Mountains and Tornados

Day 5

Chambersburg, PA – Everett, PA

65 Miles

Conditions: Mountainous, humid, severe weather forecast

Mosher:

*The Mosher is an Illini 4000 tradition that is literally an ID of a man named Eric Mosher. The team tries to pass it off to one another throughout the day without anyone noticing. If you successfully pass off the ID without the other person noticing- that person has been “moshered.” If you are the one with the ID by the time breakfast is served the next day you have the lead the team in a short group activity before the ride starts. The activity can be anything of your choosing from a speech to a game.

Today Yang gave the Mosher. He gave us a crash course in Chinese (hard to do early in the morning believe it or not) and taught us 3 helpful phrases that we could use while riding. He taught us how to call out: “pothole”, “stopping” and “slowing.” From what I can remember it was something like: “Keng,” “Ting,” and “man.” Didn't sound too pretty.

Overall: Hardest day I have had so far.

I rode with my sister Queen of the Mountain, Katie and 4 other guys including Ron, Cristian, Josh and Bopp-It (Greg).  The guys are very fast so I had to push myself to keep up.  On top of that my quads and knees were starting to tighten and get very sore.  Oh- and we were going through the Appalachain Mountains.  I was not feeling positive energy today.  I was lagging for sure.

Once we started pedaling we quickly realized how tough the day was going to be. There was no warm up- just several steep climbs in our very first miles. We added one more to our group temporarily.  Zion Reformed Church's organist (the church we stayed over at the night before) rode with us the first 20 miles.  He had been a biker for over 20 years he said and despite his old age, he schooled me on the hills.  This was not great for my optimism that was already dwindling with every climb.  He rode all the way with us until our first rest stop at Cowans Gap State Park. The park was beautiful, complete with a manmade lake that was way too cold for my liking.  (I did dip my feet in though.)  However my favorite part about the day was an amazing and much needed nap that I took in the shade.  The team wanted to wait until everyone arrived at the park so we could take a team pic by the lake.  We were one of the first groups in so it took over an hour for the last team to roll in.  I passed out- but had nightmares about climbing mountains.

The rest of the day proved to be one of my toughest days to date with humid weather and impossible climbs.  I actually had my first almost I4K cry today- but I kept my cool with the help of Ron.  Not only was I in pain but I hated the fact that the boys could fly up the hills (at least it seemed like it) and always had to wait for me and Katie at the top of every hill.  It was frustrating but Ron assured me that I was doing great and to go at my own pace and let them go at theirs.  Who cares if they had to wait for us.  

Our team slowly, but surely, conquered steep inclines including the infamous Mountain House Road.  And let me tell you that I don't remember seeing any houses but I promise there was a mountain.  A big one.  It was one of the hardest thing I have ever done in my life.  It was a steep 3-5 mile gradual climb up a mountain.  I have no idea how I did it.  It kicked my butt.

But what goes up must come down. And down we came with a greatly appreciated 2 mile downward slope into the town of Breezewood.  It was funny because going up the mountain we were crawling at a whopping speed of 6 miles an hour and going down I hit my high of 40 miles an hour!  There was one point where I literally had to check if I was going the speed limit on the curves.  

We stopped 10 miles out from our destination in Breezewood to go to the bathroom and share an ice-cream cone from DQ.  However unfortunately this is where our ride came to an end for the day. It seems like bad weather has been following us wherever we go.  The clouds turned black and the wind picked up. We found ourselves right in the middle of another severe storm and another tornado warning. I have never seen a sky green before.  We quickly took cover in a Quizno's. The plan was to wait the storm out but it only got worse and all groups were instructed to stay put until we could be picked up by the van.

Even with the series of unfortunate storms in Pennsylvania, we all arrived to the Everett Church of Brethren safe (and a little wet). We believe a huge thanks needs to go out to our organization's president, Connor Canaday, who is our van driver for the first few days of the trip. He has helped us immensely by not only fixing several bike problems, but also by shuttling everyone in the van safely the last couple of days.

Our difficult day was rewarded by a generous and warm welcome by the Church of Everett and its pastor, Frank Ramirez. We were provided hot showers a delicious home cooked meal (lasagna and salad) compliments of Ella, Anna, Beverley, and Thelma. It was a perfect way to end another day and to also prepare for our next day in the mountains!  :/   

My First Days

***I am not guaranteed to have internet at all of the places we stay at night.  Nor can I promise I will have energy every night to Blog.  I promise to keep it up to date thought.  So there may be multiple posts added at once.  So be sure to check to see if you have seen all of them.


