05.25.2018 | 4:19 pm
UPDATE (Tuesday, 5/29): Over the long weekend, I thought more about this giveaway. I still like the idea, but it has problems. Specifically, I have a long history (and fair amount of success) with giveaways and contests that happen via a blog, which allow you to quickly and instantly take action (i.e., participate in the contest) if you want to. That’s not the case with a podcast-based contest. I think of my own podcast usage and I rarely (if ever!) am near a computer when I listen to a podcast. I’m driving, or exercising, or doing the dishes. I’m in no position to take action at that moment.
So.
I need to figure out how to make a podcast / blog integrated contest / game that doesn’t require my readers / listeners to behave in a way that I myself never behave. I’ll probably talk this over with my 22yo son, who has a great mind for gamification.
This isn’t over. I just need to figure out how to make it work for you, for me, and for my podcast sponsors. Stay tuned!
Those of you who’ve known me for a while know that I like contests. I like designing contests so they accomplish something good — sometimes raising money for a cause, sometimes to learn something, sometimes to help me keep some kind of commitment…like getting myself to race weight.
When I design a good contest, it’s easy to participate, fun, doesn’t hurt anyone (except possibly me), and is interesting. And of course, it brings attention to things I want attention drawn to.
I think I’ve got a good contest figured out. I hope you’ll participate. It won’t cost you anything to play, and there’s a pretty decent chance you’ll win something.
Wow, that was an unnecessarily large amount of preamble. You totally could have skipped it. I’m sorry you didn’t. You could have skipped everything in this paragraph also.
And this one, too. But not the next one.
The Idea
In each of the upcoming episodes of my new podcast (beginning with S1E2 coming out this Tuesday), I’m going to announce both my current weight (as of the morning we record) and my target weight for the next time we record.
I will at that time also give a URL for where you can go to enter the contest (that link will also be in the show notes for that episode at leadville100podcast.com).
All you have to do to enter the contest will be go to that site — it will be a simple little Google Form-ish survey — and enter your first name, your email address, your t-shirt size and shipping address (in case you win!) and the weight I announce I have (because one of my objectives for this contest is to build an audience for this podcast, so if you don’t listen, you won’t know the number and won’t win).
I will choose two winners each week: the first person to enter the correct number in the form, and a random person to enter the correct number in the form.
Both the first person and the random person will get a podcast t-shirt. The shirt design I’m showing here isn’t final, but it ain’t far off.
The random person (not the first person) will also win a $50 gift certificate to The Feed, which has been gracious enough to be one of the sponsors for this show.
Easy, right? Damn right it’s easy.
The Catch
Well of course there’s a catch. But the catch isn’t for you, it’s for me. Because if I don’t hit the weight target I set the previous week, there are FIVE MORE prizes. Specifically, I will draw at random five more t-shirts and send them out. And I have to pay for those shirts. Including shipping.
How Will You Know You Won?
I’ll send you an email telling you you’ve won. And also, you’ll get free stuff.
Let me know what you think of this contest idea. I especially am interested in ideas on how I could make it better and easier for you and more complicated and more work for me.
Help Me Hold On To My Moment of Glory
Here’s an interesting fact: thanks to you and your subscribetasticness to the Leadville Podcast (on Apple Podcasts and everywhere else), my new show is currently in the Outdoor Podcasts Top 10 list (#9 as I write this on Friday afternoon) and has been for more than 24 hours, meaning it’s not a momentary fluke.
Why don’t you help me hold on to this moment of glory — and get yourself set for entering this weekly giveaway — by subscribing to my Leadville Podcast on Apple Podcasts right now — and then listening to all of the “Season 0″ stories I’ve posted during the weekend.
What are these “Season 0″ stories? Well, I’m so very glad you asked. They’re me, reading my best Leadville race reports, aloud. Including:
- S0E1: My First Leadville 100
- S0E2: My Second Leadville 100, with race reports from Dug and Bob, too.
- S0E3: The First Time I Raced Singlespeed
- S0E4: The First Time I Finished Under 9 Hours
- S0E5: My Fastest Leadville AKA My Rebecca Rusch Grudge Match
The Hammer told me last night that she just listened to my story of the first time I finished under 9 hours and it made her cry, which maybe is the nicest thing she’s ever said to me. So here it is for you to play / download / subscribe in whatever way suits you.
PS: Have a great weekend. I’ll be back Tuesday, with the next weekly show…and I wouldn’t be surprised if I have the beginning of a long training ride report.
PS: My current weight is 169.5, for crying out loud.
Comments (7)
05.24.2018 | 9:10 am
Yeah, I know: I’m 5′7″ so everything I write is a short version.
Ha!
But I think before I start writing stories, it might be worth a little (ha!) recap of the real reason I quit blogging, what’s going on, and what I’m planning to do with this blog now.
Why I Quit and What Happened Next
In my “Thank You” post I wrote back in 2016, I said I was grateful for the 12 years I’d had blogging, which is true. And for all the good you’ve helped me do, which is true.
What I did not write is why I was ending the blog. The reason for that was simple: I was miserable and simply couldn’t handle everything anymore. I had made a huge mistake in taking a particular job and knew something had to give. I compounded the mistake by instead of giving up the job, giving up this blog.
By the time a few more months had come and gone, I was a wreck. And by summer of 2017, I was a disaster.
Finally, on the advice of a very good friend (who also helped me out in some very material ways), I quit. And went job hunting.
And then I got very lucky.
Last October, I got hired by Adobe. I’m the comms guy for the TechOps department. And I am without question the happiest I have ever been in my career. It is so great to be excited to come into work every day and be a part of a company you’ve admired for pretty much ever.
