Thursday, June 16, 2011

Book giveaway

I've mostly stayed off my feet this week in a pre-emptive — though hopefully unnecessary —hurty-foot recovery plan to avoid plantar fasciitis. Instead, I completed three solid bike rides, one mountain and two road, all in the 25-to-30-mile, 3,500-feet-of-climbing range. Where I live, at the base of the Santa Cruz Mountains, there a few appealing routes that don't involve at least 3,000 feet of gain. I can either grunt up to elevation or spin through suburban streets and traffic, so I choose the climb, every time. I think the constant climbing has helped improve my strength as a runner, even though I clock significantly more hours on my bikes than on foot. Of course, riding bikes does nothing to help me improve the areas where I'm really weak, such as downhill running and foot strength. I'm in a unique position because I love ultrarunning races but don't necessarily enjoy training runs; and while I love riding bikes, I'm not all that crazy about racing them. I wish there was a way I could do all of my weekday training on bikes and still survive long weekend runs. Yes, I want it all.

Meanwhile, Beat has really taken to my singlespeed, the old and busted Surly Karate Monkey. Even though I rode it untold thousands of miles before, during and after the Tour Divide, and even though the Reba shock is shot, the wheels are ancient, the tires are worn and various parts are creaking, and even though the frame is too small for him (hello toe rub), he's still been grabbing it as his bike of choice on our evening rides. He even rode the singlespeed the day after the San Diego 100, clearing all of the steep pitches that give me stomach aches when I'm fresh. Beat says he enjoys singlespeeding because it draws his concentration away from his bicycle and gear, and allows him to respond to the terrain with body movements. In that way, it's more like running ... which gives me more training ideas.

In final news, I finally got my last book proofs through the system and am ordering my first batch of paperbacks, so they should be ready to distribute by the end of next week or early the following week. (Link to eBook here.) They also will likely be available on Amazon and other online book retailers within that time period as well, but I will be offering signed copies for a couple bucks cheaper, so you should buy them from me. I'll start offering pre-ordering on Monday. For now, I have three copies of my new book to give away to three random blog commenters. I've been posting updates to this blog since November 2005, and obviously this blog has changed and evolved quite a bit since that time (as have most people over six years of their lives.) I've always been a little curious if there's anyone left who read this blog way back then and still checks in from time to time. So for a chance to win a book, all you have to do is leave a comment with a guess of when you first noticed my blog (formerly "Up in Alaska") and how you came across it. Even if it was just two minutes ago because you Googled "Are All Alaskans Crazy?" If you don't want to post your name or info, just type in an alias. I'll randomly draw the winners and post them here on Monday with a request to e-mail me so I can mail you a book.

So again, leave a comment telling me when you found this blog, and possibly get a free book! Easy!

Hope everyone has a great weekend and does something long and fun. I'm headed to the Tahoe area to do some trail work and maybe squeeze in a training run near the TRT100 course. Here's hoping I get to traipse through some snow.

165 comments:

  1. I've been following since late 2006 when the desire to move to Alaska began to fully form in my mind. As a road cyclist I found myself googling "cycling" + "alaska". After visiting Homer in summer of 2007 I found myself with an even greater reason to read the blog weekly.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Found your blog via AKspokes which is now AlaskaBikeHub. Been reading via RSS since.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi, found you through "fat cyclist" back in 2009, while being stuck in a chair for 3 months, learning for my final exam ever (after 4 years of residency in small animals internal medicine) - I was desperate for movement and the outside and your blog provided that in a way. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I found your blog after meeting you in Hawaii while you were helping Geoff for the HURT 100. It was great to meet you and then last year I remember passing you and Beat in the dark on a HURT loop during the race. Your blog is one of my favorites because you not only like to write, but you like to include a few photos to add to the details.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hey Jill - awesome stuff going on with you lately. I've been reading your blog at least weekly since 2005/6 or somewhere in there, which would make it pretty much 80 percent of my total recreational reading, which is terrible, but on the other hand, your writing is great, and your adventures entertaining, so I suppose we read what we enjoy, regardless of if it turns up in the New Yorker or on blogger.com - I predict great things. You are so freakin' inspiring!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm not sure how I originally found your site, but it was after Ghost Trails was published and you were living in Homer. I promptly went back and read every post from the beginning. I've really enjoyed following your journey and am encouraged by the epic adventures that you undertake.

    Funny coincidence that you are headed to Tahoe, I just flew out on Wednesday after spending a week with family. I can guarantee you that you'll find snow :) I wanted to do some mountain biking at Tahoe, but it sounded like most of the trails were still closed due to snow. I had to be content with some rides near Reno.

    Tomorrow, for a change of pace, I'll be doing a supported tour near Coorg in Karnataka, India. No snow here!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi, been reading since around the time you got your Pugsley I think, so late 2007/early 2008? At first it was just to see the pics of the snowbikes and the scenery, but got sucked in by the stories.

    ReplyDelete
  8. That anonymous comment above is me (bazzargh). Office firewall crashed just as I posted, seems to have lost my identity as a result.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Been coming here since at least Susitna in 2006, possibly earlier. Think I came via Fatty. Bought your first book, will by your next and probably any more that you write.

    ReplyDelete
  10. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I found your site via Fat Cyclist a couple of years ago. I always enjoy reading your posts about what your up to. It interesting and inspiring. I've already bought the Kindle version of the new book and have been immersed in it for a couple of days now. It's good stuff!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I started reading it about 3 years ago, found it through gwadzilla.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi Jill, I have been following this blog since November 2005 and enjoy every minute of it - I learned about your blog from Geoff and it is great reading. I have followed all of your adventures (some good and some not so good). You are an inspiring writer and an awesome person. So glad that you have found someone to share all of your adventures with.

    Can't wait to read your new book - I bet it will have me glued to it just like Ghost Trails did.

