Out to Conquer 78 Miles

I got up at 5:30am and met my "Team in Training" group at the Davidsonville, MD park and ride (near Bowie) at 7am. Luckily, it was a beautiful day (no Tropical Storms). However, from my ride last weekend, I learned that when it rains the water shoots off the front wheel and hits me right in the face. So, I came prepared this week. I got a FARING. Yeah, I'd never heard of it either. It's kind of like thick plastic that you attach to the front of your recumbent to shield wind and rain. I also got detachable fenders which was a creative solution from "Mt. Airy bikes". So, I'm ready for just about anything now.
This is my team. Everyone is riding to help raise money for blood cancers. It is very inspiring to ride with people who all are trying to help better our world. Many of them have had leukemia or lymphoma and/or have a loved one who does. Their stories are amazing. I only wish I could keep up with them, so I could hear more (yeah, I'm a slow biker). My bike is much heavier than a normal bike and you can't stand up on hills. So, I go fast down hill and super slow uphill. I could walk faster than I'm biking sometimes. But, I'm biking!! :-)
This is my CUE sheet. It's directions for the route we take. Most of the time I'm biking alone because of my unusual pace, so I can't space out on the bike and miss a turn. I looked at this sheet before we started and panicked. I immediately started "psyching" myself out because it was soooo long. I was tired before we even started just from looking at the cue sheet. Then I thought about how far it is to DRIVE 78 miles. That's when I almost quit before the ride began.
Then I started remembering when I couldn't even drive 78 miles. It was too painful for me to even ride in the car with someone else driving for me. In fact, I remember I had flown to visit my family in Charleston when the World Trade Towers were hit on 9/11. All flights back were canceled, so I had no choice but to ride. My friend Barry McHugh was a pilot and had to also drive back to DC. To make it back to DC, I laid down in the back seat of his car the entire trip. I just couldn't sit in a car very long. That's one of the things that keeps me motivated when I think I can't do this Century. I feel like I lost my 30's and now I'm taking those years back in my 40's and living again. All I have to do is think about the Morrow's and all that they have been through this last year, and all of the great friends I have who have donated to help them and my legs keep moving. I have moments when I get overwhelmed with how generous people are and tears come to my eyes and I can't see riding for a minute. Doing this ride/blog/fundraising has made me even more grateful for not only my health but for all the great people in my life and in the world. It's too bad you don't hear more about these kind of people in the news.
The first 25 miles I rode by myself. When I got to a rest stop, I found Sharon and Art who I talked into riding with me the rest of the trip. I knew I'd never make it 78 miles alone. It's amazing how bonded you become to people you don't know when you're riding a tough ride together. This is our half way rest stop in North Beach, MD (my new favorite little town on the Chesapeake Bay). You can see my hip is still higher on the right side from the accident 9 yrs ago, but it is much better than it used to be.