roadrider63 - I'm sorry to hear about the injury and change of plans. I hope you have a complete recovery, as quickly as can be expected. I'm not sure where you live, but would switching to the event in Austin in October be an option?
My reality also didn't match up to my plans. I had a great winter and spring, in regard to training. I had 1,000 miles in by early May, and I had also been doing weight training and yoga. I had lost 10 pounds and been feeling pretty good until I started developing some hip pains. To make a long story short, I'm in physical therapy now and I've had to cut back my training. I will most likely end up doing the 45 mile ride instead of the 100 miles that I had planned.
In regard to the fund raising, it's been a mixed bag. I started early, but didn't want to pester people too often. I have also been "distracted" by dealing with a chronically leaking window, a slacker land lord, a resulting mold problem, and needing to find a new place to live - kind of time consuming, to say the least! I raised some money by auctioning off a Postal jersey and a LiveStrong Challenge bag on eBay. I'm at about $800, far short of my goal of $3,000. All things considered, if I beat last year's amount of $1,115, I'll be happy. Still, I'm looking forward to the event!