***This is not the official blog for my first few days because soooooo much happened in just 5 days.  I am just going to give you the important stuff and then details will be posted soon!

I am sorry I can't write all of the stuff tonight.  Trust me- there is tons to say.  However I am tired.  I am dirty.  I am sore.  I may be constipated (I apologize if this is too much info but I told you I was going to be honest and write about everything)  But mostly I am just tired.  And I have to wake up at 5:45AM tomorrow for the third day in a row.  NOT ok.


But really quick- we have rode our bike in a total of 3 states in just 2 days!!!!!!!  We rode 65 miles from Central Park, New York City to Hillsborough, New Jersey on Monday (Day 1).  Today (Day 2) we rode 81.2 miles from Hillsborough, NJ to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Crazy.


There is also a term I have learned from a previous rider- Steve Oden.  The term is "Peaking and Troughing."  It means he sensation of waves of feeling great and then terrible repeatedly.  That is exactly what cycling is like.  There are great parts and not so great parts- and my first few days have been full of both.  (I will write more later.)

Fears

SATURDAY, 5/21/11

Somehow I went from 102 days left to 11 days left to being on the Amtrak headed for New York, New York. We will be kicking off on a 4500 mile bike ride in less than 48 hours. 4500 miles. On a bike.

I have talked about how cool this trip would be since my freshman year. And we have been having team meetings and group trainings since November- 8 months in the making. And now it's actually here. There is no turning back. But I'm not even nervous- at least not yet. It really hasn't hit me at all. It feels like I am just on an awesome road trip with my friend to NYC. But I am sure as soon as Monday comes and I am officially in my bike shorts, I will have a full blown panic attack. There has been a total of 2 other times in my life I have had this happen.

The first was when my parents dropped me off at college. I was pumped to go to UIUC- and then I got on campus and saw hundreds of students saying goodbye to their parents. That's when my stomach flip flopped at least a dozen times. Studying abroad in Ecuador was the second time. I was nothing but excited until my plane took off from O'Hare headed to Quito, Ecuador. That is when the reality hit me and I frantically started skimming though my Spanish to English dictionary.

So here I am again- 4 years after my freshman year of college, and a whole year after my 5 month stay in Ecuador. And I feel the same passive nervousness and excitement I had the other times, just waiting for the exact moment when I freak out.

And there are many reasons I should be freaking out. For starters my “training regimen” the past couple weeks consisted of eating out at all of my favorite restaurants (IMPERIAL PALCACE!), sleeping, having 1 jumbo margarita, a couple Bud Light Limes at Dina & Michaels grad party, shopping, watching TV, going to the movies, getting a massage, and packing. I like to justify myself by telling myself I was indulging myself with all the things I won't be able to have for the next 72 days. And I did at least go on a 20 mile and 52 mile bike ride with my dad (I should have been training with him the whole time). But to say the least I am not as in shape as I would have thought I would be in entering a cross country bike ride. C'est la vie.

With the help of all my team mates we came up with a compiled list of all of our other fears that we have for the trip. I think I will feel better if we just say them- and while you are reading these, may I direct you to my previous blog post titled “Why Not” which lists all of the reasons why I want to do the ride (which of course outweigh all of my fears).

• Not being able to fit everything in my backpack without Grandma Bev
• Living out of a backpack all summer
• Going 72 days with 5 pairs of underwear and 4 t-shirts and 1 pair of jeans.
• Giving up the luxury of long hot showers. Or giving up showers period.
• Having to use public bathrooms 24/7.
• Eating PB&J everyday.
• BO
• farmer tans
• Having to change a flat tire- or worse.
• Mountains/BIG HILLS
• Never ending roads
• Giving up the luxury of a bed for 72 days.
• Knee pain
• Butt sores
• Hamstring pain
• Quad pain
• Neck and shoulder pain
• Any other pain I forgot to mention
• Having to take Tylenol everyday for the pain
• Possibly getting a yeast infection
• Wondering when I can get to a laundry mat. Or washing my clothes in sink
• Getting sick on the trip
• sunburn
• Waking up before 7am everyday
• Rain
• HEADWIND
• Bike breaking
• Getting lost
• “Accidentally getting lost and riding into Canada without a passport and getting stopped by border control”- Ellie Spitz
• Hitting an animal or roadkill
• Dogs chasing you
• Going to NYC without heels or makeup
• Heat stroke
• dehydration
• Constipation
• Team Drama
• Ron and I getting divorced before we get married
• Swallowing bugs on the bike
• Falling off the bike
  
