Santa, or possibly some External Deliverer, will be leaving me a GPS for christmas! It's the Garmin Forerunner 305. I don't know too much about it , but it was evidently just released over the summer and is an adaptation of their Forerunner design, popular among cyclists, for runners. I opted for the 305 over the 205 because it includes a heart rate monitor. You can also buy a bike mount for it. I'm extremely excited to try it out!



I am considering (Mom, don't freak out!) doing Bike & Build this summer. Basically, Bike & Build is a program that organizes groups to bike across America, stopping over in towns once or twice a week for 'building days' when the group contributes to the construction of affordable housing. Each biker must raise $4000 for the trip to support these affordable housing projects.

My friend Tracy did it in the summer of 2005 after graduating from Rutgers; at the time, she asked me if I was interested in applying as well. I was intrigued by the idea.. however, due to an irrational fear of biking grounded in flipping over the handlebars when I was eight, I dismissed it and planned a trip to Greece with Brandy (yay!).

As I consider the future, I am at a juncture in my life where I can take a summer off for this program. Plus, how many people do you know that have biked across the US? Depending how the job search goes and when I'll be starting work, this is quite possibly my only opportunity to participate in the program. As Tracy pointed out, if I get a job that starts before the end of summer, then I made a donation toward a very worthy cause (the application fee is nonrefundable.) My top choices are the Providence to Seattle, Providence to San Francisco, and Northern US route.

Back to work!

Labels: bike and build