The money is IN!

Woo-whee!!

I went to Jubilee yesterday and got the final check for the bike ride. Funds are still coming in (thank you very very much - and no, it's not too late.)

Just to clarify, the funds that I sent in are were funds that I collected from sponsors who wanted to support me, not just the ride. There is still a good amount of money in the Jubilee account and I will be giving it to the beneficiaries after the ride is done.

In the meantime...

Last week I rode once, did two spin classes, and had two workouts. Still does not seem like enough, but now I feel the need to take care not to overdo it. Someone on the ride pointed out that this is not a race (I KNOW this) and that the beginning of the ride is a reasonable amount of miles. People keep saying I look fit (!?) and so I am trying to relax and just trust that what I am doing is fine.

Today I went on a little shopping trip and bought a little gear bag that straps onto the cross bar of my bike. It will hold my little video camera. And then, on a kiosk that I happened to be standing in front of as I was waiting for the guy to find the little gear bag, I found a tiny little tripod that ALSO straps onto the bike. It will hold my video camera - while I'm riding! I have this image of riding through a Monument Valley-type place, clicking the "shoot" button on my little flip camera, and pedaling on. I still have an idea for a video that I hope to do. In my mind's eye (and ear) it lasts 4 minutes and is accompanied by Jason M'raz's "I'm Yours," a sweet, lilting, captivating, energizing song. And in my mind's ear, it is sung by my friend Randa McNamara. We'll see how this all plays out.

So now it's off to Spin Class I go. Got some new bike shorts today too and I'm going to try them out.

Oh - I'm going to Washington, DC in early February to speak at an event for Women Chefs and Restaurateurs and the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance. I'll be bringing my bike (of course!) and am looking forward to this first public speaking opportunity.

The adventure continues!

Figuring it out

Charley Castex, the psychic fellow I consulted recently, urged me to think big when it came time to move on this bike ride project. I'm now in New Orleans at a conference of Women Chefs and Restaurateurs and have been stepping out, talking about the ride, working on connecting women in food with this project of mine.

Yesterday during our Info Fair, our trade show, I tried on a chef coat from Chef Designs. It fit me PERFECTLY and the sponsor said they'd send one to me. I tiptoed out from my comfort zone and told them, quietly at first, about my ride project. I then blabbered on about how I'd like to do some events as I ride across the country, sharing the early warning signs for ovarian cancer, speaking with women in the food world and others. We'll have a day off a week and maybe I could hook up with a local woman-owned place to do an event. Well, these gals got VERY excited about it and chirped about how they'd like to help, which did catch me off guard. But as they talked, I got excited too, letting their enthusiasm wash over me.

Later, during our dinner, the time when we celebrate the women in our industry, I saw them again and they said they were REALLY excited about my ride and told me they really want to do more. So I'm not sure how that will all work, but it makes me think that staying small and keeping this to myself is not necessary, and that this ride could really be a big thing.

So shall it be.

Today is my last day here. I'll fly home tomorrow. Back to work, back to training, back to my life and to the letter and to the next phase of this thing.

Oh - it also looks like I am getting closer to making the connection to a funding recipient. Hope hope hope. And if I don't identify any specific group, I'm going to do my letter and start the fund raising anyway.

Here goes.