Roller Coaster

Hello blog world.  This post today finds me in a very odd place.  I have been on a roller coaster and have experienced the range of emotions.  Here goes.  This time, unlike last post, I will read before posting to ensure a flow to the style :)

I must start with the beginning of my week.  To just put it out there and get it said, Jose and I broke up.  My heart is broken right now and writing it here makes me teary again.  This is a public blog and for that, I wont go into the details between him and I that are private.  That would be unfair to us both and I wont do that.  However, if you are reading this blog, you are here to support me so I will tell you that this is very hard for me. I am in love and my heart hurts. Now I know you are supporters of me and are thinking of Down With Jose Facebook fan pages or that jerk, but don't. Jose was an amazing man and an awesome supporter of me and this ride and my journey.  The thing is, he is still an amazing man and an awesome supporter of me and this ride and my journey.  So, followers, no bad vibes, thoughts or fan pages. Know that it has been a rough week for me, my heart hurts, I am sad, I cry.  Jose and I will work through this to whatever capacity that holds in the future.  He is a good man and a part of this journey.

Further into that though, I must say I have an amazing group of friends who have been there for me throughout this week.  I had a guest bedroom to sleep in. I shared a big ass slice of cake (food does wonders for emotions) with friends. I went to the gym with friends (good lord, TKB releases energy. I recommend that class to anyone who just needs to sweat it out). I had a laughter filled dinner due to stinky handed children at Souplantation (kids really can brighten your day) and more dinners (and the worlds best Spinach salad with Pancetta).  A late night discussion going into the wee hours of the morning talking about the paranormal, science and Stephen Hawking. Martinis with friends (too bad I puked the entire night and had zero drinks minus the 20 or so glasses of water). A missed ride (was still sick) but a fantastic conversation (more on that later). Disney on Ice. And a sun soak by the pool. So thank you friends.  You made sure I was taken care of.  I appreciate you all and value my friendships with each of you.

Well, how has the riding been.  Saturday was ALC Team San Diego first official training ride.  I was so excited to go and so ready to start this journey with them.  And I got sick.  Friday, I left work not too great.  But when I got home, I thought I was going to puke.  Danny came over and was asking if we should still go out for a drink.  I didn't feel too bad, just nauseous, so I decided to risk it and at least get food.  Well, at the restaurant, I lost it all, vomiting that is.  But, that at least made me hungry so I got to eat.  But low and behold, the chills came.  I was freezing.  Mind you, the rest of our party was saying how hot the restaurant was and here I was freezing my ass off.  Then my lower back started hurting.  Great, I am getting sick.  Then wouldn't you know, I got up to get fresh air and I puked all over again.  At least it was in an alley in Hillcrest so no one took notice :)  But by the end of the night I was miserable.  I had the worst nights sleep, sweaty and under my covers, but chills and body aches.  I couldn't make the ride the next morning.  There was no way.  Luckily, I started to feel better.  Better enough to do a ride today!!!!

But first, on Saturday, I decided that if I couldn't ride I would meet up with David, a training ride leader (TRL). We met and he rejuvenated the passion for the ride.  He has done the ride 10 times!  Crazy.  He was super cool, genuine loving heart, and just fun to be around.  He was motivating and I got bitten by the bug again, the same bug that made me sign up in the first place.  I never lost why I was doing this or lost my passion, but he brought back to me the excitement of the ride.  Hello, 7 days and 550 miles.  That is scary.  And he admitted to me. It is rough :)  But he just had such passion and energy for the journey, it was awesome to be in that moment with him.  So thank you David!  And...... I am pretty sure because of him I will be doing my first century ride here fairly soon!  More on that in future blogs and FB updates!

Here are the characters for the story beneath the photo.  Tammy, me and Logan

So today, I got up at 7 am (after being out till 1 am, yikes, it was fun though) to go meet the TRL's and seven other persons participating in today's ride.  Well, I was the only participant who showed up!  So it was me and 3 TRL's.  Logan, Tammy and Sean.  They were great.  Sean and Tammy seemed shy, but were great to talk to and get to know. Logan was a talker (he didn't know I am still trying to peddle and talk, its hard :)). They were all great leaders.  It was a leisure ride around Fiesta Island, Harbor Island and CabrilloTRL's :)  Ocean Beach was crazy!  Narrow streets, bitchy drivers, close drivers and overall a little scary.  But I survived.  My only bad, oh shit moment, came when I was going under PCH by the Sand Diego River and my bike tire hit a small pile of dirt.  The back wheel skidded and started to swerve into an oncoming biker.  So not only did I almost take myself out, I almost took out a biker.  The TRL's didn't see as I was in the rear.  But it was close.....  The highlight, the views.  It was so clear. At Cabrillo, you could see as far as the eye could see.  It is cool to see where you rode, how far you rode and to just see your city.  I was so at peace up there.  And it is a beautiful place.  I think that was one of the best views to date on a ride. Oh, and Tammy had the same bike as me!  I wonder if she called it Rose, or Sophia? The overall feeling, such a great high. SO amazing to be out with other riders who have done this ride and share the passion for why it is done.  I am so excited right now.

Link to my bike route for today. 30 miles!

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/66653574


It is funny.  This has been a roller coaster week.  And I am ending it on an amazing high. I still am figuring out these emotions, and its hard.  Hurt and euphoria share a commonality in that they are big emotions, and I am taking both fully and embracing them.  This friends, was a hard week.  Oh yeah, I almost forgot.  I ended the week with Manny. He pushed me so hard at the gym on my shoulders I couldn't lift 10 pounds without his help. But afterwards, we had dinner.  It was at that moment that I looked at him and thought, you are a great friend.  And how surreal that I am eating with an Olympian, who is also my coach, and friend. So crazy surreal, that at the current moment, I can't quite put it into words. Yeah my followers on Ricky's ALC adventure, this has truly been a roller coaster week.

Till next time.