What’s Going On
This is not going to be a fast year for me. This is a year when I work on getting up to speed at my job, and ride for fun.
And yet, The Hammer and I are signed up for the Breck Epic — six days of glorious endurance mountain bike racing in Breckenridge, CO.
And the day after the Breck Epic, we’re racing the Leadville 100 (my 21st finish, hopefully!). So yes, that’s seven days of racing, with the seventh day being pretty danged hard. Luckily, however, the first six days of racing are also hard, so that should be good training.
What I’m Going To Do With This Blog
I’m going to do things I love in this blog. First, I’m going to tell stories — funny when I feel like it, serious when I feel like it. Absurd when I feel like it.
I’m going to fundraise, albeit less often. Like, one fundraiser per year, and it’s got to be easy for me to do. 100 Miles of Nowhere benefitting Camp Kesem, anyone?
I’m also going to go back to my roots: Tomorrow will be my first weigh-in as I try to get the “weight” part of my personal power-to-weight equation a little more to my liking. Will there be a contest? Probably. But I haven’t figured out the details.
And finally — and this is important to me — I’m going to podcast, and I’m going to ask you to listen. Specifically, it’s important to me that you listen and subscribe to my new Leadville Podcast.
Here’s the thing: You don’t need to be signed up for Leadville or any other race to enjoy this podcast, because there’s going to be a lot of storytelling in it. Like Season 0, Episode 1, for example, which is me recounting the first time I raced the Leadville 100:
Please, head over to Apple Podcasts, subscribe, rate, and review this show. I’m incredibly proud of it, and your rating and reviewing it helps it rise above the noise out there.
I’ve got two other podcasts I’m involved in — the GU Pinnacle Podcast, and the AF Canyon Run Against Cancer. I’ll be promoting those here too, because they’re both great shows. There are episodes of the AF Canyon Run Against Cancer podcast that will break your heart, and that’s WHY you should listen to it.
One Last Thing
I’m going to do more cliffhangers in my race reports than I ever have before. I love cliffhangers.
PS: I’m probably less than 5′7″ since most people shrink as they age. I’m unwilling to find out.
PPS: Here’s a photo of The Hammer riding some brand new singletrack accessible out the front door of my house. Feel free to express your envy in the comments.
Comments (58)
05.23.2018 | 8:02 am
First off, a question: have you missed me? It’s very very important to me that I was missed.
Also, I’m really curious whether anyone checks back here anymore. I mean I do, but if you do too, why do you? Not that I’m complaining.
Next off, though, the reason I’m firing this back up. Two reasons, actually.
The main reason is: I discovered that when I’m writing for someone else’s blog, I wind up not writing. At all. Like, I’ve gone a year or more without writing a thing about bikes. So I wanted to come back.
The other reason is that I’ve started a new podcast that I think fits here beautifully. It’s the Leadville 100 Podcast, hosted by Michael Hotten and me, with weekly segments by Jonathan Lee of TrainerRoad and Rebecca Rusch, the Queen of Pain.
Frankly, it’s pretty awesome. Please give it a listen. In fact, give it a listen below, or — better yet — subscribe (and rate, and review) on Apple Podcasts.
I look forward to hearing what you think. Especially if you love it, like, a lot.
Comments (93)
11.24.2016 | 8:39 am
About a week ago, I started a list of people and companies I’m grateful to. At some point, the list became overwhelming. Twelve years (I’m rounding up by four months or so, but I don’t think anyone is really surprised to have me exaggerate) of people being unbelievably nice to you can make creating a “gratitude list” almost impossible.
So I’m setting aside the list and am instead going to thank the people I really owe thanks to: my readers. You.
I love writing, but I am not content to write for myself. I need to know people read and enjoy what I write. And for twelve years, you’ve been here for me. Whether you’ve commented or put me in your RSS feed or just come back to the site on a regular basis, you’ve been here for me.
But you’ve done more for me than just read.
When I was in the most difficult part of my life — when Susan was suffering from and, eventually, dying from cancer — you read and commented in unimaginable numbers. I used this blog to express and document pain and death, and you stuck with me and supported me.
Even more, you changed me and my worldview. Until this tragedy, I had never really gotten behind a cause. In response to some prodding from readers, I experimented with asking you to fundraise with me, and you did. And you still do.
Together, you’ve raised well over three million dollars for charity. You’ve made me realize that people, when given a chance, want to do good. You’ve transformed me into a positive person.
Thank you for that, too.
I will miss writing here sometimes, I’m sure of it.
But mostly, I’m grateful. You have been wonderful readers for a dozen years, and I will always think of you as my friends.
Thank you.
Comments (211)
11.23.2016 | 9:35 am
If you’ve been on the fence about getting yourself (or someone you like) a new cycling kit, maybe it’s time to get off the fence.
Why? Cuz right now the remainder of my FatCyclist gear — 2015 and 2016 styles included — are on sale below my cost. Obviously I don’t have every item at every size, but it’s worth checking out: if your size is there, you can get yourself a very nice kit — bibs (or shorts) and jersey — for around or under $100.
Plus, we’re going to throw in a pair of socks (while they last): either the 2015 FatCyclist sock design or the 2015 100MoN design. I can’t guarantee which you’ll get and I can’t guarantee which size they’ll be, but they’re good socks. If they don’t fit you, give them to someone they do fit. You don’t have to tell them you got them for free.
I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned before how amazingly high-quality DNA gear is, so these prices are a little bit ridiculous.
There aren’t many of any size or style, so I recommend not delaying. Click here to shop.
PS: Tomorrow I’ll be posting my annual Thanksgiving piece. It will be a little different than most of my traditional “gratitude” posts. In fact, it will be quite a bit different than anything I’ve ever posted.
Comments (9)
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