What a weekend. I don't think that I'll ever experience something like this ever again. Don't get me wrong, I'm so glad I did it, considering everything, it was an experience I'll never forget.

Friday night all the TNT participants met in the hotel ballroom for the traditional Pasta Party. Including the National Capitol Area Chapter, there were participants from Nebraska, the three PA chapters, Northern Ohio, Northern New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Florida... and I think that's it, totalling about 300 people. We all ate really yummy pre-ride food and heard two speakers, the founder of Team in Training (he was participating as part of the in-line skating team) and a young cancer survivor.

After completely stuffing ourselves, the NCA team met in one of the coaches room's to have a helmet decorating party. It's a TNT tradition. We all wore crowns made out of Halloween inspired garland. It was to help identify fellow teammates so if we passed them we could shout words of encouragement. Some of the decorations from the other teams were great, Central PA had big Hershey's kisses on their helmets, Western PA Heinz ketchup bottles, Florida had little suns on theirs. It was all very cool. 

After decorating my helmet, I headed off to bed so I could get as close to eight hours of sleep as possible.

My alarm went off at 5am and the first thing I did was turn on the TV to see what the forecast was, as they were calling for rain.  And were they calling for rain!! The weatherman said to expect 5 to 7 inches. HAHAHAAA.

As I sleepily made my preparations for the day, my hotel room suddenly went black. The power at the hotel and the surrounding two blocks went off. So everyone propped their doors open and we all finished getting ready by the light that came from the hallway. Thank goodness the elevators still worked, because carting my bike down three flights of stairs would not have been fun.

After making my way to the lobby, my team captain informed some of us that our plan to start a half hour early was being shelved due to the weather & that we'd head out with the rest of the team.

So, around 6:45am we all headed out to the starting point. And at 7am began the ride.

The first 40 miles, while rainy, were the best of the ride. I was making really really great time and feeling like I'd be finished sooner than anticipated.

Then the ride became difficult. And I mean really difficult.

At the second rest stop I mistakenly went the wrong way and lost about four miles, which wouldn't have been so bad had the headwinds not killed my speed.

After getting back on the course, the winds began to shift as the center of storm front began its move through the area. The winds were so strong at a few points I thought I was going to get blown off my bike, and I am NOT a small person, I think the winds were gusting upto 50 miles an hour. In addition to the winds was the rain.

I don't think I can say enough how much it rained. I think of the whole 100 miles it didn't rain for about 20 miles of the ride.

There were quite a few points where I wanted to give up, but then a teammate or a coach would come riding along and really help me through it.

Towards the end of the ride it was raining so hard that visablilty was close to zero and while down peddling my feet would be completely submerged in water. It was crazy.

At 5:45pm, I crossed the finish line with one of the coaches who really helped me make it through miles 40-60 and 86-100. I really don't think I would have made it without his encouragement.

I'm so glad that I did the ride. These past few months have been such an amazing experience, but the weather really dampened (no pun intended) the celebratory nature the ride should have been.

Will I do the ride again? Well, during the ride I said I wouldn't; but now I'm not sure. I don't think I'll do it next year, but maybe in two years. And hopefully the weather will be much better then.

Thank you all again for your various forms of support, I could not have done it without you!!

I'm off tomorrow morning for Salibury, MD. The big ride's Saturday.

Please say little prayers that it doesn't rain, because as of now it's call for rain ALL FUCKING DAY. And I really don't want to spend the day in the rain. I much prefer overcast to rain.

I promise that I'll try to take photos during the ride & at the pre and post ride events.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Thank you for your support, I will think of you all while riding.

See you Sunday evening.

Hugs & Kisses
Me

Have you all noticed????????????????

Thanks to the promotional efforts of wonderful Jen, I've raised more money this week for my bike ride! WOOHOOO!!

Speaking of the ride, it's a week from tomorrow! I can't believe it's literally around the corner. It just seems like yesterday that I began training and wondered what kind of craziness I was getting myself involved in.

