Today was the longest day of my entire life..in a good way, of course! My longest ride this summer was less than 30 miles, and my longest ride ever was 56 miles. I rode 98.6 miles according to the cue sheet, but some people clocked over 100! I was struggling as usual in the morning, and I forgot to grab my gps watch...whoops! I'll be sure to bring it tomorrow because we'll be going over the continental divide, which is about 6500 feet! It'll be neat to see the elevation gain...yes, the watch is quite nifty. :)
So, this morning I woke up at 4:45 am! It was kind of a rough start. It was raining, and I thought my back tire was flat because it wouldn't inflate. One of the guys came to save the day and used my hand pump. It turns out that the stem on my tube was just too short. I rolled out at 6...without my jacket. I was sure it was going to warm up. Right before we got on the freeway Todd offered me his extra windbreaker, which was much appreciated. Sometimes I'm not all that smart- Everyone was wearing a jacket and they've been riding for the past week, so they know what to do. I should follow suit, but I'm just stubborn. I thought it would warm up quickly. Nope, it stayed pretty chilly all morning. I was also borrowing Janet's cycling gloves, another opportunity for an awesome tan line! Yess! But basically I'm a poor lost child that has to borrow everything. Struggle. :p
The first 70 miles were AWESOME. I was riding with a bunch of different people, and I ended up riding by myself for a while, which was actually really nice. It's so pretty here...I can't even begin to describe it. I just would not do it justice. I'll try and figure out how to post pictures. Then, I started to fade around mile 70. Sue and George were great and helped pull me, but then I let them go ahead and rode by myself again. I was the third person to make it to camp, so I got stuck with setting up the group tent and unloading the truck duty. It actually was not too bad.
A local cafe catered pasta and lots and lots of pie for dinner. Yummy yummy in my tummy! Isang gave me a massage, which was quite painful but will hopefully help me feel better tomorrow. It's before 8, and I'm pooped!
Lots of love from Montana!
Suzanne
(51) fruit salad (52) climbing trees (53) jokes on Laffy Taffy wrappers (54) apple pie a la mode (55) movie premieres (56) winning the lottery (57) Camelbak water bottles (58) waking up before your alarm and realizing you have a few more minutes to sleep (59) stepping on crunchy leaves in the fall (60) cardigans (61) pearls (62) finding the perfect Christmas tree (63) holiday decorations (64) going to new places (65) my mom's pasta (66) my dad's famous twice a week chicken (67) pen pals (68) the third pancake of a batch being the first good one (69) no line for the restroom (70) no expiration date (71) games with jump ropes (72) singing in my car (73) hot, gooey chocolate chip cookies (74) wearing fluffy slippers and making applesauce (75) not being too grown up for anything
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
I made it!
So, my bike and I successfully made it to Missoula, MT! I was a litle worried after my flight out of Dallas was delayed 1.5 hours, and I only had 10 minutes to make it to my flight out of Salt Lake City. I got to be that really cool person running through the airport wih a really frantic look on her face. Struggle. Haha.
Alan picked me up from the airport and brought me to the University of Montanta dorms that we are staying in. Alan is super cool and the ride's bike mechanic. His van has a bed and a shower annnnd a kitchen!! Once at the dorm, I immediately met a bunch of the riders who were passing through the lobby to go to dinner. I went to dinner with MiKe, Sue, and Janet. At dinner, it seemed to be a contest to see who could eat the most food. I did not really participate..the food reminded me too much of the Market Place. Mmmmm. They're a great group of people, and I can't wait to meet everyone else!
After dinner I watched Alan put my bike together and tried to help a little. It turns out that my spare tires were not packed with my bike, so I'm going to be in trouble if I need another tire. I have midget wheels, so I won't be able to borrow anyone else's. Struggle. At least that's really the only big thing that I'm missing. It could be much much worse.
I'm rooming with Amy who just graduated from McGill, which is where Mark goes to school! And she majored in environmental studies...just like me! We were just meant to be roommates!
Well, I'm trying to load a picture from breakfast, but this iPad is making it impossible. But thank you Ashlee, Jocelyn, Libby, and Brennwyn for being such great friends! And thank you for everyone's well wishes! I could not do this without everyone's incredible support.
