...there's no way but the ting-wei...: 212.6 and then some

thanks greg + jonathan! this is just what i needed at mile 102!
wish i had it at mile 209 as well though...

"you can do this. you WILL do this. just keep moving your legs. you've got plenty of time."

i probably said those 4 sentences to myself a total of 2734 times in the last 10 miles from stone mountain to decatur... by far the easiest 10 miles of the entire ride terrain-wise (flat-ish), was the hardest 10 miles for me mentally and emotionally. i knew i had plenty of time this year -- an hour and a half to go 10 miles? surely i could do it. but i finally hit my wall in the last 3 miles before the end, and my mind just started laughing maniacally in that i'm-so-tired-and-what-are-you-doing-to-me kind of way that i knew would probably happen at some point. i just didn't think it would be those last. three. miles.

but after 103, what's another 3, right? and really, that's on top of the 106 from the previous day, so you just gotta keep pushing. i admit it, i cried when i finished. had i more liquid in my body, i probably would have cried more. and y'all who know me know i hardly EVER cry so yeah... that's how good i felt about finishing.

D-O-N-E done! in decatur. after 212+ miles...
with my boys: scott, steve, and chris

i'm sure i've said it at some point (if not in this blog, then at least to friends in person) that aside from the obvious i'm-doing-something-good-for-a-cause/charity-i-believe-in reason for riding the AV, the other piece of the experience is the people you meet along the way... and honestly, without some of them, i wouldn't have been able to finish this year. so BIG thanks to chris, scott, steve, ellis, annalia, maria isabel, clay, chuck, jeff, ken, lee, and shawn... and many many more. this year's ride was so much more bearable because i had people to ride with along the way, and though i didn't feel quite as prepared, the challenge of just staying with someone so you're not out there in the middle of nowhere is enough motivation to keep your legs moving (at least until the last 3 miles. when mine didn't. :))

leading the pack...but not for long. thanks for pulling me through to madison y'all!
(photo by c.walker)

anyhow, for a quick recap... like last year, to keep my mind off of the heat + pain, i kept track of roadkill and other...countable things:

1 cat
1 turkey vulture
many little birds
many more (flattened) chipmunks
2 rabbits
5 armadillos (and some random armadillo parts that probably add up to 6)
2 snakes
3 possums
countless squirrels
5 bottles of water/gatorade a day (probably not enough...but.... i didn't feel dehydrated...sorry mom!)
2 PB&J sammiches
2 bananas
2 packs of clif shots (those things are delish...)

unfortunately, there were no fun prison work details this year that i had race by, so as a result, no propositions i had to turn down (i know, it's tough). but on the plus side... there were also no major injuries (that i know of... bernie did get some road rash from falling over, but he finished the ride despite his injuries) and i MIRACULOUSLY stayed upright the entire time! (though i almost tipped over at the finish on day one. and when i almost rode into the light pole 3 miles from the end on day two. but i digress.)

- my favorite "survalience" shack was still out there, but without a noose this time (hey -- it's an improvement. maybe next year, there will be one less piece of junk out front too.)
- i didn't nearly fall asleep on my bike on that 8-9 mile flat stretch of road alongside the RR tracks from social circle > madison

...on the road again...somewhere between rock eagle and godfrey, day 2
(photo by e.metzger)

- i DID get chris b. to put on a pair of giant ladies' underpants with (faux) skid marks in them...that was an exciting lunch time activity on day one...

um...chris...what's in your panties?
(chocolate. more precisely, snickers...)

- and i didn't need to take any painkillers this time! (though this could be due to the fact that my legs were numb by the time i got back to decatur on day 2.)

BUT after all that... would i do it again? of course! the people (if i haven't mentioned enough) are fantastic, the energy is awesome, and of course, the charity and cause is amazing. at the beginning of the year, the committee set a goal to raise $250,000 and have 200 riders... last year, we had almost 150 riders, and raised $235K which was the most we'd done in 9 rides so $250K was shooting high.

i am SO proud to say that with y'all's help, our 202 riders raised over $272K this year! being a part of the AV200 steering committee has been one of the highlights of the year for me, and i can't wait to get started on ride #11... bigger (maybe) and better (definitely), every year!

so... see you on the road soon! and wait to see what 2012-13 holds... who knows, i may be inspired to ride the AIDS/LifeCycle ride (from san francisco > LA... only 545 miles in 7 days... totally doable!) and hopefully you'll join me for that journey as well :)

and now... for some photos!