So I made this blog so my friends and family would be able to keep track of everything I'm doing this summer. If you don't already know, this summer I'm riding my bike from San Francisco California to Washington D.C. to raise awareness for people with disabilities. The trip is called the Journey of Hope, and is sponsored by an organization called Push America. Push America was established through my fraternity, Pi Kappa Phi, to help young men gain leadership through service. Each year, the Journey of Hope raises over $500,000 dollars for people with disabilities. The money goes towards building wheelchair accessible environments, purchasing medical devices for those in need, or directly to assisted living centers across the country. It's getting close to the end of May, and I'm leaving for the trip on June 9th. I'm sitting here at home watching the Flyers in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and I figured I'd get started documenting what I've done so far.
About me:
I grew up in Delran, NJ with my Mom, Dad, younger brother Nick, and my dog Gunther. There I attended Delran High school. I did a lot of theater stuff, and Swam in the winter time. I rode my bike back and forth to school, but I never did any serious biking. When I graduated I went to Cornell University, where I have been studying Biological Engineering for two years. I kept up with my performing side by joining The Class Notes, an awesome co-ed A Cappella group. Unfortunately my times in the 200 IM and 500 Free weren't quite good enough (Read: not even close to what would be necessary) to join Cornell's team, so I took up running and lifting in my free time. This semester, for obvious reasons, I switched over mainly to biking. When I'm not busy doing that stuff, or homework, I like to play my guitar or just hang out with my friends. I also have an unhealthy addiction to peanut butter jelly sandwiches.
Fundraising:
So this past semester I've been focused mainly on Fundraising. Right now my total is at $5,707.50. I've gotten a lot of support from my family, my friends, my brothers, and the community at large. The name of every person who has made a contribution is listed on my fund raising profile. You can check it out at http://secure.pushamerica.org/AlexMartino, and you can even make a donation yourself. It's never too late to help make someone's future a little better.
Training:
I've kind of been slacking in this department in favor of making sure my fund raising got done. I've been doing practice rides with the guys in my fraternity who have done the trip before and my roommate, Chris Adams, who is completing the Journey with me this summer. They've been really great about pulling me out of the library and getting me on my bike. My most recent trip was around lake Cayuga last week. It was about 90 miles and I was definitely feeling it at the end of the trip. I've decided the worst part of the trip this summer is probably going to be sitting on that bike seat for six to seven hours a day.
As another part of my training, I got rid of some of extra weight and wind resistance. Check out my before and after hairdoos. The new one fits better under my helmet.
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Writing this is making me more and more excited about the trip I'm about to take. Check back for more updates!
