Day 7: Rest day in OKC, OK

Today was our first (much needed) rest day. I think most people slept in until 10 or 11a. I couldn't sleep anymore though, and I was up at 7:30a. So I went running for a couple hours. For me, there is something meditative about running, and it was nice to get away from the group for a bit to reflect on everything that has been going on the last couple weeks. After my run, we headed to the airport to pick up our teammate who was joining us late and then three of us went out to lunch together. The rest of the afternoon was then spent running shopping errands to Academy, bike stores and the like. I checked three different cell phone stores to see if they had the tracking devices you can put on your bike so people at home can follow where you are; however, none of them carried the devices, much to my chagrin.

Upon return from shopping, a few of us tackled the vans and trailers. As a point of reference, each route has a 15-passenger van, a mini-van and a trailer. These vehicles are used for rest stops and to transport our gear...which means they have a tendency to get very messy very quickly. As we've been out for a week now and the vans hadn't yet had a good cleaning, there was quite a bit of work to be done, but four bags of trash (or so) later, we finally had them back to their pre-ride condition. Then it was time to tackle dinner. The options were to cook or see if we could find a restaurant to donate food. I find it really challenging to ask people to donate. I am not sure why but its something on which I know I need to work. So this evening, I decided to practice. I called a local Chipotle and asked to speak with the manager. When he got on the phone I told him who I was and what the organization was doing and asked if he might be interested in donating dinner for the team. And then something interesting happened. He said yes! I realize that to some people this may seem a silly story, but for me it was a big step out of my comfort zone. I am grateful for the opportunities like this along the ride which are enabling me to stretch beyond my level of comfort and to meet some amazing people who want to support the cause.