Hills for Breakfast!

Today, I ate hills for breakfast! My friend Kelly and I were sweep which means we were the last ones to arrive, making sure the group made it safely into our next host site. WE ARE NOW IN ST.PAUL, MINNISOTA! Our tenth state out of 14. I cannot believe how the miles have flown by. As of today and tomorrow, we are about half way through the trip.

For the past few days we have been gliding through Wisconsin. What a beautiful state! I had no idea how beautiful that state actually is. Rolling hills…ones that I actually felt like I could get up and down :) We had a 100 mile day…and then a 65….and then another 65…and then finished up Wisconsin today with a 75 mile day. Day, after day, after day of biking. It starts to wear on you. I never thought in a million years that I would be able to do something like this. It really shows how much the human body is capable of. It’s not about looking at the big picture… “making it across America”. It is about the moments and your mind over the matter. If you have the right mindset, this trip is possible for anyone. Yeah…your butt will get sore and your legs will hurt, but that only for a moment. It fades quickly.

I’ve definitely seen some changes come over my body. I FEEL LIKE A HUMAN GARBAGE DISPOSAL! I eat everything in my path. It is said we are burning over 6000 calories a day with the amount of biking we are putting in. Depending on the day, I am usually sitting on that bike for a good 6 to 8 hours. My legs feel like they could kick through bricks! Hi-ya! And my upper core feels like a toothpick, ready to break!

Really awesome stories about today:
1. I have been pranking a few people on the team. Like putting Styrofoam all over my friend’s bike, or putting a huge rock in someone’s sleeping bag. Harmless things, but they get a good laugh. I WAS OWNED TODAY! My whole team ganged up on me. Little did I know I was going to be in the middle of a war zone as I arrived for lunch. Hiding behind trees and signs…my team bolted out of the shadows and pelted me with water balloons. Imagine at least twenty people gunning for you. It was INTENSE! I was instantly drenched and in total shock. Way to go guys, you got me. You got me realllllly good. This meant wet shammys for the next 30 miles….wahwah!
2. About 8 miles away from the host, Kelly and I looked about a half mile in front of us to see the steepest hill I have ever seen in my entire life. From a half mile away, this thing looked like a wall. A building. A ladder of and incline. I looked at Kelly and said, “uh uh girl…I may be walking this thing!” She was determined to make me climb this thing though. Slow and easy. Before you know it, we are at the bottom and I put myself in granny gear (the lowest gear) to try propelling myself up this ladder. About ¾ of the way through I was screaming, “OH GEEZ….MY LEGS ARE ON FIRE!” but Kelly wouldn’t let me stop….and guess what folks…I ate that hill. Made it to the top and maybe did a lil’ dance.

Soooo…I have been having a pretty tough time trying to upload videos on blogger. I have posted videos on facebook! You should check them out if you have some time. Nolan, Tony, Heather, and I get to stay at someone’s house tonight and tomorrow night! This means beds and a shower. The little things excite me these days. Thanks for checking up on me and seeing how it’s all been rollin’! miss everyone back at home. I’ll keep trying to update you all when I have internet again!