But as training and my fundraising efforts progressed, I really came to see how important it was to find a cure for blood related cancers. 

As I talked about the ride, light was shed on how, unfortunately, common blood cancers are. Quite a few people informed me that they knew someone or had a friend who knew someone who had a blood cancer of sorts. It's sad to say but it seemed like it was the Six Degrees of Leukemia & Lymphoma. 

In my own circle of friends, family, co-workers, I know seven people who have been afflicted with or whose family member suffered or died from it.

They are the people I'm riding for.

So, thank you all for your support, your gift, how ever large or small is going a long way to find a cure.  

Arnold Schwarzenegger you suck. You are a total politcal opportunist. And Maria Schriver, please explain what you see in him. Because REALLY!!!

To the young Hill staffers (at least I think they were Hill staffers, they sure had the look going) I yelled at while biking yesterday, my apologies. You totally had the right of way. I did not see the crosswalk signal.

I've been working on a handbag that I've designed. Hopefully I'll be able to write a pattern that's not too confusing. I keep meaning to take "in progress" photos of my various projects, but I'm really really bad at that and wind up just posting the finished product..

(Ok, I just took one with my camera phone, but the quality's kind of crappy. Here it is, but I'll get a better one posted when I get home tonight.)

Here's the new and improved photo!!

(Noro "Big Kureyon" Color Number 17)

Went for a lovely ride with one of the team captains this evening. Granted I was late because traffic was so HORRIBLE.

But, I am getting a better feel for biking through the District. I think I scared the crap out of some tourists in Georgetown.  A car was making a right hand turn but didn't use the turn signal so I nearly ran it, and I yelled at the car, of course the person didn't hear me, but I felt better.

It's amazing how much more fun a ride is when it's not 900 degrees outside, my time's better, I don't feel like shit when done. So much more enjoyable.

I finished Mimi, but you'll have to wait for photos, the battery on the camera died and I've not had a chance to recharge it.

Not much going on, it's to effin' hot to think about doing anything other than sitting in front of the AC.

Couldn't go for a bike ride, heat & exercise advisory in affect. Even though it's ungodly hot outside, I still felt guilty about not riding. I know I'm crazy.

Even if it wasn't so hot, it probably would not have been wise for me to ride anyways, as I'm still having issues with my hand. I got an email from a former TNTer and he suggested that my bike might not be fitting me properly, something I never thought of. So, I'm going to go to the bike shop next week, unfortunately, it's the earliest I can get to it, and have a fitting. I think I'm going to discuss my handlebar options. We'll see what happens.

Hope you're managing to stay cool and comfortable. Don't forget to drink lots of water & stay hydrated!!!

Last Christmas, Stacy made me a very cute Sophie bag and ever since the receptionist at my office has been coveting it. So when I told her about the "Handbag's for Charity" she said she wanted the one Stacy made me.

When I told her that it wasn't for sale, no matter how wonderful the cause, she pouted (seeing a 54 yr old woman pout is quite funny). But, I did tell her I would make her a striped bag.

So, for your viewing pleasure is the bag. It reminds me of those Rugby shirts that were so popular in the late '80s.



And yes, I know I owe a photo of the Pinwheel Blanket, I just couldn't get any good shots of it. Anyways, it's almost done, so I'll post a photo when I'm finished binding it off.

Take a look at the new donation total!!

$1914.00*

Whooo hooo!!!

Thank you so much for your donations!! 

Come on and show your support for the Society.

Donate! Donate! Donate!

With your support we can totally surpass $2000.00!

*Edit 3:06pm*

So I was planning on going for at least a 12 mile bikeride today. But when I got to milemarker 11, I pick up the trail at milemarker 7, something told me that I should turn around and head home.

And that something was so right.

After I turned around and began to head home, I could see the sky darkening to the West. And when I got to the intersection right near my apartment the sky was so dark it looked like it was about 10pm.

