF Bay Area, I re-learned a very old lesson: stretch, stretch and stretch, listen, listen, listen!!! Although I had been riding in the gym during the rainy spell, I was so eager to get back on the open road that all the lessons learned went right out the window! Ever have a doctor tell you to stay off your bike for a few weeks while you train for an event like this? Ever respond to said doctor "But you don't understand, I can't stay off the bike while the sun is shining!!" That tells you all you need to know about this stubborn rider!!! I thought I was ready for the hill climbing clinic in SF yesterday - through parts of the Presidio I never knew where there, and hey, where DID those hills come from?! - but I was mistaken! That pulled knee tendon my doctor told me to lay-off for a few weeks, pulled again.... That shoulder "issue" my chiropractor & a massage therapist have been working so hard on healing, tweaked again!!!
Lesson for today - no matter how hard the road & sun calls, listen to the doctor first! Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Monday, December 31, 200711:04 AMThe "burn" begins...Well, I've started riding with a co-worker & alone over the last 2wks and the familiar "burn" in the muscles has begun!! I'm working in distance rather than speed for the time being - with a goal to log about 100mi per weekend by the end of January, and to get my butt to the gym during the week for spinning classes! My body has definitely realized what it has forgotten in the lag-time between my last long distance charity ride: fun is often painful!! Any of you local-yocals who want to ride over the weekends, give me a call!!! Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb Thursday, December 20, 20074:58 PMDonation RequestWell, I've committed myself to a fun yet grueling 545 mile bike ride. Will you make the commitment to help me raise the money to help fight and treat AIDS? Whether you know some one affected by the disease or not, you can make a difference for those who do!!! Help me help those in need!!!! Permalink | Share this posting : Care2 News | del.icio.us | digg | NewsVine | Reddit | YahooMyWeb |
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