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Journey to Wellness

~ Fighting for health in my life one run, meal, and choice at a time

Journey to Wellness

Category Archives: Biking

14 in 2014 Challenge Halfway Update

01 Tuesday Jul 2014

Posted by Caroline in Biking, Exercise, Pilates/Barre, Racing, Running, Walking

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

2014 Challenge, Biking, Exercise, Mental Health, Pilates, Planks, Race, Relationships, Running, Walking

Happy July! Are we seriously half way through the year already? This has been such a strange year of my life, and so different than the last few years, so it’s been hard to judge the passage of time the same way. Since we’re now halfway through the year, I thought I’d do an update on my 14 Challenges in 2014.

I challenge myself to run 200 miles. Running has gone much better this year than last year, and I’m not fully sure why that is, but I’m not complaining. So far I’m at 147 miles for the year.

I challenge myself to walk 275 miles. Last year I had to stop walking quite so much due to my tendinitis and IT band syndrome, but this year has felt ok. I try to hold back on pace and distance just so I don’t put extra strain on everything, since I don’t want to have to stop running. So far I’m at 177 miles.

I challenge myself to bike 900 miles. I’m right at 516 miles for the year. Many of those miles have been done on my bike trainer, and most of the first 3 months of miles for the year were spent studying for my big test I took in mid-March. Since then I’ve had some great outdoor rides too!

I challenge myself to 75 hours of pilates. 75 hours may have been a little too high, and I refuse to push myself to do it just because I “HAVE to”, and then get burnt out on it. Either way I’ll end up pretty close. Right now I’m at 38.25 hours for the year, which definitely has me on track. We’ll see. I’m still really enjoying pilates though, and really appreciate all that it gives to my body.

I challenge myself to 250 minutes of planks. This one has been pretty easy so far, although less so now that it’s warm. In cold weather (October-March) I seem to have no problem doing planks, but the summer months I definitely cut down. No idea why? So far I’ve clocked a total of 152 minutes for the year.

I challenge myself to run 10 races for the year. Like 2013, these races can be in person or virtual, but I’d like at least 5 of them to be in person! So far I’ve done 4 races in person and 5 virtual races, so I’m doing well! I have a few more races set for the rest for the rest of the year too!

I challenge myself to read at least 14 books. This one has been so fun, and now that summer, it’s been REALLY easy. So far I’ve read 13 books this year, and have really gotten into crime books that have me on the edge of my seat (like John Grisham novels!). I’ve also read a few inspiring books like The Hiding Place and Notes From A Blue Bike. 

I challenge myself to go through all the clothes that I own. This one I finished at the end of January when I got rid of 54 or 56 (I forget which) items of clothing. I just did another haul at the beginning of June, getting rid of another 75ish items. I think that just shows how much I’ve really held on to over the years that’s been ridiculous! This podcast (Freedom From Stuff) has been inspiring!

I challenge myself to continue to be present. Am I present every single moment of every day- no, but I don’t think that’s fully possible for most of us! But being present has really changed my life, and I’m continuing to enjoy this challenge!

I challenge myself to continue to hunt for provisions and blessings (continuing to develop gratitude in my life). Yes! I’ve written it down twice a week, and am really enjoying it. I even started a gratitude journal outside of this blog, and it’s great to have a hard copy I can flip through.

I challenge myself to read the entire Bible this year. I found a plan online (it’s this one if you’re interested) and have been following that. I don’t necessarily exactly read what is outlined on the day, as sometimes I get ahead or behind (and then have to catch up). I’m just a few days behind on the reading plan, so I’m close to being on track!

I challenge myself to publish an article this year. I haven’t published it yet but I’ve written it and it’s gone through a few rounds of revisions now! We’re close to submitting it to the review board now!

I challenge myself to put more time and energy into friendships and relationships. YES! This one has been so much fun, and I’m loving the relationships that I’ve either strengthened or built over the last three months. I’ve even made some new blogging friends, like Melissa and Meg.

I challenge myself to be brave. Oh yes! I wish I could write blog posts about this, but at this point I can’t so much. Brave (or courage) is my word for the year, and while this probably deserves an entire post of it’s own, I thought I’d throw it out there anyways. I want to continue to push myself to be brave in any area of my life…

So, overall, I’m pretty much on point with where I “need” to be for the year in each of these goals, although slightly behind with one. It really hasn’t felt like too much effort, but knowing these goals are out there helps keep me motivated. So, we’ll see how this next quarter goes–

Now it’s your turn to share! How are you going on your goals/challenges/resolutions etc… for the year? Is there anything that you hope to accomplish in the next three months?

