The final countdown!!

4 days left until the biggest adventure of my life!!

My 4K training jersey!! (right sleeve says our motto: cycle, inspire, unite)

I've known I was going to do this ride basically since the moment I found out about it, which was last March. That was 15 months ago. I've been looking forward to this for a solid 15 months and I'm suddenly 4 days away from leaving. I can't believe this is actually happening!! Thoughts going through my mind include:

• What in the WORLD was I thinking when I thought this was a good idea??
• *Looks at bike* THIS is going to carry me across the country??
• How will I be without my hair straightener for 70 days??
• Wait....it's gonna be, like, really hot some days....
• Wait... biking in the rain is totally awful...

But mostly, it's:

• Can't wait to have nothing to worry about but riding my bike each day!
• SO EXCITED!!

Since I got home from school I have been very busy and have barely had a moment to relax. My best friend Ellie visited for a few days, and then I babysat for a great family for 8 days while the parents went on vacation to celebrate their 20th anniversary. Babysitting was fun but also provided some challenges! I was glad I got the experience of being totally in charge for a week, and also was glad to do it because it was the only money I'll be making all summer. I've worked full time during the summer since the summer after my sophomore year of high school, so this is the first time in six years that I won't be. Of course I'm not worried as this is going to be an amazing experience. I then spent all of yesterday running around the entirety of Maryland, from getting something sorted out in College Park, to getting my bike a final tune-up in Columbia, to stopping by the 4K office in Baltimore.

Since finishing up the babysitting job, I went on two long bike rides with my mom, who is AWESOME!! The first one we did with her work friend, Shani, who I also went biking with a month or two ago and is mentioned in a past blog post. That was in Cambridge, MD, which was a good 2-hour drive for us, but it was worth it! Shani was practicing the course for the bike portion of the half-Ironman she is doing this coming Sunday, so we decided to tag along. I loved the course. It was on roads so I got to practice road riding, but traffic was very minimal and there was only one 7-mile stretch that had a lot of cars. Shani gave us cue sheets (just like we will have on the ride). I tried my best to keep up with Shani but was usually straggling behind her a bit. My mom, riding her mountain bike, without clip-in pedals, and thus working at least twice as hard as Shani and me, was a total trooper and nearly kept up with us anyway. 

Sidenote on my mom, as Mothers' Day just passed: My mom is awesome and is hardworking in everything she does. She is an amazing athlete and is an inspiration for me. She works out (usually running or swimming) every day and gets very cranky if she can't (I got this from her). She will wake up ridiculously early to get her workout in and it doesn't matter how much she doesn't feel like it at first -- she does it anyway. We make fun of her for drinking so much water, but she's the healthiest person I know and even surprises her doctors with how healthy she is ("I've never seen levels like this on a person;" "You're going to live forever"). She is very strong and routinely shocks the neighbors at her strength (i.e. breaking one of their shovels right in half while trying to plant a tree; snapping tree limbs in half in our yard). Anyone that knows us is probably nodding their heads because this doesn't surprise them. I feel confident in saying I wouldn't have the determination to do this trip if it weren't for her. She's always so supportive of everything I do. Thanks, Mom!!! You're the best!

My mom and I in the Bahamas after totally crushing my uncle and brother in a kayaking race.

Back to our ride, we did 40 miles before getting back to the car, where my mom decided to stop because she was wiped out. We later figured out it was because she didn't eat anything during the ride and realized that's critical to keeping up your energy! Shani and I continued and did another 10 to make 50. It was an awesome ride; perfect weather and I got NO flat tires, woo!!

The next day my mom and I did 43 miles on the BWI trail by doing one loop and then riding to Annapolis and back on the connector trail. It was another great ride, except for the numerous families that were out (Memorial Day) and a minor fall on my part. Yeah...I guess I still haven't mastered the clip-in pedals. I was just casually standing at a light waiting to cross, with one foot clipped out as I normally do. I guess I shifted my center of gravity too far to the right because I just randomly tipped over to the right (the side I was still clipped in on). Couldn't do much about it since I was still clipped in on that side and just went down. Tons of cars saw but whatevs!! I got cut by my pedal on my left leg, and scraped by the road on my right leg. Also landed on my wrist which has been hurting a bit, but nothing major. This happened only about 5 miles into the ride and we continued along with my battle scars. We stopped for fro yo in the middle of the ride, and as it was a trail we took a more leisurely pace and were able to ride next to each other and chat much of the time. Was great to spend time with mom before leaving :).

My plans for the next few days are crazy. It hit me that I have so much to do and so little time! There are many people I wanted to see before I leave that I'm just not going to get the chance to. My room is an absolute disaster zone since I never got the chance to unpack from school. I would post a picture but it's really so bad that I'm too embarrassed to do that. I have to sort through that, then pack! I've made my packing list, with help from my mentor, and it's.... interesting. I kind of have two separate lists... a "bare essentials" packing list, based off of what my mentor gave me, and then an "ideal" packing list.... to which I added many other things. I'm hanging onto my "ideal" packing list, and if I have to be dragged away from it, it will be screaming and crying, I assure you. My mentor's packing list is full of things such as "I PROMISE YOU WON'T NEED MORE THAN X PAIRS OF Y!!!! TRUST ME!" Do I believe her? Yes, I 100% do. But it's still hard to accept!! For example, the only non-biking attire that is recommended to bring is 4 T-shirts and 1 dress. That seems crazy for 70 days! I do believe it. But I am a notorious overpacker. Just ask my brother, the one that usually carries my bag on family vacations :) In all seriousness, though, I'm going to pack the bare essentials, then look at how much room I have, then fit in a couple extra things, then stare at my suitcase for a while and try to convince myself to take them out. We will see how it goes. :)

Speaking of my mentor.... Thank you to my mentor, Sarah Eddy, for her enthusiasm and help in preparing me for this ride! Sarah did the Portland ride last year. We were assigned to each other by 4K, and she has been an invaluable resource that I can email or call with any questions I might have. She is SO excited for me and always says it was the most unforgettable summer ever, and that makes me more excited. She will be riding with us on Day 1, along with other alumni!

My mentor and I!! <3

My plans for the rest of the week are spending time with family & friends, cleaning my room, and packing! I expect several frantic trips to Target/Rite Aid for last-minute things I forgot. I'm babysitting tonight and then tomorrow I'm going for a ride with my dad around Bel Air. My dad is really into cycling but doesn't go out on the roads all that much because there aren't too many good places to ride around here. He routinely spends 3 hours biking on his stationary bike in the basement (while watching a movie at a deafening volume heard for miles) then comes up looking he just took a bath). Also, today and tomorrow are the National Spelling Bee (the only TV event I get really excited for) and I don't think I'm going to have time to watch it!! Sad day.

Although we leave Sunday, the adventure really starts Friday night. Friday we have a Tribute Dinner, where I will meet my team! I also have two of my team members, Jared and Tom, staying at my house from Friday-Sunday because they are from out of state! Saturday, all day, we have a training day in Baltimore where we'll do a ride, team building exercises, and go over 4K policies. Anyone old enough to drive the vans (21+) will also do van training. Then Sunday, we have to be in Baltimore at 5:30 am. The Send-off ceremony begins at 7 am and we are scheduled to roll out of the Inner Harbor at 8:05. Thank you everyone for your continued support!! :)