    Best of luck with the new publication and will be anxious to continue reading this blog for years to come.

    Love,
    Sharon

    ReplyDelete
  14. I think I've read your blog pretty much since 2005/2006. I don't remember exactly how I found it, must have had something to do with a search for Alaska, as I visited there in 2005. Have really enjoyed reading all your adventures, and look forward to reading more.

    Lise

    ReplyDelete
  15. I was bicycling through all the seasons and living in Quebec, I stumbled upon your blog while just googling "winter bicycling", I think back in 2006. Your writing and photography is captivating and resonated with me so I stuck around!

    ReplyDelete
  16. People should change over six years? I should look into that...

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hi Jill! I found your blog from both Fat Cyclist and Team Dicky, maybe in 2009? I'm a cyclist too and I love reading your stuff. It's helped me keep focus on just pedaling on not stressing about gear or experience! Thanks for your perspective.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Sadly, I only found you a couple of months ago. After getting into blogging (and improving my fitness) a bit over 2 years ago, I started following some of the adventures of a couple of the UK ultra-runner / mtb type folks, and I'm pretty sure I stumbled across you from there - always fascinated at the journey that ends with you guys completing the feats you do!

    Inspirational and interesting stuff!

    Sue

    ReplyDelete
  19. I looked up your blog after reading your short write up in the Adventure Cyclist magazine when you started working there and have been hooked ever since.

    Loved your first book, and started reading the second (ebook) two days ago as I couldn't wait for the hard copy.

    Absolutely captivating - should finish it tonight.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Totally came across your blog like 2 years ago when i got into endurance cycling in montana. Started reading your journals about the tour divide because I heard about the crazy race that went through my town (butte) every time I chatted with people out riding, and have been a dedicated and inspired reader ever since!

    ReplyDelete
  21. I found your blog 4 years ago - I am very poor at time frames. I believe I followed a link from another blog and have loved your posts ever since.

    Thanks for sharing so much and being so open. Even if I don't win I am going to buy the book and keep it with Ghost Trails.

    Have a great weekend

    ReplyDelete
  22. I've been here since your "Ode To Pugsley" post.
    Needless to say, ya got me with that one!! ;)

    Peace

    ReplyDelete
  23. I've been enjoying your adventures since March of this year. I finally got my wife into riding, so as we set up our own blog I searched for women riders out there to help inspire her to push through the initial frustrations of tackling mountain biking... and here we are

    ReplyDelete
  24. I've been reading your blog for three or four years... not even sure how I found it, but the amazing pics of Alaska and stories of your snow bike adventures got me hooked.

    Thanks for sharing all your stories with us!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Couldn't remember for the life of me when and how I ended up here. Look back through the blog archive and found an entry where you did a guest post for Fat Cyclist back on Nov 20, 2008. I am pretty sure that was it and I have been a faithful reader ever since.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Found you through Fatty. 2, maybe 3 years ago. Still here obviously. And still reading Fatty too. D.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Have been following since mid-2008. Someone (Team Dicky??) on mtbreview commented about your exploits.

    ReplyDelete
  28. I would guess I've been reading your blog for just about two years now. Don't remember how I found it either (wow - and it was only two years ago!), but I really enjoy your writing, the photos and your perspectives. I bicycle and run also (on a much smaller scale than you do), have spent time in Southeast AK and CA, and have subscribed to Adventure Cycling for years, so was initially attracted to your thoughts on outdoor exercise. Over time though, I realize I read your posts because I really enjoy your overall energy and enthusiasm for life. Thanks for the great reading!

    PS Thanks too for changing your font recently! It was hard to read there for a little while ;)

    ReplyDelete
  29. a long time ago (2008?) when you still called it Up in Alaska and followed you since. It must have been Fatty of Bike Snob that mentioned you.
    great work!

    ReplyDelete
  30. I first started reading during your 2006 Susitna. I found it because I was reading on other blogs about someone named Jill who was racing this crazy race in Alaska. It would later inspire me to buy a Pugsley and race the Arrowhead 135...Minnnesota's version of the Susitna.

    ReplyDelete
  31. I found your blog in 2008 via a link on another mountain biker's blog. You probably don't remember but you helped me decide to buy a snowbike by answering my questions about how well one *really* works. I've adored it (a Fatback) and ride all winter long on the Colorado trails.

    ReplyDelete
  32. I found your blog during your Tour Divide race - I was following John Nobile's race and since you and he rode together for a while, I got interested in your progress as well, and continued on to read about all the the other crazy - surhuman? - things you have been doing. Some call that vicarious living...

    ReplyDelete
  33. I came upon your blog in 2009 after reading this post over at Fatty's blog: http://www.fatcyclist.com/2009/05/21/how-to-defeat-jill-homer/

    Been a fan/reader since then.

    Regarding your bike training/race running wish, there may be hope. This weekend I met a guy on a big organized tour who rides a bareback bike, as in it has no saddle (top tube actually runs from the headset to the rear axle directly to the chainstay). By standing all the time, he is able to get in "about 70%" of his training for marathons. Oh, and he claimed to ride ~9,000 miles a year on his bareback.

    ReplyDelete
  34. It's been years, not sure exactly but I believe Kent Peterson had linked to your blog so I took a look and just never looked away. My wife and I always talk about your adventures! Crazy fun and one of the cyclists that has inspired me to ride farther.

    ReplyDelete
  35. I first came across your blog when it was mentioned on the VeloNews website when you were training for your successful Iditabike. Was that 2008? I've really enjoyed the outdoor photography and the quest for new challenges and adventures. I can relate.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Hey Jill, I found your blog thru Fatty and I've been addicted ever since. I think it was about two years ago but I've gone back and read some of your old posts to catch up. Keep writing and I'll keep reading!!! Love every minute of it.