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Cornfields and a 50 Mile Biking PDR!

27 Friday Jun 2014

Posted by Caroline in Biking

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Biking, Nature

On Wednesday morning I set out for what I was planning on being about a 25-28 mile bike ride. I’ve been sticking in the 20-22 mile range since hitting the road again, so I thought this would be a nice step up. My first few miles flew by, and I was feeling really good. I decided to try a new-to-me part of the trail, and ended up going about 14 miles before deciding to turn around, which would put me at home around mile 28. I enjoyed biking alongside the corn and soybean fields- I think they’re beautiful and really peaceful. The trail had people biking and walking on it, but there were plenty of times I didn’t see people for a few miles. (I do bring pepper spray with me though!) I listened to a few Jillian Michael’s podcasts, a podcast from How To Blog, and enjoyed a few miles of silence in the middle of all that too. When I hit mile 26, I decided I was feeling good, so I kept going on the trail in the other direction. At some point, I think around mile 32, I realized that I was feeling great, didn’t want to stop biking, and could easily beat my bike PDR I set last August at 40 miles, so I kept going!

That’s when I realized that I definitely wasn’t prepared. I had brought enough fuel to easily get me through about 30 miles, but not much beyond that. I hit hills around mile 32, and that, combined with it being the longest ride I’ve done since August 2013 and the lack of fuel really caused me to start bonking (although not nearly as bad as this ride!). Around mile 38 I stopped back by my place, grabbed about 14 ounces more to drink, ate a string cheese and two more shot bloks, and finished up my last 12 miles. Those miles felt strong, and I was able to maintain a pace fairly similar to my first few miles, which I was happy about!

Scenes From My BikerideMy bike, biking alongside a farm, and a new-to-me gel to try.

I loved getting to spend so much time in nature! I loved seeing the fields, the flowers growing alongside the train tracks, another muskrat running down the trail, birds chirping, and chipmunks playing alongside the trail. The sun was shining (I have some awesome lines from my bike shorts now), there was a gentle breeze (but not bad enough to make it difficult to ride except for maybe 2-3 miles)- all in all, it was a fantastic day for a ride!

I definitely could’ve kept going, but had to shower to head in to work for the afternoon, so I cut my ride at 50… which is probably better for my body anyways!

50 mile bike ride50 miles done! And a stream I biked over at one point…

Here’s what my nutritional breakdown looked like: I started the day by eating a bowl of oatmeal with almond milk, blueberries, and a handful of life cereal on top, with 10 ounces of orange juice. Then while riding:

  • mile 6.5: 2 fruit punch (extra caffeine) shot bloks
  • mile 14.8: half of a gel
  • mile 21.5 other half of a gel
  • mile 38ish: 1 cheese stick, 2 margarita shot bloks
  • To drink: 20 ounces water w/1 camelbak elixir electrolyte tab in it (orange- w/caffeine), 12 ounces water w/half of a nuun tab in it, about 6 ounces of plain water.

I definitely would’ve liked some fuel between mile 21 and 38, but I’m glad I had something other than water with me, so at least that provided me with something! I’m definitely getting my nutrition down more and more each ride that I do. I actually was thinking about a PB and honey sandwich at some point along the way. Would that be weird to bring a sandwich with me? 🙂

I use runkeeper to track my mileage and pace, and I enjoy that it’ll talk over my music at regular intervals! I put one earbud in my right ear, but leave my left one out so I can hear my surroundings better. All in all, this bike ride was one of my favorite rides I’ve ever done. The time flew by, I felt strong (minus the few miles when I ran out of fuel), and it was really peaceful.

Now it’s your turn to share! Tell me about one of your favorite experiences outdoors? What’s your favorite fuel for a long bike ride?

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Group Riding

02 Monday Jun 2014

Posted by Caroline in Biking

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Biking, Exercise, Training

In the fall of 2013 I was invited to join a group ride through a cycling shop in town. I’m not the fastest rider, and biking scares me a little bit (especially in large groups), so I held off on going all fall. Then I went into the bike shop to get my back tire changed (since the tread was rubbed off due to the constant rubbing on the trainer), and the guy invited me to join the ride. I told him my average pace, and he said they had a slower group that I’d be fine riding with.

