Last week I set out on a training ride that would push me to my limits. Before the ride I was going back and forth to either do a 40 mile (moderate) ride or take a 20+ (hard) ride. I ended up going out on a 21 mile ride that was the hardest I every rode. I planned out a route with nonstop hills for the first 11 miles.
In the beginning, first 1.5-2 miles, I was focused on getting my legs through the “burn”. I always feel the ride in the first 2 miles. My legs have to get used to being on a bike at first. After that I am good to go!
The next 9 miles was like a roller coaster. Up / Down….Up / Down…Up / Down. All my training to date falls under the moderate category compared to this ride. The hills were so steep that on the down hills I was able to reach 30MPH (a first for me) and on the up hills I was down to 7MPH.
I was struggling a bit, but I kept telling my self this was easy compared to dealing with cancer. If people drove by they would have thought I was crazy. I was yelling out “you can’t stop me” and “let’s go, let’s go”! I made it through the hardest part of my ride. I just kept pushing myself and it felt great.
The second half of my ride was no cake walk, but it was a moderate ride with some challenging hills throughout the ride, but nothing like the first half. I am lucky as I am able to ride in a nice are on the water so not only do I get in a training ride and I also get to enjoy the scenery. I was circling an area near the water a few times before heading back home. It felt great!
Back in March when I first started riding I did 17.4 miles at Island Beach State Park. (That is a complete flat ride. The one challenge is the wind. On a windy day you can experience a 20MPH + winds.) I did the ride in almost 2 hours.
I bring this up as my recent ride (above) was 21 miles and a lot more challenging and I did it in just over 1 hour. I admit, I am shocking mysself. I certainly did not think I would see a great improvement, but I have.
I am riding for a reason. I am not looking to become a world class cyclist, bu I will continue to get better and challenge myself and others to make a difference.
LIVESTRONG!
5 weeks ago