    ReplyDelete
  37. I have probably been reading up about your adventures for about 3 years now. If I recall correctly, I think I came upon it by searching something about biking in Alaska. Anyway, I have enjoyed the great photos and narrative. I'm 60 years old living my dreams through others sometimes.

    ReplyDelete
  38. I started reading your blog when you were in Homer and working in the cement box. I love reading about your journeys.

    ReplyDelete
  39. I've been following you blog for a few years after hearing you on NPR.

    ReplyDelete
  40. "hurty-foot recovery plan" I like that:) Avoid plantar fasciitis at all costs. Mine has nagged me off and on for years and was one of the reasons I took up cycling.

    I plan to start running again next week. I used to run and coach distance and I really do miss it.

    You inspired me to try winter riding on a Pugsley and I thank you very much for that. Now, you've inspired me to start up my running once again, but I'm not sure if I'll thank you yet;) We'll see how it turns out.

    The new book sounds fantastic! I can hardly wait to read it.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Wow - I don't know how long I've been following your blog, but it was from Fatcyclist - Gosh, I don't even know how I found him. I remember reading of your Tour Divide - thinking I'd never be able to do that. I do ride, but only on my flat Arizona streets and canals - I really need to get out of town..

    ReplyDelete
  42. Discovered you via Fat Cyclist, maybe in 2008 or 2009? Not sure. Very excited about your new book!

    ReplyDelete
  43. Winter/Spring 2011 - via link from another blog. Love your writing!

    ReplyDelete
  44. I found you through Fat Cyclist about a year and a half ago I'd guess and now check in every day.

    I went back and read most all of your old posts and ordered Ghost Trails right away. Stayed up all night reading the day I got it until there was no more. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

    You are I are about the same age but our lives are drastically different. I have 2 small children and a 40 hour per week desk job, so my freedom to pursue all sorts of adventures is limited, but I live vicariously through yours and continue to plan for my own adventures when the time is right.

    Can't wait for the new book!

    ReplyDelete
  45. I started reading, I think, in 2006. Hilljunkie told me about your site. Bought the first book and even vacationed once in Alaska, which was probably somewhat inspired by you. Thanks for writing.

    ReplyDelete
  46. I think it was 3 years ago when I came across your blog by a link from a link to a link...
    It's been great fun reading ever since.

    ReplyDelete
  47. Hi Jill, I found your blog the summer of 2009 while doing a Google search on Alaska for places to live. I was wrapping up nursing school at the time and live in the brutally hot city of Phoenix. I was overwhelmed with endless assignments and clinical rotations and unable to make the trek to the mountains in Flagstaff to cool off. I found your blog while you were riding the Divide. I went back and read every posting you had written. Being stuck in school at the time I was so envious of your freedom and sense of adventure and was able to live virtually through your blog. Thank you so much for sharing the incredible stories and photos of your adventurous life with all of us!

    ReplyDelete
  48. Hi Jill, I found your blog the summer of 2009 while doing a Google search on Alaska for places to live. I was wrapping up nursing school at the time and live in the brutally hot city of Phoenix. I was overwhelmed with endless assignments and clinical rotations and unable to make the trek to the mountains in Flagstaff to cool off. I found your blog while you were riding the Divide. I went back and read every posting you had written. Being stuck in school at the time I was so envious of your freedom and sense of adventure and was able to live virtually through your blog. Thank you so much for sharing the incredible stories and photos of your adventurous life with all of us!

    ReplyDelete
  49. I've been reading for over a year now. Now sure how I found your blog...somebody's twitter link? Random blog surfing? I always enjoy reading your adventures and seeing your pictures.

    ReplyDelete
  50. I've been reading for about two years. Used to live in Fairbanks (just one year) and was thinking about Alaska so I hit Google. As I bike, the combo on your blog was an instant hit.

    Good luck with the book!

    ReplyDelete
  51. Holy crap! Mention "free" anything and the commenters come out of the wood work.

    ReplyDelete
  52. I came across your blog in January or February of 2007, unsure which, after a random search of cycling blogs. Your honest revelations of Susitna and compelling photos had me hooked immediately. Thank you for providing us with ample inspiration to chase down our adventures. Looking forward to reading the new book!

    ReplyDelete
  53. I am saying four or five years - my friend had a link to your blog - yet had never read your blog himself - I turned my wife Stephanie who works for Olympus onto your blog and the rest is history - you and Fatty are only blogs I read religiously - ride/run on

    ReplyDelete
  54. I found your blog because google reader suggested I might like it, and they were right! This was back when you were still in Alaska but about to move away. You write really well and make me want to go out and do something outside that might even scare me a bit. It makes sitting at my desk all day a little more bearable.

    ReplyDelete
  55. I stumbled across your blog through Fatty a couple of years ago and have remained a frequent visitor. It has been entertaining to read about the ups, downs, moves, transitions and the crashes. Thanks for sharing!

    PS If I win, can you give away a Nook version as I currently live (and work) in China? :)

    ReplyDelete
  56. I'll exempt myself from the giveaway for obvious reasons, but I found your blog in the spring of 2007 as my family was planning a cruise to Alaska -- I was googling all things Alaska and you popped up. Since I was already a blog addict and your writing style was right up my alley (despite the fact that I haven't ridden a bike in years), I was immediately hooked. :)

    ReplyDelete
  57. I stumbled across it when you were living in Juneau and discovering snow biking I think - and I had moved to Canada, and was thinking that biking on snow didn't sound so crazy anymore.

    ReplyDelete
  58. Fatty mentioned you at some point guessing 2006 and I have read ever since. Have a great day.

    ReplyDelete
  59. Oh, and my photo on here is me in front of that waterfall near the Mendenhall Glacier..the cruise was amazing! We've even trod some of the same ground, because we took that tram up the mountain in Juneau and hiked up around that area.