I got there on Tuesday (this was May 20th), and was the only female there. Everyone else looked like they were solid riders, and I was sitting there in my running shoes and my white and pink helmet. I felt ridiculous, but also couldn’t help but laugh at how silly I was in the middle of this group of solid male riders. Luckily right before the ride started another female came in, and she stuck with me. She said her average pace was in the 15 mile range, and I said that right now most of my rides are about 14 but I wanted to get faster.

Within a few miles we were dropped by the male riders (see- I’m so glad she showed up or I would’ve been stranded out in the country on roads I don’t know!), but we had a great time riding together. Around mile 10 I stopped to get some sports beans. At this point I really realized my mistake. When I’m on my trainer in the winter, I usually went through about 16 ounces of water and no fuel for a 20 mile ride. However, the bike trainer doesn’t have wind resistance or hills, so it wasn’t as intense. I had grabbed about 20 ounces of water and a half a packet of sports beans before I headed out the door, and that was clearly not enough.

By mile 15 I was almost completely out of water and felt really depleted. The woman that I was with had forgotten fuel as well, so we were stuck. I kept trying to power through as best as I could. The last 4 miles I rode with another guy in the group who had also hit a wall due to a lack of fuel (clearly it’s the start of the season and we’re all trying to remember what we need to bring), so it was a struggle-fest for us as we got back to the shop.

These rides intimidate me. They are FAST, but I also know that, as I stick with the woman who is faster than I am, I can also get faster. When I got back to my car, I realized that perhaps my pace had something to due with why I sort of hit the wall during my ride: I was hitting 14.5-15.5 mph while on hills, with wind. While this is great to push myself, 20 miles at this pace when I’m not used to it at all, and only my 2nd ride on the road for the year, was a little rough. I’ll be back, but it’ll have to wait a few weeks because of my upcoming half marathon.

At least the next 20 miler I did brought a little redemption…

************************

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A Muskrat and 21.5 Miles

27 Tuesday May 2014

Posted by Caroline in Biking

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Biking

I just wanted to pop in to chat quickly about the awesome bike ride I had earlier today. Yes- it’s taper time, and I really shouldn’t have gone as long as I did (but to be fair… it’s still the start of taper so I have some time…), but it was sunny and it’s what I really wanted to do today! Today is also the first real day of my “summer break” (where I work far fewer hours), so I had the entire day free after about 10:30 am.

I decided to do part of my ride on a new-to-me part of a trail, and had a great time. It was about 83 and sunny when I left, but the trail had lots of shady spots for most of the 21.5 miles that I went, which was nice. I brought appropriate fuel and gatorade & water this time (unlike a group ride I did last Tuesday), which definitely helped.

photoAround mile 10

The first few miles felt pretty easy. I clocked them in at 13.31, 14.98, and 14.05 mph respectively. The next few miles were uphill and straight against wind- TOUGH. I clocked those in between 11.75 and 12.4 mph respectively. I initially got annoyed knowing that my pace was dropping, but then I realized that uphill against wind is excellent training, and that a stupid number at the end doesn’t matter as much as how the workout went. I put my head down and pushed through, trying to enjoy the fields I was biking through. I turned around, knowing that I’d head downhill! I clocked those next three miles at 17.8, 16.7, and 15.3 mph, and enjoyed the breeze as the uphill portion had been in straight sunlight and heat. The rest of the ride was smooth sailing, and I ended my last three miles of the ride with paces between 14 and 15.2 mph- a solid finish to the ride. I ended up eating half a package of sports beans and 2 shot bloks on the ride, and that with the gatorade was sufficient (It’s so funny how different road vs. trainer biking is. On the trainer I didn’t need any fuel for a 20 mile ride, but on the road with hills and wind I definitely need some!).

What I love most about biking outside is seeing all of the wildlife and nature (flowers, trees, the fields, etc…). I ended up having to slow down because a muskrat was running down the trail ahead of me. Once I got close to him he ran off to the side of the trail and laid flat against the ground and didn’t move until after I passed. It was pretty cute- I wish I had a movie of the entire thing. I ended the ride smiling, happy to be out in the sunshine flying down the trail.

Now it’s your turn to share! Do you enjoy biking? If you do- what’s your favorite part about it? 

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First Bike Ride Of The Season

20 Tuesday May 2014

Posted by Caroline in Biking

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Biking, Training

On Saturday I finally sucked it up and took my bike to the shop to get my back tire changed. Because I’ve been riding on my trainer since the start of December, my back tire has been rubbed down such that it wouldn’t be that safe to ride out on the road. (I just checked and I rode about 462 miles on my trainer from December-mid May).