Stay tuned...I'm going to try and figure out how to upload pictures...struggle. :)
Cheers and smiles,
Suzanne
(26) strawberry picking (27) setting goals (28) secret cabinets (29) sporks (30) making banana splits (31) lazy afternoons (32) sliding glass doors (33) peanut butter and banana sandwiches (34) monogrammed totes (35) happy endings (36) sugar packets (37) ankle socks (38) candy under pillows (39) guardian angels (40) homemade sweet tea (41) jumping into a cold river when it's really hot out (42) twirly skirts (43) Disney (44) Easter egg hunts (45) making snow angels (46) a cat named Marmalade because its orange (47) running your first mile (48) gummy vitamins (49) Sharpie pens in every color (50) a white Christmas
Alan picked me up from the airport and brought me to the University of Montanta dorms that we are staying in. Alan is super cool and the ride's bike mechanic. His van has a bed and a shower annnnd a kitchen!! Once at the dorm, I immediately met a bunch of the riders who were passing through the lobby to go to dinner. I went to dinner with MiKe, Sue, and Janet. At dinner, it seemed to be a contest to see who could eat the most food. I did not really participate..the food reminded me too much of the Market Place. Mmmmm. They're a great group of people, and I can't wait to meet everyone else!
After dinner I watched Alan put my bike together and tried to help a little. It turns out that my spare tires were not packed with my bike, so I'm going to be in trouble if I need another tire. I have midget wheels, so I won't be able to borrow anyone else's. Struggle. At least that's really the only big thing that I'm missing. It could be much much worse.
I'm rooming with Amy who just graduated from McGill, which is where Mark goes to school! And she majored in environmental studies...just like me! We were just meant to be roommates!
Well, I'm trying to load a picture from breakfast, but this iPad is making it impossible. But thank you Ashlee, Jocelyn, Libby, and Brennwyn for being such great friends! And thank you for everyone's well wishes! I could not do this without everyone's incredible support.
Stay tuned...I'm going to try and figure out how to upload pictures...struggle. :)
Cheers and smiles,
Suzanne
(26) strawberry picking (27) setting goals (28) secret cabinets (29) sporks (30) making banana splits (31) lazy afternoons (32) sliding glass doors (33) peanut butter and banana sandwiches (34) monogrammed totes (35) happy endings (36) sugar packets (37) ankle socks (38) candy under pillows (39) guardian angels (40) homemade sweet tea (41) jumping into a cold river when it's really hot out (42) twirly skirts (43) Disney (44) Easter egg hunts (45) making snow angels (46) a cat named Marmalade because its orange (47) running your first mile (48) gummy vitamins (49) Sharpie pens in every color (50) a white Christmas
Monday, June 28, 2010
Here I go!
Oh my goodness, where to begin…! I can’t believe that I’m leaving tomorrow to begin my bike ride across AMERICA for the American Lung Association! Well, as most of you know or have been able to figure out, Montana to D.C. is not quite all the way across. I was taking biology at Dallas Baptist, and I needed to finish up the class. Today, I went to lecture, took the fourth exam, took the final exam, and made up two labs. Phew! It was a lot, but it was totally worth it! I get to start my ride!!
I’m not going to lie. I’m quite nervous about the actual ride and meeting 25 new people. Hopefully my legs and butt will be able to handle the 2,700 miles with an average of 83 miles per day, and meeting new people is a good type of nervous. I guess anxious is a better way to describe it.
So, initially I was just going to keep a twitter during the ride, but my parents got me an ipad for my birthday! Hopefully I'll be able to figure it out. So far it’s a neat little device, but I really haven’t had much time to mess with it. The first half of my summer has been a whirlwind. I was working part-time at Learning Express and J. Crew, taking summer classes, attempting to train for the ride, and fundraising! The fundraising was definitely the hardest part, but thanks to all the incredible and amazingly generous support from my friends and family, I was able to raise the minimum goal of $6,000 in less than a month! Annnnnd, I even exceeded my goal by more than I could have ever imagined. The funds will go to the American Lung Association in Washington to support research, clean air legislation, programs to stop teenagers from smoking, and so much more. It’s awesome!
