The Bell Lap

"One week to go! One week to go!"

I can hear it like I'm passing through the Start/Finish line of a bike race. It's the bell lap. This is the time when, no matter how hard it feels, no matter how much it hurts, you go all out to the finish.

So, we've got one week to go. I can hardly believe it's almost ride time. I never would have thought just 4 months ago that I would feel capable of riding these 100 miles. I still don't know if I can do it in the time allotted, but I'll finish, even if the party at the finish line is already over. My training has slacked a bit in recent weeks, due to the shorter days, colder and wetter weather (Fall just HIT us here in Seattle). I'm hoping for about 3 hours on the bike tomorrow, in between the Star-Crossed festivities.

This is the last week for collecting donations, and I'm already have more than $2000. I am so proud and lucky to have 43 individual donors who have honored, memorialized, and supported those that they love. I'd like to raise another $1000 to support the Foundation (and to get a ticket to dinner with Lance on Saturday night!). When I started, I thought I might be lucky to raise $500, and I was so pleased when I hit that goal so quickly. Then, I changed my goal to $1000, and more recently to $3000. I'm sure I'll be close by next weekend.

Tonight, it's 6:45 pm, almost dark, and raining. Let's hope tomorrow's ride brings better weather and maybe a bit of sunshine. It's time to push through the final lap.