While I was excited to finally hit the road biking again, I was also a little nervous. Biking has been a nerve-wracking thing for me. These nerves kept me from biking for 11 years, but biking has also been a place where I’ve gotten to practice overcoming fears. Biking has led to exciting moments, like my first triathlon, as well as my second triathlon, and a great 40 mile ride at the end of last summer. To me, biking feels like fear, but it also feels like freedom.

bike ride, fall, cycling

So, while I was nervous, I knew I just needed to get back out there to re-discover why I loved it so much. The first three miles felt a little tough. I wasn’t used to standing up while going over bumps, I wasn’t used to biking against the wind, and I had just done my long run 24 hours before, so my legs were a bit tired.

By mile 4, I’m pretty sure that a smile had found its way to my face, and I felt like I was flying again. I forgot that biking gives a sense of freedom that running and walking can’t give- to fly down the road with the wind feels awesome.

All winter I wondered if I was going to lose any of my biking fitness over the months; I wondered if my pace would drop back down again. When I finished the ride, I was happy to see that, even with tired legs, my pace matched my two fastest rides last year, which happened right before I switched back to my trainer.

So, I’d say that I’m happy with the way I trained over the winter, and I’m happy where I’m at going into the summer. My goal for the summer is to try and pick my pace up 2 mph or so for many of my bike rides- we’ll see how it goes!

Now it’s your turn to share! Have you done anything lately that’s scared you?

Looking for more ways to connect?

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14 in 2014 Challenge First Quarter Update

01 Tuesday Apr 2014

Posted by Caroline in Biking, Exercise, General Living, Health, Mental Health, Pilates/Barre, Plank Challenge, Running

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

2014 Challenge, Barre, Biking, Exercise, Pilates, Race, Racing, Running, Thankful, Walking

Happy April (and Happy April Fools’ Day). Did anyone play any good pranks on other people? I don’t play pranks on people now, but when I was little I did stupid little things (screaming about a huge spider in the bathroom was one that I’m embarrassed to think about. haha). Since we’re now through the first quarter of the year (WHAT?! How did that happen?), I decided to do a “14 Challenges in 2014” Update.

I challenge myself to run 200 miles. I’m at 60.3 miles for the year, which has me right on track with about 30% of my mileage done.

I challenge myself to walk 275 miles. I’m at 74.8 miles for the year, which also has me right on track with a bit over 26% of my mileage done for the year.

I challenge myself to bike 900 miles. I’m right at 237 miles for the year, which also has me just over 26% done for the year. All of those miles have been done on my bike trainer, and most of them were spent studying for my big test I took in mid-March.

I challenge myself to 75 hours of pilates. I am starting to think that it might be difficult to get in 75 total hours for the year, and I don’t want to push myself to do it just because I HAVE to, and then get burnt out on it. Either way I’ll end up pretty close. Right now I’m at 17.5 hours for the year, which puts me at 23% done for the year. Obviously this doesn’t even put me at the quarter mark. Like I said, I had no idea how many hours of pilates I did each year, so I just chose a random number.

I challenge myself to 250 minutes of planks. This one has been REALLY easy so far, and I’ve clocked a total of 100 minutes for the year, putting me right at 40% complete! I guess this winter just called for lots of planks?

I challenge myself to run 10 races for the year. Like 2013, these races can be in person or virtual, but I’d like at least 5 of them to be in person! So far I’ve done 4 virtual races, but I have my first “in person” race of the year coming up soon! I’m on track with this for the year!

I challenge myself to read at least 14 books. This one has been so fun! I’ve read 6 full books and half of another book so far this year. I’m doing great with this goal.

I challenge myself to go through all the clothes that I own. This one I finished at the end of January when I got rid of 54 or 56 (I forget which)

I challenge myself to continue to be present. Am I present every single moment of every day- no, but I don’t think that’s fully possible for most of us! But being present has really changed my life, and I’m continuing to enjoy this challenge!

I challenge myself to continue to hunt for provisions and blessings (continuing to develop gratitude in my life). Yes! I’ve written it down twice a week, and am really enjoying it. I even started a gratitude journal outside of this blog, and it’s great to have a hard copy I can flip through.

