Where did the Time Go?
A lot has happened since the last time that I posted a blog! This semester has been absolutely crazy! After realizing too late that taking 18 hours was way too much, I have been studying every second of the day when I haven't been doing stuff for Texas 4000.
Exactly one year ago today, I found out that I had been accepted into Texas 4000 when a 2015 rider named Tess Ortega asked me if I liked tan lines. Today I was honored to break the news to two amazingly deserving people that they had been accepted to the Texas 4000 2017 Team! While I was extremely bummed that I could not tell both of them in person, I they were both so ecstatic and I am so glad that I was able to make their day! I wish all of the Texas 4000 2017 riders the best of luck as they begin their 18-month long journey together in Texas 4000.
To keep everyone updated on my fundraising efforts, I have officially raised $8,526! That is amazing! I am so thankful for everyone who has donated thus far! If you haven't donated, have no fear, you have a while! I am about $2,000 away from my fundraising goal which I increased to $10,500. If you do not have a ton of money to donate, that’s okay! Every single dollar counts! You can also read about my T-Shirt fundraising efforts later in this blog which is a great way to contribute to my efforts and also get an awesome T-Shirt!
Over the last few months, there have been many big milestones in Texas 4000. I took my official Texas 4000 headshot, which many of you have probably already seen on Facebook. I also found out my route! I am going to ride on the Sierra route which goes up the West Coast! I am also part of the travel committee which plans our entire ride. We made some big changes to our route this year like going to Las Vegas! Each travel committee member has certain days that they are assigned. One day that I am particularly excited to be in charge of is our time in Zion National Park. I will get to put together a fun itinerary of things that we can do during our rest day at Zion!
As I was starting my involvement in Sierra Travel, I finished my volunteer hours for the semester. I volunteered a long day at Mamma Jamma, a super fun bike ride about an hour away from Austin. We arrived really early in the morning and got to watch the sunrise in countryside of Texas. It was so beautiful. At the ride, I was s
tationed at two locations. The first location was at a hill and my job was to encourage people up the hill. The second spot was at an intersection and I had to help direct people depending on which route they were taking. It was really cool because we got to see some of the same riders at each spot and they were so happy to see our encouraging faces again! Each rider was given a purple beaded necklace and was supposed to give it to someone who made you smile or feel encouraged in any way. When I was cheering on a father and his daughter up the hill, the daughter handed me her necklace. That made my day to know that volunteers can really make a difference in the mental attitudes of riders, especially at harder points along the ride.
This past weekend, our team rode out bikes for the first time. It was extremely terrifying because I had never clipped in before, and I witnessed many of my fellow teammates
taking falls. Luckily, I didn't fall, this time. I told my parents that I didn't fall because my bike at home has broken brakes, so I am used to jumping off my bike to stop it. This natural instinct to jump off my bike before it was stopped reminded me to unclip before it was too late! Hopefully this instinct sticks with me throughout my training and the ride. Another thing that greatly impacted my positive experience on our first ride was my amazing ride group! We had so much fun practicing calls, even if some of the calls weren't always necessary. They were all so supportive and when one of the group members fell, we all had such a positive attitude and he was able to get right back up and persevere! I am so proud of every single person on our team who fell and got right back up to try again!
The last new thing that has developed over the last couple of months is my T-Shirt fundraising efforts! I have 5 different T-Shirt designs that I am selling for only $15 each! One of the designs is the Texas 4000 2016 Team design, which is awesome and comfort colors, which everyone loves! I did not design this T-Shirt, however, I did digitize the front design, so I am happy to see some of my work pay off in the shirt. The other 4 designs are variations of the same type of shirt. The front of the shirt is a pocket T-Shirt that has a pocket which shows different pictures of the Texas 4000 2105 ride. The back design is a "Geena May original" which I designed in my efforts to portray Texas 4000's message. All of these shirt have been ordered and should be in by the end of November! If you want a shirt, or multiple shirts, email me at geenamay@utexas.edu and I can make sure that you get one!
Because my semester is still super crazy, I probably won't blog until December. Next semester, my schedule is super light so I will make sure to keep everyone updated on my training!