    ReplyDelete
  60. Found your blog in 2008 when I was researching Pugsley's. After I found your blog I was almost convinced you were a friend of mine (Brit) who had a similar life story, but that you changed some personal details to remain anonymous.

    Looking forward to the second book.

    mikE

    ReplyDelete
  61. I started following your blog several years ago after completing a thru-hike on the Appalachian Trail. I found your blog thru the Fat Cyclist blog and I read your post every week. Congrats on your new book. Happy Trails,
    Sue & Knucklehead

    ReplyDelete
  62. I started reading your blog maybe 2 years ago after a friend repeatedly shared some of your posts from her RSS feed. I spent many hot hours one summer reading your snowbiking archives. It was glorious! Thank you for sharing so much of your life with us.

    ReplyDelete
  63. Pretty sure I clicked on a link from Fat Cyclist 2-3 years ago. I've really enjoyed reading your blog. Keep up the good work!

    ReplyDelete
  64. I've been reading faithfully since 2007. I heard about you on NPR before your first Iditarod biking trip. I actually heard about Fat Cyclist through you! Read the Kindle edition of the book, but would love to pass on the paperback and see any photos!!

    ReplyDelete
  65. Hi Jill, I found your blog through Fat Cyclist. I love your stories and photos. I look forward to your posts!

    ReplyDelete
  66. Hey Jill - - I'm another reader who first stumbled upon your blog via the Fat Cyclist in 2009 and have been reading ever since. I think you are an incredibly inspiring athlete and I was planning on buying your book (so I don't need to win a copy, if you pull my name).

    ReplyDelete
  67. Not sure how long I've been following, a while now. I probably noticed your blog after we became friends on facebook. My husband and I have both been eager followers since!

    ReplyDelete
  68. I have been reading your blog for about 3 years or so. I first found out about it from the Fat Cyclist. I have found it very interesting how you have evolved as an athlete and as a person. Keep it up!

    mtb w

    ReplyDelete
  69. I'm somewhat neurotic when it comes to blog reading, so the path here was long, tiresome, and blah blah blah. In early 2009 I insisted on reading Bike Snob NYC from beginning to end, and he (at some point) linked to Fat Cyclist. So then I read Fat Cyclist from beginning to end, and he linked to you. And then I read THIS from beginning to end (finally catching up at the end of the Great Divide) and have been here ever since.

    Even though I'm a NYC bicycle-commuter, I can appreciate/dream about the great outdoors. Must be nice..

    ReplyDelete
  70. I discovered your blog through Kent Peterson, a local tour divide participant (single speed), excellent writer and bike enthusiast. I check both blogs daily and enjoy reading about your adventures. Keep up the good work and looking forward to reading your latest book.

    ReplyDelete
  71. I found your blog around 2006 when I was Googling "mountain biking in Juneau Alaska". I live here and had recently purchased a bike (the first since I was a kid) with the goal of getting healthier and losing some weight. Your writing and adventures in my own back yard inspired me to actual get on the bike and ride and to see my hometown of 30 years through someone much more adventuresomes eyes. Thanks for that. I still read the blog regularly and continue to ride at least a couple days a week.

    Thanks for letting us live vicariously through your adventures AND inspiring me to get off my fat...couch and ride.

    AKMando

    ReplyDelete
  72. First read your blog during a brief, boring stretch at a state office job. You were just getting ready to leave on your first Iditabike and someone in the Juneau Freewheelers mentioned your blog in a Yahoo Group message to the club. Been reading it off and on ever since. Random luck that I checked in today!

    ReplyDelete
  73. I first found your blog sometime around 2008, and have been hooked ever since. I found it through references on Fatty's blog.

    ReplyDelete
  74. I came to your blog from Fatty's blog when you were preparing to do your first Iditarod and have been following your adventures ever since. I am inspired by your spirit of adventure and am looking forward to reading your book.

    ReplyDelete
  75. I'm not sure how I ended up here (through Banff Trail Trash maybe?) but it was in early 2010 when you were still living and hiking in Juneau. I didn't get really hooked until you book popped up in my recommended reads on Amazon around Christmas - I read it, loved it, then proceeded to read through your *entire* blog over a couple of months. It helped me cope with some illness and depression.

    ReplyDelete
  76. As a link from Geoff's blog when he linked to you for Sustina report. 2007.

    ReplyDelete
  77. Simply in awe of your mastery of the written word, at how your words transport your readers along for every ride, jog, and slog up the coldest Alaskan peak and, more currently, every descent into the California canyons. Stumbled upon your blog, circa 2007, though a fellow Alaskan's blog, Ed P., whose blog was fantastic too- loved learning about the scientific explanations behind the Alaskan topography and the peculiarities of water, like formation of hoar frost!
    Thanks for sharing your writing, which easily provided entertainment and vicarious living through my bedtime reading of your blogs! Best to you always!

    ReplyDelete
  78. I'm still here. Been here since '05. I don't remember how our blogs crossed paths. I'm always rootin' for you.

    ReplyDelete
  79. Hi Jill,
    Found you through fatty about four years ago, and I check in almost daily. Love your adventures and your telling of them.

    ReplyDelete
  80. It's been about two years, found the blog after seeing it nominated for an award for photography.

    ReplyDelete
  81. Been following since 2008. Came across it from a link on Fatty's blog. Don't put me in the running for the book because I've already got it on my kindle. Love the blog. Have you thought about being a guest on bicycleradio.com? They do a podcast on Tuesday nights. I think listeners would be interested in your book. I'm enjoying your book by the way.

    ReplyDelete
  82. Linked in from Fatty's blog in 2009 (don't ask me how I got there, but it was around the same time). Love the contrast in style between the two (shh, I prefer yours).