I challenge myself to read the entire Bible this year. I found a plan online (it’s this one if you’re interested) and have been following that. I don’t necessarily exactly read what is outlined on the day, as sometimes I get ahead or behind (and then have to catch up). I’m right on track where I should be at this point in the year though.

I challenge myself to publish an article this year. I haven’t published it yet but I’ve written it and it’s gone through a few rounds of revisions now! On my way…

I challenge myself to put more time and energy into friendships and relationships. YES! This one has been so much fun, and I’m loving the relationships that I’ve either strengthened or built over the last three months.

I challenge myself to be brave. Oh yes! I wish I could write blog posts about this, but at this point I can’t so much. Brave (or courage) is my word for the year, and while this probably deserves an entire post of it’s own, I thought I’d throw it out there anyways. I want to continue to push myself to be brave in any area of my life…

So, overall, I’m pretty much on point with where I “need” to be for the year in each of these goals, although slightly behind with pilates. It really hasn’t felt like too much effort, but knowing these goals are out there helps keep me motivated. So, we’ll see how this next quarter goes–

Now it’s your turn to share! How are you going on your goals/challenges/resolutions etc… for the year? Is there anything that you hope to accomplish in the next three months?

Bike Trainer Riding.

29 Wednesday Jan 2014

Posted by Caroline in Biking

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Biking, Training

This polar vortex that has been hitting so much of the U.S. has really been messing with my workout grove. I have been on some short walks outside, but mostly my outside time consists of saying a prayer as I do a weird shuffle run from whatever building I’m at to my car. My new bike trainer has been a cardio lifesaver this winter as I’ve been able to get solid workouts in no matter what the weather outside is.

IMG_5745

I set the trainer up in my living room (right in front of the doors to my porch so I can look outside as I bike!) so I can watch TV as I ride. I’ve found that Criminal Minds and NCIS make excellent viewing while on the trainer, as the intensity of that show is naturally in flux. In the calm moments my legs slow down a bit, and when the show hits really intense moments, my legs fly! Those shows provide a great interval workout!

I’ve done a mix of shorter (30-40 minute) rides, along with some long rides (my longest so far has been a 1 hour 50 minute ride a few hours after getting home from Ecuador). This is what I tend to do:

  • Shorter rides: Interval workouts. I either let it happen naturally if I’m watching a show that is likely to guide the workout, or I’ll watch the clock and “sprint” for a minute or two, then go lighter for a minute, and continue to rotate between the sprint and slower rotations for 30ish minutes.
  • Longer rides: I do these just like my long rides outside. Slow and steady…

Once or twice I’ve read on the bike for part of the time, and that has helped. If I am trying to catch up with a friend or family member, I’ll sometimes call on one of my longer rides (and warn them that I’m biking so that if I’m out of breath a bit they don’t wonder what I’m up to!). Between reading, talking, and watching TV, the time flies by surprisingly quickly!

picstitch

Riding on the trainer is certainly not as good as the real deal, but it’s allowed me to keep my bike fitness so far this winter when riding outside wouldn’t happen. It’s also allowed me to work on fueling for rides in the comfort of my own home. I’m hoping to get in some longer rides this winter as I continue to train for my half marathon!

Now it’s your turn to share! Have you ever tried a bike trainer or a stationary bike? What’s one of your favorite at home & indoor workouts for the winter? 

2013 in Biking

23 Monday Dec 2013

Posted by Caroline in Biking, Exercise

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Biking, Exercise, Triathlon

Last week I did a 2013 in Running post, so I decided to do the same (or close to the same) sort of post for biking. While I started to bike again after an 11 year hiatus in 2012, 2013 really was the year where I stepped it up in the biking department, biking over 550 miles in the year.

  1. Best Race Experience? I’ve never done a biking only race. I did a sprint triathlon this year, so I suppose that since this was my only race where biking was involved, it would also have to be my favorite? Truth be told, it was one of the most scary bike rides I’ve ever done to date, and you can read why here.
  2. Best Bike Ride. That’s a tough one. Just like my run recap, I’m going to choose 2 rides. The first would be the 40 mile bike ride I went on this summer, which is my current PDR. I also went on a 20 miler this fall which is the longest distance I’ve biked on my own, and that felt pretty fantastic.
  3. Best new piece of gear. This year I got my first biking jersey, I got Old Blue, and I got a bike trainer. I love all 3 of them! photo
  4. Best piece of biking advice received. I’m going to take this in a bit of a different direction and say the biggest lesson I learned: I need to make sure to not only bring gatorade, but also to bring salt packets on long rides. When I got really dizzy during my 33 mile ride, salt packets immediately turned me around!
  5. Most Inspirational Biker: I don’t have one… yet. I’ve loved watching Mirinda Carfrae race at Kona though!
  6. If you could sum up your year in a couple of words, what would it be? I still freak out at some point during almost every bike ride (I’m really terrified to fall), but I’ve conquered my fears and have loved flying with the wind in my face on my bike!
  7. Most exciting biking moment of 2013. Bringing Old Blue home with me and heading out on my first ride with him! I’ve loved going from refusing to ride for over a decade to looking forward to jumping on him after work for a quick ride!

