wow, so i haven't blogged in a long time.i'm gonna go back awhile, to champaign, il. i stayed with my lovely friend annaka, got a nice hot shower and went out to dinner with some i4k friends (delicious mexican food.) we kicked off from the alumni center and stopped in both clifton & homewood, il. then onto chicago! we rolled in around noon - it was tough to navigate up the busy bike path and through the traffic of the blackhawks parade. friends, family and former riders were waiting to greet us. i had a nice and busy rest day. i had an appointment at athletico, a physical therapy firm in andersonville at 730 am. an awesome trainer named amy showed me some stretches for my hips and knees and some exercises to strengthen them - i'm going to pass on these exercises to other riders and hopefully it will help all of us! i watched a movie and hung out with family and friends - very restful! i also ate about a whole bowl of guacamole :)the next day was the ride along from downtown to highland park. my parents and sister came, and our family friend susan and my aunt bridget joined us for parts of it. thanks for coming, guys! i had so much fun and it was really nice to have the them ride with us for a day and get an idea of what a day on the i4k is like.the past couple days have been rainy - today was particularly rough. the first 20 miles were fine (i kinda like riding in the overcast weather as long as the rain holds out) but the sky opened up around mile 30. we rode away from the blue sky and into an area where the sky was dark blue/purple...we noticed this, but obviously had to follow the cues. ana got a flat after it started raining, and then a few miles later gabrielle wiped out on some railroad tracks. her tire got stuck in the track - her knees are scraped up & her back is hurting her. we think it might be bruised where she fell. i hope she feels better soon!! we missed her for the rest of the day.bottom line, we all made it to fitchburg, WI safe. not dry, but safe. and now i'm sitting here writing this is nice, dry clothes and it feels amazing! 2 more days in WI and then onto MN - rest day in Rochester and a visit to the Mayo Clinic. i am very interested to learn about their oncology unit and more about the treatment cancer patients receive there.another thing i forgot to mention is the awesome portrait that my group got to do in greencastle, IN. we went into a florist shop to use the bathroom and ended up talking to the owner, a breast cancer survivor, about her experience with cancer. it was a wonderful opportunity -- the i4k is about raising money for the american cancer society and camp kesem, raising awareness and also largely about the portraits project. with portraits, we talk to those who have been affected by cancer throughout the US and record their experience so that later we can make some sort of chronicle to show how cancer impacts everyone around the country. talking to this woman really brought us all back to the reason we're doing the ride. remembering why we are all here and why this cause is so important makes the long, hilly days much easier and more rewarding. i'm so happy to be part of the i4k this summeR!p.s. i apologize for my poor grammar, there is a computer line, so i did not thoroughly spell check. i'm also lazy.more to come soon!