21 August 2020

With the exception of St. Baldrick's, every charity event I signed up for this year was either canceled or turned into a virtual event. No complaints, I understand and respect the decisions, and if they'd been held, I wouldn't have gone. I was surprised StB went on and up to the last minute expected news that they weren't going to hold it, but it was before everything shut down and there was no social distancing. Just...don't shake hands. Tap elbows.

I wanted something to take the place of those events, though. Yes, sure, I could have just made some donations here and there, and that's fine, but I felt as if I needed to do something.

Then friends signed up for a virtual Blue Ridge bike ride raising money for food insecurity in the Carolinas, and I hopped onto their team, made a donation, and began pedaling. 475 miles, and finished this past weekend. We also registered for a Tahoe to Malibu 700 mile virtual, and for this one I donated a couple hundred to the Sacramento Food Bank. That one might become a regular donation because...food.

I also lucked out in stumbling across the Great Cycle Challenge, raising money for the fight against children's cancer. I (perhaps too ambitiously) set a goal of 300 miles, and start riding that one September 1st. I'm doing it with my Blue Ridge and Tahoe to Malibu teammates, Jeni, Dean, and Michelle, and while we're all riding in different locations, we can track each other and cheer each other on. 

I may have bit off more than I can chew with the 300 miles, but I'll figure out a way to get it done. And I know that's a very low threshold for a lot of riders who do that in a week...but I am not that rider. I am slow and more of a 200 mile a month person, I think.

But before that ride...I found one for the Michael J Fox Foundation, raising money for Parkinson's research. This one hits home: my dad had Parkinson's, and he died from it. So on August 29 (three days after my bday! woohoo!) I'm hopping on my bike and cranking out 20 miles, regardless of the heat (smoke in the air will drive me inside to ride on the trainer, tho...)

And in October, we're still walking for Pledge the Pink, but this time at home. 30 miles over 3 days, super easy. 

Still...I think I need to find a post-September bike event. There are a ton of virtual races out there right now so it shouldn't be difficult. And I'll make it easier...I'll share this to my FB page, and 95% of the ads I get after will be virtual bike events.