• Gaining weight
• Having manly overly muscular legs at the end of the trip
• Snakes
• Bears
• Mountain Lions
• Not having time alone with Ron
• Having to deal with my TOM on the trip
• hairiness
• Dirtiness
• Stomach aches on the trip
• Not having enough food
• Gravel
• Temperature extremes
• Traffic- riding my bike in NYC
• Not being able to find a bathroom
• Tornados
• “I'm fearless”- Gedion
  
  

I wish I could say I was fearless like Gedion. But I'm not. I'm scared out of my mind. I just have to go in the trip knowing that the first dozen days are going to suck. They are going to be hard, painful, and uncomfortable. It will take a while for our bodies to adjust and to get into a routine. I will just have to push through it. And hopefully by the end of the trip I will have conquered all of my/our fears- hopefully with the exception of tornados and bears :)

“Without fear or risk, there are no rewards.”

Packing

THANKS TO GRANDMA BEV AND HER"MAGIC WAND" (I HAVE NO OTHER EXPLANATION FOR HOW SHE MANAGES TO MAKE EVERYTHING FIT) I MANAGED TO PACK ALL OF THIS INTO 1 BACKPACK (NOT INCLUDING MY CAMEL BAK, SLEEPING BAG, OR SLEEPING PAD OR BIKE OBVIOUSLY).  1 BACKPACK FOR 72 DAYS.  GOES TO SHOW ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE! :)

Bike

saddle bag

air pump

lube

patch kit

multi tool

water bottle/camel pack

spare tube

tire levers

bike lock

computer

license/Health insurance card

hygiene

soap (body/shampoo) 

conditioner

toothpaste/toothbrush

Sun block (Stick and lotion)

shaving gel

razor

MAKEUP (Concearler, FRESH lip color, eyeliner, mascara)

lotion

face soap

deodorant

travel brush

camping towel (ex.large)

lufa

Feminine wipes

Tech.

camera

ipod

charger(s) (phone, camera, ipod, computer)

phone

Mac

Packing Misc.

compression sack (2)

sleeping bag

sleeping pad

water proof sack

flash light/headlight

clippers

Bike Clothes

ear warmer

arm warmers

under armor pants

knee warmers

socks – 1 wool

2 team jerseys

bike shorts (3 + old pair)

3 sport bras

bike shoes

helmet

gloves (biking gloves, winter gloves)

rain coat

Other clothes

sweat pants

underwear (5)

long sleeve shirt

T-shirts (2 team ones, 2 extra)

1 regular bra

maroon Nike fleece sweater

work out shorts (black nike pair)

2 casual shirt

jean capris

swim suite

Misc.

Gallon zip lock bags

sharpie, pen

hand sanitizer

chap stick

pillow

Chamois butter

Medicine

BC

Advil and Tylenol

Anitbiotic prescription (yeast infections/sinus/strep)

Vitamins (Women's daily & Vitamin D)

Tampons

BeneFiber Packets
Bandaids
Cough Drops
Neosporin

*snacks for train

*business cards

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Training Ride #5 Part 2

So pretty much there was the good:

1. The fact that there were not any flat tires
2. The games we played to pass the time on desolate roads- singing songs (good thing we are a biking team and not a choir is all I have to say lol), going through the alphabet with a category (ex. Disney Movies: Alice & Wonderland, Bambi, Cinderella, Dumbo, etc.)
3. Flying down downhills
4. My CamelBak :)  (I had my doubts about carrying one on my back, but it came in handy not only keeping me hydrated easily, but also for extra space for carrying stuff.)
5. The last 15 miles
6. The fact that it actually didn't rain 
7. Advil!
8. Baby Wipes
9. Crossing the Indiana State Border.  1st border crossing on my bike!
10. The fact that I did it

There was the bad:

1. Steep Uphills
2. Getting lost a handful of times
3. Detours due to flooded roads
4. Gravel Roads
5. >50 mile an hour winds
6. My quads tightening up

The ugly:

1. My knees hurting
2. All contact areas of my body to my bike seat hurt
3. Having to pee like a race horse (I never got this saying, but what was more frustrating was the fact that I was not on a horse, nor were we even close to racing speeds.  They kept telling me that a Casey's Gas Station was only 2 miles away.  Then 5 miles later- it was just 2 more miles.  Just a couple more...LIES!  I never made it to a Casey's until after I went in the woods.  It was more like 20 miles away.)

