Leaving Greenville to head to Wake Forest was a hell of a day. 84 miles. Pouring rain. Aching body. Flat tires. Dropped chains. A few near bonks (aka "hitting the wall"). And countless other things that could've ended the day early had my group given up. But, we didn't. My group stuck together through all of those things, encouraged each other endlessly up what seemed like endless mountains, communicated like professionals while navigating through traffic and monsoon weather, and made it safely to Wake Forest after a grueling 9 hour journey. Making it up that final hill into Wake Forest was probably one of the most rewarding feelings. Every single person in my group cried at least once during that 84 mile trek, but those tears were never caused by hitting a breaking point. Those tears only fell because of the pride and accomplishment that we all felt in each other. I've never been more proud or invested in the success of people I had only known for a few short days. But, I will honestly never forget the hug that we all shared at the end of that ride when we arrived at our destination. 
The next day, we rode from Wake Forest to Chapel Hill. While this ride was only 39 miles, it was probably the longest 39 miles of my life. After completing that ever challenging ride the day before, the thought of rolling hills (okay, only uphills) was not pleasing. I thought my body was tired heading into Wake Forest, but that was nothing compared to the fatigue I felt heading to Chapel Hill. The ride definitely had some great moments (convincing CVS to donate a medical kit, finagling our way into a free lunch at Firehouse Subs, beautiful scenery, and some good laughs). But, the ride also had a few crashes, my chain fell off my bike and I ended up with a fractured rib (which went undiagnosed for a few days, but I'll get there).
We eventually made it to Chapel Hill looking pretty ragged after the last two days, but Chapel on the Hill Church welcomed us with open arms and a delicious meal. The hospitality that we have experienced on this trip has been absolutely incredible. After we all got cleaned up and rested that night, the next day was our first build day of the trip. We joined up with Orange County Habitat for Humanity and Brush With Kindness. Half of the group went to a home and put on a roof while others painted a new home and the rest of the group went to a home to help rebuild a back deck. I was in the group that helped with the deck. We worked with Brush with Kindness - a branch that works with Habitat in order to help revitalize homes that are in surrounding neighborhoods. It keeps the homes looking nice and also gives homeowners a since of pride in their homes.
We worked with a lady named Ms. Bradshaw and she was quite a character! She told us so many stories of her past and her family. Our group could hardly contain our laughter. Meeting the people whose homes we work on has to be one of my favorite things. You really get a sense of who they are and it builds a special connection each and every time. At the end of the day, we were covered in mosquito bites, mud, and sweat but it was 100% worth it to see how happy she was with the progress we had made at her home. 
After working all day, we were extremely happy to find a potluck dinner waiting for us after our showers. Members of the church, family of riders and also past B&B riders all joined together to feed our never ending appetites. It was so great getting to hear stories of past B&B summers and learning what we have to look forward to over the next 9 weeks.
The next morning, I finally admitted to my leaders (and my mother) that I had been experiencing some pain in my abdomen and my right side, especially when trying to breathe. I was immediately whisked away to an urgent care where X-rays were taken. While my oxygen levels were still good (thankfully), I did in fact have a broken rib. During a crash on Tuesday, my elbow had jabbed into my right side just right to fracture my 10th rib. After a tearful conversation with the doctor, I have been restricted to no biking for preferably a week. I was heartbroken. I came on this trip to ride every single mile and in the first week, I'm already setback. But, it's something I can't control.
I've never been good at allowing injuries to heal (note 11 weeks in a boot because I kept running on a stress fracture, 8 months out of the water because I kept swimming on a messed up shoulder). This injury seems no different since I'm so anxious to get back on the bike. But, I'm trying to allow my rib to heal so I don't end up fracturing it worse and potentially displacing it. Talk about frustration!
The last two bike days, I've ridden in the van. It's heartbreaking to not be out on the road with my fellow Bike and Builders and suffering all those miles with them. I feel like I miss out on so much as a result.
Today was another build day in Charlotte. I am limited in what I can do on build sites which only adds to my frustration. I came on a trip to bike and build, yet I can hardly do either right now.
I knew this trip would be incredibly challenging, but it is challenging me in ways I never expected. I also try to find glitter in each tough situation, but so far, not so much luck on that. I'm hoping to be back on the bike in a few days and then the challenge will be to not over do it. And I promise I'll update more! Thanks for patiently reading this long post!
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