Upside: I am now within $50 of my $6000 AIDS Lifecycle fundraising goal! This is amazing to me since I picked the number more or less out of a hat at the beginning of the fundraising season and had not expected to meet it. I have now raised over $20,000 for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation over four rides. I am very, very proud.
Downside: I tried following a 40-mile flat ride on Saturday with a 75-80 mile ride on Sunday. I only got in 68 miles (ran out of time), felt unenergetic, and am pretty sore today. Between the bronchitis and the sprained ankle and the car wreck, I just wasn’t able to get the training in, and I think it’s safe to say that I won’t be able to ride every mile this year. I only hope I have the sense to stop before I hurt myself! This is profoundly disappointing as I had really wanted to ride every mile from San Francisco to Los Angeles. On the other hand, it’s not nearly as important to me as it was on my first ride – I’ve finished every mile twice already, so I have nothing to prove.
As disappointing as this is, I wouldn’t reverse the two for the world – because, in the end, this ride is not about me. It’s about raising money and AIDS awareness, and I can do that just as well on the bus as on a bike. Sure, I’d rather ride every inch. But in the end, I know which will do more good, and will make me the most proud.
$50 to go!