    ReplyDelete
  83. Hi Jill,

    I discovered you after reading a nice review of your Ghost Trails book on http://snowbikes.wordpress.com/2011/05/16/ghost-trails

    Cheers,
    Dave

    ReplyDelete
  84. I discovered your blog shortly after you moved to Montana. I enjoy reading your posts so much, especially since you've been into ultrarunning.

    Tam

    ReplyDelete
  85. I came across your blog while hunting for touring bicycles. I have jealously followed your blog for the last year and read though the earlier post.

    ReplyDelete
  86. I started reading your blog sometime in 2007. I was looking for Alaskan blogs and bloggers. I am not a cyclist but find your blog really inspiring. It makes me want to challenge myself.

    ReplyDelete
  87. I've been reading since I found out I worked two cubicles away from a crazy winter biker who loved riding in the rain, snow, slain, hoar frost and whatever else Southeast Alaska had to throw at her. Even after her departure from sleepy Juneau, I check it weekly to make sure she's still doing all the crazy things I would expect. Keep it up Jill! (I'm sure you don't miss the perpetual soggy sneakers)

    ReplyDelete
  88. After spectating the Leadville 100 in 2005, I stumbled onto the Fat Cyclist. From his site I ventured over here. I'd have to say I've been reading on a regular basis since winter 05/06, but this is my first comment. As a part time adventurer, I enjoy reading about your exploits.

    ReplyDelete
  89. I've been following your blog since um, not sure really! it was still "Up in AK" back when I found it, and I was researching fatbikes (aren't pugs grand?)...loved the pics, attitude, and exploits and have been reading every since!

    ReplyDelete
  90. Well, Jill, I can’t quite remember when I came across this blog or how, but it was probably sometime around 2006. It was my first experience with blogging and prompted me to start my own in 2007. So thanks for the intro. I actually just ordered your second book (congrats, by the way) yesterday from Lulu and I have to thank you for introducing me to them too. I combined shipping with your book and my first – it’s my first copy – I’ve never even seen it! Just a bunch of years of poetry that I can’t hardly recommend but still will be nice to have it all bound up in book form on my shelf. So I guess you don’t have to enter me in the raffle, although it would be cool to get a signed copy. One of these days I’m still hoping to reach the 50K level though so maybe then I’ll find you at a race and you can sign my copies then. You’ve helped a lot of people along their paths. Thanks, really, a lot…

    ReplyDelete
  91. Psyched to read your new book, I'm sure it will be inspiring. So cool that you are self-publishing and helping other adventure writers do the same. I might be one in the near future!

    ReplyDelete
  92. I found your blog when you were just moving to Homer. i'm not sure how but most probably through Fat Cyclist. I have been reading every post for many years, it's my favorite blog. Very well written and the pictures are amazing.
    El animal

    ReplyDelete
  93. I've been reading your blog since summer 2007. My boyfriend recommended it (I think he found it through fat cyclist).

    ReplyDelete
  94. Hi Jill,
    I found your blog in September of 2007. I remember the date because I had just started a Master's degree program and instead of reading my homework, I spent my evenings reading the archive.

    I found it on accident. I was looking for something else related to Alaska (can't remember what), came across your blog, read a few entries and moved on. But then discovered I couldn't get your writing out of my head so I bookmarked the site and have been checking it daily since.

    Thanks for sharing your adventures!

    ReplyDelete
  95. I found the blog about 4 months ago when my mother (who also follows your blog) let me know about the Susitina 100 and that I had to read your blog entries on the race. I've been following since. I love to read cycling adventures.

    ReplyDelete
  96. Is that eastbound hwy 92, just past Skyline Blvd?

    It's been a couple of years since I encountered your blog. I don't recall how I came across it, but the beautiful pictures, and adventure write-ups, kept me coming back.

    Congrats on the book.

    ReplyDelete
  97. I can't wait to read the new book! I first started reading your blog a few months before you moved to Anchorage. It doesn't seem like it was that long ago but reading about your training and races has really motivated me and helped me challenge myself more with my own training. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  98. I love bikes and great story tellers. A friend of mine rode his bike from here (Durango, Co) to Costa Rica and he would post his blog everytime he was able to find an internet connection and I couldn't wait for each installment of the story. After his trip I googled for more bike stories and found your blog on www.bikeblogs.com, which I noticed has not been updated in a while. Keep pedaling.

    Neil

    ReplyDelete
  99. Kent Peterson and Fatty pointed the way to your blog. I stayed for the writing and photography. I enjoy the diversion and confess to swearing now and then at your freedom to travel. I especially enjoyed the year it seemed like you were climbing a mountain every day in Juneau because I was on a similar streak and wondered how you any energy left to go to work.

    ReplyDelete
  100. First started to read the blog when you started the Tour Divide race. Can't remember who mentioned it, but obviously I became enthralled.

    ReplyDelete
  101. I heard about your blog from the blog of a cyclist/photographer in DC whom I met once when I lived there - totally don't remember his name now. I started reading right around the time of your first Iditarod, and I was completely drawn in not only by your account of that race but by all your training logs and pictures. I now live in Chicago and find your winter riding stories endlessly inspirational. I have a 19 mile r/t commute to work and I'm planning my first century ride for hopefully later this month. Anyway, I'm a big fan, and I'm excited your new book!

    - Shana

    ReplyDelete
  102. I saw a link to your blog in a post on an Ohio mtb forum regarding building snow bikes, probably about 4 years ago. Thought it sounded interesting and have been reading ever since. Loved Ghost Trails; can't wait to read your latest!

    ReplyDelete
  103. I created my blog in June 2006 and your blog was one of Google's recommendations. I've been following along ever since.

    ReplyDelete
  104. I first found your blog a year and a half ago during my many forays into online bicycling adventure and dreaming of eventually making my own adventure in the real world. I was struck by your narratives and your photos, which have brought me back regularly since.

