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Health & Fitness

Genesis On Two Wheels

This is the story of a personal revolution from the eyes of a 28-year-old, and how I found myself dedicated to riding my bicycle 3,300 miles across the United States.

There is a phase in our lives, when our purpose and direction is questioned with every decision we make. Do I really like my job? Why am I twenty-eight and living at home in Cleveland when my friends can make it on their own? Anthropology as a major, really? Welcome to my life - or what was my life about 18 months ago. This is when the radical decision making happens. So I cleaned the slate: left my job in the food industry, went back to school, and started running... a lot. 

Nursing school was the final goal. After leaving a world of fine french cheeses, and ungodly expensive olive oil, I moved on to molecular equations, understanding the the fluid mosaic model of a cell membrane, and just how those divine aged dairy products move through the 28 feet of my large and small intestine. Life had taken a turn, and to be honest I was happy (the idea of having a spring break again didn't hurt). 

Along with this new school schedule and free time, I ramped up my running routine and spent equally as much time practicing hot vinyasa yoga. The woods in the Cuyahoga Valley called my name every Saturday and possibly Sunday mornings. Tromping through the muddy trails and hopping over streams was my way to release and connect with a power greater than myself. My running partner is a saint, as he listens to my ramblings about food, personal issues, and the latest article I read on NPR or the NYTimes. Before I knew it, I was registered for the Buckeye Trail 50k. Yup, you got it, 31 miles in the heat of July with 2,500 feet elevation gain and loss. Bring.it.on. I also had two "training" marathons on either side of the event. Duluth, Minnesota and Columbus, Ohio. 

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This was 2011, and overall it was a great year. The schooling, and training for my races kept me centered, and that whole life purpose thing was becoming apparent. I was on the right track, although it was not clear exactly where I would be going to school for a BSN, but I had a goal and I knew I would get somewhere. I think the races kept me distracted and allowed me to release any frustration from the uncertainties in life. It was about the journey, not the destination, and fully appreciating life in the present. 

The races went really well; although Columbus was plagued with IT (iliotibial) band pain, I completed it after walking in the last 8 miles. I think my ego was bruised more than my knees. It was time for a break.

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This past fall and winter was a complete blessing. My yoga studio hired me on at the front desk, and I fully embraced my new surroundings. is like an oasis where people gather to practice, gain strength, and become part of a very strong yoga community here in Beachwood. Back to the oasis part, instead of water, it's sweat, and at 90+ degrees the detoxification of the sweat dripping off your elbows as you wrap yourself into eagle pose feels like heaven. Your heart pounds inside your chest, but you drop out of your head, let go and take flight. 

The "spring" hit Cleveland quickly. February brought good news my way as I was accepted into Ursuline's Accelerated Nursing program. Woo whoo! This also freed up my summer from responsibilities. On the back burner in my constantly simmering bucket list arose the Big Ride. It bubbled to the surface, and popped into my summer plans.  

Here are the details - 3,300 miles, 49 days, a team of 20 or so, across the United States from Seattle to Washington D.C. Yowzers! This ride is put together by the American Lung Association, and it raises funds for vital health advocacy programs, education and research. $6,500 is a massive fundraising effort, and 3,300 miles is a long way, but all things in life truly worthwhile require effort. When was the last time something that truly moved you and changed your existance was easy? Relationships are the same way, they take time and dedication but in the end you have something indestructable. Most importantly this occurs within ourselves - I need this time on the road to just let go and work on my rocky relationship with myself. In a way I want to stop running from my insecurities (because I'm riding) and do something that scares me more than living a life I am not proud of. 

Support is something much more than that non-chafing lululemon sports bra (which is my favorite sports bra out there). It has come pouring out of the community, my friends and my family. This fundraising effort has been incredible. My parents for accepting my decision to ride across the country, then to go as far as soliciting their friends for donations. My boyfriend, Mike, an incredible cyclist and athlete, for helping me research road bikes and answer my unending questions. My friends, for encouraging me to accomplish this goal and reassure me I am not crazy. Then there is the community, especially the Cleveland Yoga community, who has come together to create donation-based classes to raise funds. This is not about me. It is about something much greater, a cause to help those people who suffer from lung complications and might not have the same opportunities that I am gifted with.

So here we go, creating a new relationship with my Masi Partenza Bellisima (2011) that will carry me across the country, my quads, hamstrings and hips that will scream in agony at times, and my head that will have no chance to give up on me when I am cycling through the middle of the country. It is time to experience the journey, all 3,300 miles of it. 

Read the Beachwood Patch article about Schreiber's journey: 

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