Elfin Forest Loop - 40 Miles

Ah, the thrill of winning immunity...and the agony of deciding who to give it away to.

So, immunity this week was seemingly simple...literally, a luck of the draw. We each chose a water bottle out of a bag and one of the bottles contained the treasured immunity. Lucky me! As soon as I got the bottle, I could see something inside. Yippeee! And then the news...I get to pick one of my teammates to give immunity to. Oh torture. Who to pick?! I must have looked like a deer in headlights.

Mike (a.k.a. Col. Mike) Hower's suggestion was to use this as a fundraising opportunity. I laughed it off at the time, but looking back, that was a brilliant idea!

In reality, though, I gave it to Adam Beck since we've been working most closely together on fundraising. It didn't even occur to me at the time that he had just gotten immunity the previous week. I don't know how that slipped my mind, since we'd just finished oooing and ahhhing over his latest additions to the immunity pump...a lovely Incredible Hulk replica complete with CAF tatoos and coin slot for donations. Oh, and the break-in-case-of-emergency-type box containing a dose of testosterone. (Cancer survivors only, please.) Clever, that Adam.

But that was a tough decision! There are compelling reasons I could have or should have given it to the other four, too. But...it's done and Adam gets to add another touch or two to the pump for next week.

On to the ride. This one was a real treat because I hadn't been on Harmony Grove Rd. since they repaved it. Sooo much nicer! I loved this ride before and now it's even better!

But...my chain kept droppping and I got separated from the group a couple times. Col. Mike brought me back once, but then it happened again around San Elijo HIlls and I had some unlucky red lights that got me too far behind to catch up. I met up with Mark and Pat and...once again...I/we missed a turn and did a slight detour. We got an extra gnarly hill in, though, so we got our punishment...and I liked it. ;-)

Back in the parking lot, I was suprised to see Bob Babbitt--one of the founders of CAF, Competitor Magazine and the Muddy Buddy race series--along with Rudy Garcia Tolsen, Paralympic Gold medalist bound for the Ironman World Championship in Kona! Keep your eye out for this guy. If he achieves his goal on Oct. 10, he will be the first bilateral above-knee amputee to complete this event! Good luck, Rudy!

And then...some not so good news. With everything that's been going on in the last few months...family issues, sick dog, craziness at work, training, fundraising, contest, etc., my mind has been less than the sharp, steely point of focus it might otherwise be. ;-)

I'm driving into my carport and...WHAM!!! My heart sunk lower than low when I realized I'd just driven in with my bike still on top. Just what I needed.

Actually, this could have been much worse. I've heard of people completely wrecking their bikes AND cars, so I guess I got off easy. It was pretty much a clean break of the seat post. No real damage that I could see to the car or the rest of the frame or components. Took it over to B&L and they luckily had some new seat posts (complete with fancy, schmancy infused gel for a smoooooth ride) in stock. Going to go pick it up right now.

Worse news...Lulu is not eating again. We will be back at the vet tomorrow so they can run some additional tests. Please send your most positive vibes to help her heal. =)

Next week? Back-to-back centuries! I'm so excited for this, but am concerned I may not be able to make it if Lulu doesn't improve soon.