Probably one of the worst moments I had was right before our lunch break at about mile 50.  We were hungry, I had to pee, we were sore and tired after 50 miles and knew that we were barely over half way there.  We made it to a small park where the sag vehicle was waiting for us (a van will follow us during the trip to carry our bags, sleeping bags, and sleeping pads.  And also to carry water for refills and a cooler with food.)  We had PB&J's.  And I know I said that I did not care for PB&J's, but let me tell you it was the BEST PB&J I ever had.  But before the sandwich I still had to go to the bathroom- since we had not come across a Casey's yet.  And of course there were no bathrooms.  So I had to suck it up and go squat in the trees.  Problem is not only is it hard to squat after riding a bike for 50 miles, but I have had minimal experience going to the bathroom outside.  It is usually an experience I try to avoid at all  costs.  But this time I had no choice- and my lowest of all low moments was when I successfully managed to get pee on my bike shorts.  NOT OK!!!  I was livid.  However I was very lucky and had an extra pair of shorts packed in my bag which was in the van.  I got to change but it did not give me very positive thoughts.

We rode a total of 95 miles that day- just short of a century ride.  The ride took us 11 hours and 30 minutes including all of our rest stops and water breaks and detours.  We got in just as we were running out of sunlight.  We were lucky that the sag vehicle and the first groups in helped set up camp and all the tents.  I know for a fact I wouldn't have been able to handle setting up a tent in the dark after riding a bike for 90+ miles.  I would have lost it.  I almost did trying to find all my stuff and change clothes in the dark.  Also, there were no showers, so I got to "bathe" by wiping myself down with baby wipes.  I honestly can say that I reeked.  We all smelled.  Gross.  Gross. Gross.

Dinner was also already prepared for us- lentils and white rice. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm  But let me say that it was the BEST lentils and white rice I ever had.  Same with the sleeping arrangements.  I would not classify myself as a "camper" per say- I actually don't remember the last time I had been camping.  Something about outhouses and sleeping on the ground isn't appealing to me- but I was thrilled just to lay down on the sleeping pad.

I hit the sack fast as soon as I ate and washed my bowl with the water pump (in the dark).  The only person who passed out before me was Ron.  He surprisingly was just as sore and tired and disgruntled as I was.  His exact words were, "it was miserable."  Which I couldn't disagree.  And we still had to wake up at 6am to pack up camp, get ready and ride 30 miles back to Champaign the next day.  

Not that it was hard to wake up.  I didn't sleep very good and the Turkeys were gobbling at the crack of dawn (which thrilled Ron).  I got my bike clothes back on, repacked my bag, rolled up my sleeping bag and sleeping pad, took down the tent, checked my bike (put lights back on, check for air in tires, etc.)- a lot more than I usually accomplish before 7 a.m..

We had cereal for breakfast in the same bowls we had with our lentils.  You could definitely tell that we washed the dishes in the dark with all the leftover sediments in the bowl.  We re-washed our dishes, I brushed my teeth in the water pump, went to the bathroom (because I learned from the previous day never to pass up a bathroom even if you don't have to go) in the outhouse and was reminded why I never go camping.  I do not like camping and thank God that our team is only planning on camping about 3 or 4 times the entire summer.  The rest of our stay overs will be mostly in churches with electricity and running water.

And then miraculously, I have no idea how, I got back on my bike even though my butt was bruised and my body ached and I had gotten less than 10 hours of sleep the past 48 hours.  I rode with Ron in a group for the first time.  I think he was frustrated because he kept having to slow down for me or another girl in the group.  He just wanted to get the hell home.  We all did.  We made it back in town before noon.  

Having over a hundred miles behind us definitely opened my eyes.  Word for word, one of the board members and previous riders told us that this was supposed to give us a taste of what this summer was going to be like.  Gulp.  Actually a lot of four letter words came across my mind.   That ride was excruciatingly difficult.  And I have been laying in around like a vegetable ever since.  I have been hiding from my bike like it is going to buck me off it like a bull as soon as I get on.  I know this is detrimental in training- not training at all- which scares me even more.  

