First bike ride

Total Mile Count: 18.5 Land/Sea: 18.5/0 I went on my first bike ride, albeit a short one. I am already behind in my mileage, but i had to get my bike working today before I rode it, so in the future (i.e. tomorrow) I can just hop on and go. That bike is a champ! It sat in a box for almost a yer and was falling apart when I shoved it in said box. I bought this bike in 2003 for $500. Best money I ever spent...well, besides going to Sweden, haha. Anyway, I rode home from my parents house, 10.5 miles. I will try and double that tomorrow. I nee to work up to doing around 25 daily, as an average. The sea miles will have to wait until I can get A gym membership. Not off to an incredible start, but I will make it up. I have had a few people come forward and pledge, and many of you have given me kind words of love and encouragement, which I really appreciate. Take Care, y'all.

One tiny journey down; many, many more to go...and some basic mathematics

Total Mile Count: 8 Land/Sea: 8/0 Today I commenced my "vägen till Andrey" with an 8 mile hike (slowest way possible...bike needs a bit of work still) through Forest Park. The app I used is called AllTrails, which was great for me to use, but doesn't allow me to share on facebook. Next time I will use MapMyHike and see how that works. If you'd like to hold me accountable and se the route, contact me by email. It was a beautiful day to be in the woods, and I kept comparing the forests here to Swedish forests. Our trees are bigger! But they still have great forests. I need some more pledges! So far I have 4 people. The only thing in it for you is that wonderful feeling of helping someone reach a goal that is more dear to their heart than anything. Let me give you a breakdown of some numbers: I need to traverse approximately 4,630 miles. If you pledge $.01 (that's one penny for those who hate decimals) per mile, you would pay $46.30. Over 34 weeks, that is $1.36 per week, or about $.20 per day. It's not alot of money, but if you could help get your friends to pledge, this could really add up! I am not trying to get a free ride, but it will be hard to save enough on my income. Also, thing come up that require drastic attention, such as a truck breaking down (happened just the other week, still can't get it fixed). The point is, no one has to pledge some outlandish amount. Even one time donations of a few bucks are greatly appreciated. Of course, a one time donation of 5k is certainly welcome too :-) Again, if you decide to pledge, we can square up at the very end (or however far I get by Christmas, assuming I have enough of my own cash to go) or as I go along. I will post every workout, though usually won't write more than what I did and how far I went. Thanks again for all your support. I have recieved kind words of encouragent from many of you and it helps me keep a good attitude in a tough situation. I never would have thought so many people cared. Hej Då!

Till Andrey!

Hello! It has been forever and a minute since I have last written. Please excuse me! You may find the title of this post to be somewhat strange... Well, I have some explaining to do! "Till" is the Swedish word for "to", as in going to something. Andrey, is the name of my son. Yes, my son. He's Swedish. I learned of his birth almost three weeks ago. His mother is a fantastic woman who loves him dearly. Hearing this news was certainly a life-changer. I cannot even explain the changes that occurred almost instantly in my head and heart upon learning about this. He is a beautiful little boy and I love him completely, though we've yet to meet one another. You see, he lives in Sweden. I live in Oregon. I'm broke. But, I start a new job next week so I will begin to start saving money so I can visit him. The plan is, to accrue paid vacation days over the nest 7 months or so, which I can use for a Christmas visit to Sweden. I would give anything in the world to hold him right now. However, though I will be able to save some money to visit him, it's going to be very difficult. My jobs' pay is not fantastic by any means. I have my own expenses. I also am going to be sending money to Andrey's mother to help support him. This is why I'm creating the "Till Andrey!" fund. I am hoping to raise money to help ensure I reach my goal of making it to Sweden by Christmas while meeting my financial obligations at home. Here is what I've got going: I found a route to Andrey's home in Sweden. He lives in a hamlet called Åtvidaberg. This route was chosen to have minimal sea-crossing distance. It is 4,634 miles, composed of 805 miles over sea and 3,829 miles over land. My plan is to run/bike/hike that many land miles and swim/row (rowing machine...) the sea miles for 34 consecutive weeks, beginning next week. I am asking any interested persons to make a small pledge for each mile traversed. Pledge as much or as little as you like, but keep in mind that I will be racking up lots of miles, so please, consider your commitment and make sure it's one you can realistically honor. If you would rather make a lump-sum contribution, that is fine as well. Or, if you can't contribute, I could still use your verbal encouragement and support. This will be very demanding! The averages are as follows: 23 land miles/day and 4 sea miles/day, for 6 days a week. It should go without saying that I'll be spending the majority of my time on a bike and rowing machine, because it's far more time effective than running or swimming. Often times, instead of going on a 23 mile bike ride everyday, I may do a 50 mile ride, or a few 30 mile rides per week. I know this seems crazy, but the distances are meaningful to me. While I am busting my buns up a hill and wondering "WTF is all this for?" I will be imagining that I am riding a bike to Sweden to see my baby boy. Additionally, I am in sub-par physical shape at the moment. I have not been taking care of myself this last winter and it's time to snap out of it! The first several weeks will be very hard, but as my body adapts, I know I'll feel better. Hopefully, all of you find this outlandish enough to tell your friends about how crazy I am, and we can all get more people to donate. I firmly believe in myself and that I can accomplish just about anything I set my mind to. I just need to stay focused and motivated. Again, your love and support will greatly help! I plan to make frequent updates on this blog about my workouts. I will get some sort of app that tracks routes for riding a bike. For rowing, you'll just have to trust me. If you choose to make a pledge, you can decide if you'd prefer to pay at the end or as I go along. If you have any further questions about anything I've mentioned here, please leave a comment or email me: warrencrutcher@gmail.com Thank you!