As I enter my apartment, I heard the first crackle of thunder.

It's now storming pretty bad outside. It looks like India during monsoon season.



It pays to listen to one's instincts. Had I gone further out, I would have gotten caught in the rain. And that would have been no fun whatsoever.

Saturday my team & I went for a 15 mile bike ride; I wish we could have gone further, as I was really loving the trail (Gravelly Point Park for you local readers) and was feeling pretty confident in my biking ablilites.

But because of the Honored Teammate picnic, the ride was a short one.

The picnic really drives home why we're all doing what we're doing. We got to meet our honored teammates (as chosen by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society) as well as  personal honored teammakes (friends/family of participants). It was also a chance for all the particapants for the Fall Season to meet and get to know each other.

Hearing the stories of how people worked to beat their cancer was simutaneiously heartwarming and heartbreaking. 

So far, all of the participants, all 525 of us for five different Fall events, have raised over $400,000, and since fundraising isn't over, they're projecting that we'll raise $1.5 million this season.  $1.5 MILLION; it totally blows me away.

Please help the Society reach that goal, please make a donation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Finding a cure could be just a click away.

... and a whole bunch more to knit.

I finished another "Handbag for Charity" today, and it's now hanging in my bathroom drying after the felting process.




(They're still $35 each, not including shipping, and 100% of the proceeds goes to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  Edit: email me at cmcalamita AT yahoo DOT com if interested.)*

And now I commence begging for donations.

I know finances are tough for many people (myself included).

But if everyone who came here (and there's A LOT of you) donated $10.00, (that's 3 "fancy" coffees from Starbucks or two lunches out) after finishing reading this post, I would be over $2,000.00 SO FAST.

And when it comes down to it, it's not about me making goal (ok, maybe just a little) but it's about helping people with blood cancers.

Now go donate!!! A lot of people will thank you for it.

*Quanities are limited, so act now while purses last!

Yesterday I took my first fall off a bike, while in motion, since flying face first over the handles of my banana seat bike back in fourth grade.

We were on the W&OD Trail out in Vienna, VA, and heading west out to Reston. There's this humungo hill on the way to Reston, and we all know how well I do hills, anyways, there were people approaching me from behind, and there were bikers heading towards me. So, being the slowass rider I am, I moved over to the right to let them pass.

I moved too far over. And fell off my bike, rolled down a hill, some how shifted and did a backwards sommersault.

I was quite lucky, the bush that landed my fall was not a briar bush but something soft and cushiony.  And only my arms and legs are scratched up. Because it was so early, the dew hadn't dried so I was also quite wet and covered with whatever was on the bush (after the ride, while washing my hair, I had all of these little things in my hair, where my helemet was covering my head).

Today my back and shoulders are quite sore and I really could use a massage.

So, please remember to wear helmets when you're out biking, because brain function after an accident, is a good thing..

Look at at that total!! WOOOHOOO!!!

$1386.00

I wish I had things to bribe you with to get you to donate or that if everytime you donated your name would be put in a raffle of sorts. Unfortunately I don't.

So come on. Click on that ad. Give a little. It'll make you and lots of other people feel really really great.!!!

I sold my first "Handbag for Charity" today. I should have taken a photo of it, but I forgot. It had a golden yellow bottom and handles and a burnt orange body. It's really really cute.

I just felted another "Handbag for Charity" and here it is drying:



If you are interested in buying a handbag please contact me. They are $35 each (not including shipping), 100% of the proceeds go to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Please contact me if for more details.

Today's ride sucked ass. Blew big chunks. The ride out was fine, that's prolly because the wind was at my back. But the ride back in sucked big moose dick. Riding into 20 mile/hour winds is not fun. No siree bobby.

A fellow TNT person said that wind and hill are our friends.

HAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAA

I know she's right, but it's not always easy to see that.

OH!!! The one good thing about today's ride was that I was finally able to bike up one of the four hills that I've not been able to. One hill down, three to go.