I hope that one day I’ll be able to make the world a better place by being a part of similar programs whether through my career or volunteering on the weekends. Just as a disclaimer, I am in a complete and utter state of confusion as to what I want to do with my life. I guess no one really knows, and I’m exaggerating. In more realistic terms, I don’t know what I want to do after I graduate next year—grad school, work force, Peace Corps, and maybe even law school…? The list goes on. Struggle. Oh, and if you haven’t had a conversation with me recently, “struggle” is integrated into my speech pretty regularly. Hence, struggle bike. So, to counteract my struggles, I am going to list 25 things that make me happy or just make me smile at the end of each post. I figure that after 40 days, I will have a list of 1,000! That’ll definitely come in handy on those days that I’m feeling down in the dumps or have 3 papers and 2 tests in one week. Struggle. :p.
As far as the other half of my blog title goes, I realize that being out in the sun for 4-7 hours a day will result in some awkward tan lines-- raccoon eyes, tans on my legs that extend only from knee to ankle, watch tan, etc. Fabulous!
Just to make sure I have all the essentials...
Hot pink handle bars? Check!
Fingernails and toenails to match? Check!
Glittery jelly flip flops? Check!
Celebrate my birthday with the family? Check!
(Note the start to a great tan line on my leg...)
Ok, I think I'm ready to go! :)
Here I go!
Love love love!
Suzanne
I’m not going to lie. I’m quite nervous about the actual ride and meeting 25 new people. Hopefully my legs and butt will be able to handle the 2,700 miles with an average of 83 miles per day, and meeting new people is a good type of nervous. I guess anxious is a better way to describe it.
So, initially I was just going to keep a twitter during the ride, but my parents got me an ipad for my birthday! Hopefully I'll be able to figure it out. So far it’s a neat little device, but I really haven’t had much time to mess with it. The first half of my summer has been a whirlwind. I was working part-time at Learning Express and J. Crew, taking summer classes, attempting to train for the ride, and fundraising! The fundraising was definitely the hardest part, but thanks to all the incredible and amazingly generous support from my friends and family, I was able to raise the minimum goal of $6,000 in less than a month! Annnnnd, I even exceeded my goal by more than I could have ever imagined. The funds will go to the American Lung Association in Washington to support research, clean air legislation, programs to stop teenagers from smoking, and so much more. It’s awesome!
I hope that one day I’ll be able to make the world a better place by being a part of similar programs whether through my career or volunteering on the weekends. Just as a disclaimer, I am in a complete and utter state of confusion as to what I want to do with my life. I guess no one really knows, and I’m exaggerating. In more realistic terms, I don’t know what I want to do after I graduate next year—grad school, work force, Peace Corps, and maybe even law school…? The list goes on. Struggle. Oh, and if you haven’t had a conversation with me recently, “struggle” is integrated into my speech pretty regularly. Hence, struggle bike. So, to counteract my struggles, I am going to list 25 things that make me happy or just make me smile at the end of each post. I figure that after 40 days, I will have a list of 1,000! That’ll definitely come in handy on those days that I’m feeling down in the dumps or have 3 papers and 2 tests in one week. Struggle. :p.
As far as the other half of my blog title goes, I realize that being out in the sun for 4-7 hours a day will result in some awkward tan lines-- raccoon eyes, tans on my legs that extend only from knee to ankle, watch tan, etc. Fabulous!
Just to make sure I have all the essentials...
Hot pink handle bars? Check!
Fingernails and toenails to match? Check!
Glittery jelly flip flops? Check!
Celebrate my birthday with the family? Check!
(Note the start to a great tan line on my leg...)
Ok, I think I'm ready to go! :)
Oh, and how could I forget! 25 things that make me grin from ear to ear…
(1) family (2) friends (3) my Big Ride (4) triathlons (5) Pumpkin, my bike (6) taking pictures (7) Doreen Apple Pie, my future fish (8) The Little Mermaid (9) crafting (10) frozen yogurt (11) jumping in puddles while wearing rain boots (12) paying in $2 bills (13) picking wild flowers (14) towels hot out of the dryer (15) bright bright bright pink (16) Nike Tempo shorts (17) sending care packages (18) the word doily (19) matching (20) squishing my toes in mud (21) watching the sunset (22) catching up with old friends (23) the smell of cookies in the oven (24) jingle bells (25) rain on a warm summer day
Here I go!
Love love love!
Suzanne
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