It was a very humbling experience to say the least.  And I'm sad to say that my excitement for this trip has been masked my fear ever since.  How the heck am I going to do that every day for 72 days???  Ron said himself, once we were on our way home to Springfield in the comfort of a car, that it was going to be a longggg summer if that is what it is going to be like.

I can't stop thinking what have I gotten myself into?  What if I will be miserable?  

I guess I have to hold fast to a prayer and just keep pedaling- like Dory says in Finding Nemo.  "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming."  

Training Ride #5 Part 1

Fact:  The days until our trip is dwindling.  12 Days and counting....t.w.e.l.v.e.  doce, a dozen, less than 2 weeks, too close to being able to count with my hands

(Fact:  The money in my bank account is also dwindling.)

Fact:  I am scared out of my mind.  Afraid, nervous, anxious, fearful, have cold feet, panicky, petrified, and terrified.



We had our last team training ride last Saturday (April 30).  It was designed to mock what an actual day would be like during the summer- complete with packing, water stops, PB&J's, and an overnight stay.  We rode 90+ miles and it was the hardest thing I have ever done.  period.

Ron and I packed our brand new team-issued back packs (which is a whole other issue in itself) the night before.  My bag was nearly packed full for one overnight stay.  I somehow have to pack for 72 days in the same bag.  Before 6am on Saturday morning, we were running through Walmart to pick up fruit, Cliff Bars, sunblock, and baby wipes. :)

We made it to Champaign at 7:45am and loaded our bags, sleeping pads, and sleeping bags into the van.  Then we got to choose our own teams for the first time- I rode with 6 other girls- TEAM STARBURST :)  (All of us had bright colorful raincoats)

And we pedaled - and we pedaled - and we pedaled some more.  One thing I learned during the ride is that you no longer break down the day by time.  Your day is ruled and divided by milage and rest stops. Have you ever gone to work or maybe a class-someplace where you want the time to pass really really fast-and you look at your watch every 5 minutes and time just seems to crawl?  You swear an hour has passed-and it really has been only 15 minutes....that is exactly what riding a bike is like.   I can ride what seems like forever and then I stop and find out it has only been 15 miles.  Crap.  80 miles to go.

Or you can break down the ride by the beginning of the day- the first mile- where you are full of energy, you are rested and ready to go with a positive attitude for the day-but there always is that lingering thought about how far you actually have to go.  Then there is the last mile-where you feel on top of the world-not just because you can finally get off your darn bike but also because you know how far you went.  It is really similar to a runner's high- a burst of energy where you feel like you could actually keep going.  And then of course there is the 93 miles in between.  And those miles are a whole other story.

There are high highs and low lows.  And honestly it is all mental.  You have a lot of time to think while moving at speeds at 9 miles an hour against the wind.  And it is so easy to let negative thoughts fill your head- especially when all you can see ahead of you is a never ending road.  I found it helpful to come up with a list of positive things to think about- such as wedding plans, or cities I am going to get to see, or food; but there are times those thoughts don't prevail, such as when we have a three mile gravel road to travel or we just realized a road is flooded and we have to add a couple mile detour to our ride or even better when we just realized we rode 3 miles uphill in the wrong direction.  Those are the times I contemplate how much money I could sell my bike for.

Those are the times I literally found myself praying.  Well sort of.  I would say in my head, "God please make this road end."  Or "God, please stop the wind."  Or "God, what I would do for a chicken chipotle burrito right now."  Or "God, please turn my bike into a motorcycle."  And I know there was a dozen times at one point on my trip I prayed for a gas station or any form of a public bathroom because I was literally going to pee my pants.

But then I really did have an "ah-hah" moment.  In no way shape or form did it make my discomfort or incessant whining go away, but it did help me keep going.  This is the whole point of the trip that they tell us about.  Previous riders and board members always tell us to think about what the cancer patients go through- the pain and discomfort and long roads to recovery (no pun intended) that they had no control over.  And they don't get a free pass out.  They can't just wake up one day and be completely free of cancer.  Just like God clearly wasn't going to make an engine appear on the back of my bike or a toilet appear in the middle of the road.  All you can ask for is positive thoughts to get you through it.  And coming up with positive thoughts has to be a whole lot easier when all you have to complain about is something like the wind instead of chemo.