breaking the inertia

busy busy.....

last sunday was a 55 mile ride

here's a blurb I wrote for a friend's website. I'm thinking about making it one of my fundraising letters.


what do you think?

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“What would you do if you knew you could not fail?” –Robert H. Schuller

When I ask myself that question, the answer ALWAYS involves a challenge or a dream that sees a little too far- fetched to be conquered. If you are like me, you see every reason why your dream might fail, every obstacle, and you get so overwhelmed by the immensity and complexity of your challenge that you retreat. You doubt that you really could achieve your goal, doubt that it really could happen. And so you put your dream back in the box, back on the shelf, and continue on with your life.

Well, I finally encountered a challenge that I REFUSE to box up. I’ve drawn a line in the sand and am forcing myself to face down that internal troll that tells us all the reasons why ‘it can’t happen’ and why ‘this can’t possibly work out.’

What is the challenge? Raising $62,000 by October 17th, 2009 for the Challenged Athletes Foundation. The Challenged Athlete’s foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that purchases adaptive athletic equipment for individuals with disabilities. Suffice to say such equipment is very expensive and is not generally covered by insurance. The fundraising is part of the Qualcomm Million Dollar Challenge, a 7 day, 620 mile charity bike ride from San Francisco to San Diego, California. The ride is limited to 100 riders and each rider must raise at least $10,000 to participate. That right, a $10,000 entry fee. But why did I set my goal even higher? Because I wanted to absolutely thrash that little voice of doubt that has held me back for so many years. And for that to happen, I had to set the bar very high. I figured $100 for each of the 620 miles, thus the $62,000, would be a great goal.

My biggest challenge? Asking for your help. And so here we are, you, me, and my little negative troll: You reading my story, me feeling nervous and scared, and that little voice telling me all the reasons why this might not happen. *Deep Breath…….Exhale…..* would you help me? Would you make a donation? It need not be much, say $5.00, more if you are comfortable. And then would you ask your friends if they’d help me? We can get there in little steps. There are enough people to make it happen.

You can donate here: http://mdc2009.kintera.org/rachel

Who am I? I’m many things, but the facts are pretty simple. I’m a 31 year old woman. Thirteen years ago I broke my neck in a car wreck on the way to school my senior year of high school. As a result I can’t walk, probably never will. That fact doesn’t bother me. It does mean I’ll be doing the ride using a handcycle. Oh yeah, I signed up for this ride without owning a handcycle. I figured forcing myself to ask for that would help thrash that little negative troll voice. So far I’ve been given a bike I can train indoors on and am close to getting a road worthy hand cycle. Proof that asking works and people are willing to help.

What else? I’ve got B.A., a M.S., and a PhD. My family wondered if I would ever finish school. I’m a post-doc now and I love my job. I love to exercise. I love being outdoors. I’m STOKED about getting a chance to cycle down the California coastline. I love life. I love experiencing life. All in all I’m a pretty positive person.

Hey, thanks for taking the time to read through all that. I appreciate it!

-Rachel C.