Now it’s your turn to share! Tell me about your biking for the year!

From Crisis To A Reminder

11 Wednesday Dec 2013

Posted by Caroline in Biking, Health

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Biking, Health, Mental Health, Self Care

I had a good reminder about exercise on Monday. I had dealt with a 3 hour crisis at work, followed by a few more hours of work without a break. I was so completely focused on handling the situation that at 4:30 pm I realized that I hadn’t had anything to drink since 9:30 that morning- yikes! I had been planning on biking when I got home from work (using my new bike trainer!), but after the crisis I was pretty wiped out.

That’s the thing with adrenaline inducing events. It allows you to focus in the moment, but leaves you pretty drained and tired afterwards. I had about an hour of thinking that I wasn’t going to bike because what I really wanted to do was sit on my couch and eat a warm bowl of soup (I did that later on in the evening anyways).

Instead, when I got home, I made a decision based on what I cognitively knew was healthy, not based on what I really felt that I wanted in the moment. After 40 minutes of spinning my extra energy out, I felt much better. I was able to relax the rest of the evening and I slept pretty well. I don’t think I’d have been nearly relaxed without spinning it out.

It was a good reminder to me how much our mental and physical health is connected. There are plenty of things in our life that happen that make us want to sit instead of exercise at the end of the day. While sometimes that definitely is the right call, for me the decision to bike even though I didn’t feel like it at the moment was the best decision that I could’ve made.

Taking care of ourselves mentally means taking care of ourselves physically. I biked, took a shower, ate a warm bowl of soup, and watched a few episodes of NCIS… because really, what goes better with a mental health crisis than some murder? I mean- fake, scripted murder. Not real life.

Motto of the story- go ride a bike, or run, or do pilates, or swim- just move, even when you don’t necessarily feel like it. It’ll be good for you physically AND mentally.

A New Addition {and conquering a fear}!

11 Wednesday Sep 2013

Posted by Caroline in Biking

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Biking

After only having a bike to ride during the summers for the last two summers, I now have a bike in the actual state in which I live! I couldn’t be more excited to have a bike that I can hop on whenever I want!

photoIsn’t Old Blue pretty? 🙂 You might remember him from this bike ride (where I set my current PDR for biking!), and I was able to bring him back home with me. I really love the fact that he came with two water bottle holders on him. I bring gatorade on longer rides (or rides that are hotter) due to my POTS, so it’s nice to be able to bring both that and water.

A you might remember, I went over a decade without being on a bike. I got back on my bike because I won an entry into a triathlon, but I still knew almost nothing about biking. Now, admittedly, I still know very little about biking, but I know much more than I did even in June of this year. So now I’m doing all sorts of things that I didn’t think I would ever do. I’ve learned how to take on and off my front tire, how to get it into my trunk, how to check that the brakes are appropriately tight/aligned with the wheel, and I’ve been out on the trail on my own. Now these things aren’t big things at all, but for someone who, when this blog was started, never ever ever wanted to get on a bike again, these things are huge. Not only am I OK getting on a bike, but I am willing to drive an hour round trip to a trail and go through the trouble of putting tires on and off, packing fuel, etc…

There are plenty of things every year that we feel proud of ourselves for, and I guess this is one of them for me. While I’m not doing anything special at all, for me this constitutes a huge mental hurdle that I’ve jumped over; a huge fear conquered. To me, that’s huge. I want to never stop pushing myself out of my comfort zone, and to me, this is an example of that.

*Also, in memory of September 11th, you can read my post here. Also this post about The Survivor Tree at Ground Zero is a great reminder.

Now it’s your turn to share! Have you ever conquered a fear before? (is so- share!) What’s something you would like to do but are nervous about trying? Where were you September 11, 2001?

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