Welcome - which way to Taos??

I'm officially launching my blog to talk about all the preparation for Race Across the West. Race Across the West is a 1036 mile bicycle race from Oceanside, CA to Taos, NM.

I know that your first thought is skepticism. Trust me when I tell you that I've thought through this long and hard before committing. I've hired a professional coach from Wenzel Coaching to assist in developing my monthly training schedule, to assist in nutritional planning, and other strength building exercise.

You are also very curious as to why a 34 year old male, who sits at a desk all day working, could even think about sitting on a bike for 18+ hours a day for 4 days straight while covering a distance of over 1000 miles! The answer is simply this: to raise awareness about mental illness. People with mental illness are often stigmatized because people simply don't understand it. People with mental illness are your friends, family, neighbors, colleagues, even your idols. Great strides have been made in the past few years to bring mental illness out of the darkness. It's my turn to help shine additional light on these diseases.

As an individual who lives daily with bipolar disorder, I want people to see that individuals with mental illness are just like them. We have jobs, we are fathers, we are experts in our fields, we are athletes, we have goals and dreams, and we make a difference.

Learn more by visiting my site at: http://raceacrossthewest.nami.org and stayed tuned to this space for updates with my training progress, sponsors, fundraising and how you can help!