    ReplyDelete
  105. I was in Afghanistan in 06, missing the winter riding back home in Winnipeg. I googled winter and biking or something like that and there you were. Reading your blog helped pass the downtimes when I needed to escape reality. I did a cruise to Alaska with my wife a couple of years later and had an awesome day trailrunning around Juneau. Thanks! Keep writing!

    ReplyDelete
  106. Jill, I probably started following your blog in 2007-ish, or whenever it was you got Pugsley and were seriously training (Ididarod??)... I had found about about Surly Pugsleys from Icebike, then stumbled upon your blog, and have been quietly following ever since! - Rachel from Bend

    ReplyDelete
  107. It was probably about a year ago I found your blog..... I read every entry.... There wasn't much getting done at work that week....

    ReplyDelete
  108. Hi,
    I think I found your blog while pregnant with my kiddo 3 y ago (he's 2.5) yearning for ak and long rambling adventures on foot... maybe linked through another blog from a runner girl (sealegs)... i can't quite remember... i just know it was about the same time i figured out the "favorites" button on the computer (i'm slow with tech stuff) cuz it's my first in line fav button. :) my "long rambling adventures" are shorter now tho i still find time for a 50k and shorter race here and there... but i look fwd to introducing the kiddo to the lifestyle more and more. thanks for writing. i'd love a copy of your book... especially because i love to hold a book in my hands, dog ear the pages, and see it on a shelf waiting to be perused again.... or starting up a conversation with someone who sees it sitting there, too. i lived in ak awhile back... and it continues to be a part of me tho I'm not living there now... and so do the people, the trails, the mtns, and the weather.
    cheers and best wishes on your continued adventures--all aspects.
    kristin z
    oregon

    ReplyDelete
  109. About 10 months ago, from the Fat Cyclist blog (I was doing research for my highschool graduation project on endurance cycling). You ended up motivating me to complete my first century, and sign up for a cross-America ride (I leave next Thursday, eep).

    Sorry if this seems like I'm sucking up to you for a free book; sure, I'd love to win it, but I doubt this comment would (or should) sway you much. But i've never really gotten up the courage to comment on your blog, so I figure this is as good a time as any.

    Good luck with your hurty foot, I hope it heals up soon.

    - Rebecca G, from NJ

    ReplyDelete
  110. I started reading this blog around the time of the Tour Divide. I have enjoyed reading the evolution of Jill over the past couple of years.

    ReplyDelete
  111. Jill: Discovered your blog via a link from hilljunkie in 2008...found your writing and imagery of Juneau immediately compelling. Really enjoyed Ghost Trails & am reading Be Brave along with the current Tour Divide...

    ReplyDelete
  112. I've enjoyed your writing and your pictures for a while. A fellow cyclist forwarded a link to me sometime back when you were living in Juneau way before you developed an interest in hiking the mountains surrounding you. I'm looking forward to your next book.

    ReplyDelete
  113. I've enjoyed following your blog for four or five years. I think you had some coverage on NPR around then.

    Your posts are inspiring, entertaining and very well written. Keep it up.

    ReplyDelete
  114. I started bike commuting in Ottawa in 2006 and so started reading a bunch of bike blogs. I think I found yours in 2007, but I don't remember where I found the link. I've been a regular reader since then. I loved the new ebook. :)

    ReplyDelete
  115. I found your blog last July when I was laying in the hospital after a bike wreck. I think I found Fatty's first (probably b/c I spent a LOT of time playing on my iphone while watching TDF - what timing to end up stuck someplace with cable!). I checked out most of his blogroll and I stuck with yours.

    ReplyDelete
  116. According to your archives, I have been reading your blog since early 2007. I was living outside at the time, and looking for any little bit of 'Alaska porn' to sustain me until I could move north again. I stared reading for the pictures of Juneau (my favorite set being your mountain binge), and I will stay for the writing. I will continue to follow you no matter where you live.

    ReplyDelete
  117. Found through Fatty, I think - went back and read every post from the beginning, and have been a regular ever since. Much vicarious enjoyment and admiration!

    ReplyDelete
  118. Found through a friend who organized a century ride around Lake Tahoe in 2008. He posted his favorite bicycling blogs and I've stuck with it since then. Great blog!

    ReplyDelete
  119. You will have to thank Elden for having you as a guest talking about snow biking. Been reading ever since. Love your work. Count me in for a signed copy of the new book. Can't wait to read it after faithfully cheering for a blue dot on a computer screen for 24 days, you certainly didn't disappoint.

    ReplyDelete
  120. I am pretty sure that I found your blog from the Alaskaultrasport website, I think there was a link to "Jill's story" which pointed me to your blog.
    I really like to read about other people's race experiences, it gives me a good taste of the fun that I quite enjoyed. I am currently on hiatus from racing while my children are young, but I am planning to do the Nome race in '17.
    Doug

    ReplyDelete
  121. I found your blog after finding love cycling at the age of 47. You inspire me to keep on going, not to give up, even though I am such a newbie. I've always been fearful, but I am shedding that past. Thank you for showing me a new journey!

    ReplyDelete
  122. I found your blog back in 2007 when i was setting up a blogger blog for my international travels. Your blog was in the special section on the dashboard of blogger that profiles different blogs.

    Now from all your inspiration and after 4 years of international travel, I am heading back to the US to travel on a bike and going to make it a lifestyle.

    Thank you Jill!

    ReplyDelete
  123. I think I've been around since the beginning (I'd have guessed more than six years), before any of the big rides or big runs. It's been fascinating and inspiring to see how you've evolved in your riding, writing, photography and running. I don't know how many times I've found myself riding into a headwind and thinking, wonder what Jill's doing today? Thanks for keeping at it!

    ReplyDelete
  124. I've been following at least for a couple years? I found your blog after listening to an NPR interview about the iditarod trail.

