Welcome to "Sweating in Style"

This has been a long time coming. But it has been hard.

I started this blog in May of 2010 and it was all about biking and Ragbrai. I was a new bike commuter, with a pretty new bike, and a really exciting summer bike ride vacation. But I have always been an athlete and an adventurer of all sorts. So I remained a cyclist but I picked up other active hobbies, old and new. I played more soccer. I became a runner. And I started to write about that too. So, in February of 2011, I announced that I would expand the focus of my blog. These were my closing words in that post eight months ago:

I'm going to blog about adventure, about challenge, about strength, about anything that makes me move and sweat and smile. And I'm going to try to be productive and helpful, maybe to encourage biking and other outdoor activities without being obnoxious or critical. I want to educate people as I discover where to seek adventure in and around DC, and elsewhere on this sweet planet of ours.


I'd like to think that I've been true to that purpose. I'm not sure how educational I have been but I like to think that I have encouraged people to try new things. Just yesterday, I took Nikki on her first long bike ride and earlier this year, I nudged Ingrid to register for her first half marathon. And I have also challenged myself. Not two days ago, I ran ten miles faster than I ever thought possible. And through it all, through blogging and through doing the things that I blog about, I have learned something very important about myself. I am mature. I know the importance of good health and fitness and I want to be active because it fulfills me, not because it burns calories. Basically, I have learned that sweating is the best thing ever.

So, while I love lucy, my loyal bike, as much as I ever have, I felt that my blog needed a name to more accurately characterize who I am and what I write about. So Sweating in Style was born. The content is exactly what it has always been. It's about a girl who loves her bike, her running shoes, her soccer cleats, her many friends and loved ones who stay active with her, and her "before" and "after" pictures. So keep reading and keep sweating. Or come join me as I'm Sweating in Style all over Washington, DC!