    ReplyDelete
  125. I've only been reading your blog a few months. Because I'm a woman into the outside, I'm always looking for blogs by other women. I also live about 10 min. from you and was surprised to see my neighborhood in your pics before you changed your location from Montana. Thanks for all your inspiration.

    ReplyDelete
  126. I think I first came across your blog around 2008 following a series of links from other blogs starting with a cycling friend in New England. I love the pictures.

    ReplyDelete
  127. Jill, I've been reading your blog for several months, but darned if I can remember what led me to it. I'd love a copy of your new book to review for BellaOnline.

    ReplyDelete
  128. november 2009. can't for the life of me figure out how i came across it, maybe from another bicycling or running blog.

    really enjoy reading your blog, keep up the excellent work!

    ReplyDelete
  129. I've been following your evolution for about 5 years, as a snow biker, tourist, ultra cyclist, and now endurance runner. I don't recall how I stumbled on your blog, but have really enjoyed it. The $64,000 question is, "What next?" I have enjoyed your trip every step of the way. Thanks for the window to your life.
    Martyuma

    ReplyDelete
  130. I can't remember when or how I fisrt started reading your blog. Maybe around the time you wrote about the frostbite incident. Funny story though - I was telling my friend about you, "there is the blog I read..." and how I thought you were totally kick ass. Then the conversation evoloves from one endurance sport to the next, being running (my friend is an ultrarunner) and 20 minutes after I metion you, he mentions Geoff Roes. I was like wait - the girl I was just talking about is his ex!

    ReplyDelete
  131. Came across your blog maybe 2009 via FatCyclist....been a fan ever since. Thanks for writing!

    ReplyDelete
  132. I started reading your blog quite faithfully sometime in 2005. I moved to AK about the same time you did, I think...June 2005 for me...and ran a search on Alaskan Blogs because I wanted to learn more about blogging! Found yours first thing and got hooked then. Thanks for all the great reading; it remains the best blog I've read ever since then! I'm still up here, by the way. And I've seen you in the flesh at the start of the ITI! By the way, I think Mama Roes deserves a free book, somehow! Congratulations on your latest!

    ReplyDelete
  133. I can't remember how I came across your blog. I think it was in late 2007 or so. At the time that I started following, there weren't too many other followers, maybe 30 some. Its some strange addiction that I've remembered to check back almost everyday for 4 years. Thanks for keeping me entertained!

    ReplyDelete
  134. I had recently been following the Big Ring Circus back in 2005, a blog based in Tallahassee, Fl that you occasionally visit, and that Blogger (Juancho) turned his readers on to this crazy bike chic in AK. Been reading both of you ever since.

    ReplyDelete
  135. I've been reading your blog since 2009. I've enjoyed your photos and stories. I just took up running two years ago, so I'm enjoying your running tales. Keep up the good work!

    ReplyDelete
  136. I first heard you on your NPR commentaries. Caught my attention since I used to live in SE and now live in Fairbanks.

    Tom M.
    Fairbanks

    ReplyDelete
  137. I first heard about your blog from another adventure-oriented blog written by a woman. I don't recall which one, but you were in the blogroll. That was maybe two years ago? Maybe a bit less? Not sure, but I love reading what you write!

    ReplyDelete
  138. I have been reading for quite a while, 4 or 5 years I think. I got hooked after following a link from the Fat Cyclist. I hope you keep it up for a long time to come!

    ReplyDelete
  139. Found you via Dave Chenault who kept on referring to you on Twitter and his blog! Must have been about last year autumn that I subscribed, and have been a silent reader since.

    ReplyDelete
  140. Hi Jill, I've been following your blog for a couple of years now. A fellow cyclist and photography friend sent me your link when I started talking about making a trip to Alaska. I'll be happy to leave hotter then hell Florida for my first trip to Alaska on Friday. Yippee!I've downloaded "Be Brave" to my ipad and look forward to reading it on the plane.Love, love,love your post!

    ReplyDelete
  141. This is a fun one today...to sit and think back of when I first found you 'Up in Alaska.' I was in Atlanta, and was terribly, terribly homesick for Alaska. I was googling around in blogs for "Alaska" and yours came up first. I immediately connected to your style of writing, georgous Alaska pictures and your love of the outdoors. Funny, I know the exact day - 9.18.2007 - because I stole your old miles/temp format and started my own blog that day! You inspired me to get outside again and rediscover the outdoors (I didn't know I could love the outdoors outside of Alaska!), take pictures and write about it all. Thanks for being there all these years! ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  142. And... for the record I found Fatty through your blog! So Jill came first in my book!

    ReplyDelete
  143. Hello- found it in october 2009 while Tour Divide dreaming and got hooked. Love the fact there are other girls out there living it too :-)

    ReplyDelete
  144. Found your blog in 2007 searching for info on winter cycling. You inspired me to do some long distance cycling

    ReplyDelete
  145. Hi!

    Love your blog...found it 3 years a go while researching Nunuvut and Alaska blogs and was living on a remote Scottish island at the time so had more time to read blogs....but I still follow your adventures with envy!
    fiona

    ReplyDelete
  146. ps. I read Ghost Trails (delivered by post to the island of Iona on Scotland -- where the postman wouold bring the mail in the house and hand it to us while we were eating lunch!) After I read your book I sent it down to a friend in England.
    I am eagerly awaiting your next book!!

    ReplyDelete
  147. I found your blog on June 16th, 2011, probably through Fatty's blog. Since then I have read Ghost Trails and I'm almost finished with the pdf version of be brave, be strong (so you can omit me from the giveaway). Both books have been so incredibly inspiring, and I've become obsessed with the idea of training for the Tour Divide. Your writing is just beautiful, and your attitude towards life is one that many people can aspire to! I'll be diving in the blog archives when I'm done with the books, for sure...

    Take care of that foot. I've had PF for over 1.5 years and had to quit running and take up biking (maybe a blessing in disguise, but still, you don't want PF!!!)

    ReplyDelete
  148. I was mistaken! I apparently found your blog through Kent's bike blog on June 7th. Yeah, I'm not *that* fast a reader... Thanks, browser history.

    ReplyDelete
  149. I am a principal at a school for the deaf. I became interested in your blog over a year ago. Years ago, in 1991, I almost acccpted a job teaching at the Paul Banks school in Homer. I was telling my children about my almost move to Homer and was doing an online search about Homer. Somehow, the search lead to your blog. I am not a cyclist or runner, however your writing does provide a glimpse of a life vastly different from mine in a way that gives me a tiny glimpse of what my life could have been like to experience the beauty of Alaska. Students at my school are amazed at the dedication and endurance that comes from what you do.

    KaAnn V.

    ReplyDelete
  150. I have been reading for several years now, and found you through Fatty, who I found through Skibikejunkie. I have loved reading ever since. I grew up south of Missoula, and have family there. It was fun to read about your adventures there.

    ReplyDelete
  151. probably 3 years ago while reading someone Else's Alaska blog who had you as a link...can't remember who though!...

    ReplyDelete
  152. Hi Jill, I am not sure how I found your blog (possibly from the Surly Blog?) but I do know it was Nov/Dec of 2008. It may have been a link to your new book that brought me to your blog then, but I do remember that I did order an autographed copy of your new book from you as soon as I found your blog. I am looking forward to ordering an autographed copy of your newest book when it is available from you! Thanks,
    Ace

    ReplyDelete
  153. I started reading your blog after Leslie on her Banff Trail Trash Blog mentioned hosting you before you started the Divide Ride.

    ReplyDelete
  154. Hi, Jill! I found you on another blogger's blogroll several years ago. Don't remember which one though.

    ReplyDelete
  155. Hi Jill.. I believe I started reading in the middle of 2007. I honestly can't remember what led me to your blog. It was probably linked from another blog? Fat Cyclist maybe? I had only been cycling myself for just over a year and was inspired by your words and pictures. Plus, you showed a lot of confidence in the cold! I am a wimp even though I live in a cold northern Michigan. My extremities do not allow me to pursue all that I wish I could outdoors! brr! :) I took some time off from blog hopping about a year ago. Then, my parents visited Alaska last August.. they brought me back a necklace that was made locally in Homer. I thought of your blog & have been following your latest endeavors ever since. I might even start running again. eek.

    ReplyDelete
  156. I found your blog about the time you did the Iditarod the first time, and have been following you ever since. I don't even recall how it was I found you.

    We actually live in Sandy, and I was surprised when I first learned you were from here originally.

    ReplyDelete
  157. I got here through Geoff's blog after his first win of the 50 mile race in Alaska. I got to his blog through an ADN article regarding his record-breaking effort. I've been hooked ever since.

    ReplyDelete
  158. Yo Jill...just back from the Alaska cruise vacation...(I took the tram up to Mt Roberts, but didn't have the time for the summit hike...sadly, it was a short day in-port).

    I found your blog when Fatty first referenced you a few years back (you were still up in Juneau). You were still with Jeff, and I got a signed copy of Ghost Trails even! I will surely be ordering a copy of your new book (even if I WERE to win a copy, I'd still prob get a copy for my brother).

    And speaking of Fatty, I know you have a ton on your plate, but he has just started a new mission with World Bicycle Relief (buys bikes for kids in remote places of the world where they need them). ANYBODY can join his team and all miles you run, jog, mt bike, rd bike and prety much ANY other exercise you can think of are accepted...and you get "Kudos" for uploading data (they accept Garmin, or you can manually enter your miles/time/etc). Then SRAM will donate .0015 cents per Kudo, buying the bikes. It's FREE for us...except for our time. You and Beat should join! (and tell your friends!) See Fatty's post from yesterday for the links and info.

    ReplyDelete
  159. Oh, and if somebody (or many somebodies) already mentioned the Fatty/WBR thing, I apologize)...my first day back from the Vac and I have a TON of stuff to do, and don't have time right now to read all the comments like I usually do)

    ReplyDelete
  160. Late to the comment party but don't care about the free book. Glad to pay. Found you when Kent Peterson posted about you on his blog, Kent's Bike Blog. Mostly fascinating reading including the moves and the running stuff.

    Cheers, Gene in Tacoma

    ReplyDelete
  161. To clarify the note about Kent's Bike Blog, I'm referring to the FIRST time Kent posted about you (whenever that was).

    Gene

    ReplyDelete
  162. I'm probably too late to win a book, but that's OK... I'll be buying one! But anyway...I started reading your blog during your Tour Divide ride, and I've been reading ever since. Keep it up, Jill!

    ReplyDelete
  163. I don't need a book because I've already gotten them :) but I've been reading your blog ever since Blogger made you a "Blogger of Note" or whatever it was called way back in, oh I don't know, maybe 2005? I happened to stumble upon their highlighted blogs one day and it was the day yours was up. I've been a faithful follower ever since!

    ReplyDelete
  164. Hi Jill, Yes, you still have followers from way back when. I stumbled across your blog a number of years ago. Your posts about your first Iditarod race drew me in. I went back to the beginning of your blogs then and read them through like a book. I sometimes fall behind when things get busy here, but always go back to where I left off and catch up. I really enjoy your posts and they motivate me to ride more. I enjoyed your first book and just ordered the second - can't wait to read it.

    ReplyDelete
  165. I first came across your blog when you were training for your successful Iditabike, 2008 maybe? Being an endurance racer and outdoors person myself I have really enjoyed following your adventures.

    ReplyDelete

Feedback is always appreciated!