Taking on the Hills...part duex

Well, here I was all confident and cocky about my first attempt at hills. Although it certainly kicked my ass last Sunday, I did it, and was proud. Imagine my surprise when I take on Griffith Park with the guidance of a veteran rider and can barely make it up the first one! Wow! Do I have a way to go. I've got to tell you, I am not a fan of reality checks! And boy, did I get one!

The interesting part was that it wasn't my legs and muscles that were killing me, it was my lungs and my poor little heart felt like it was going to burst right out of my chest. I thought I was in pretty decent shape. Not an athlete, but healthy. I do my 12 and 30 mile rides without feeling the need to pull over and throw up, or pass out when I get home. Turns out, those hills are just a little more difficult ;)

I'm really glad I've started early and have the time to train. Here's hoping I can make the hills a regular part of my week, in order to build up the necessary abilities to survive the ride in June!

Tomorrow is the World AIDS Day Ride and I'm looking forward to it. This will be my first ride with such a large number of participants. It should be a good experience for me to prepare for riding with 2,500 people :) I'm slowly building my group size to get accustomed to riding with so many others. Plus, it's wonderful to meet more people who are cyclists, supporting AIDS fundraising or both or neither!

A Day of Firsts

Well, this weekend provided a plethora of firsts for me; first official training ride, first ride with hills and first use of my new bike rack. I've gotta say, each one almost killed me! The stress of a 50 minute ride on the 101 and 110 freeways with my bike strapped on was so stressful for me! I had tested out putting the rack on the trunk the night before, but I couldn't stop glancing in the rear view mirror every few seconds or stop my stomach from clenching with every bump and hop terrified I'd look back to see my precious cargo under the tire of an 18 wheeler!

Once my bike and I got safely to the meeting point, I was nervous for a whole new reason. Everyone else was a professional! They all had "Lance" style road bikes, were decked out in spandex and clip in to the pedals sneakers! I felt totally out classed! The description did say beginners, right?!?! So here I come, in my black yoga pants (still too many body issues to pull on the spandex just yet), Hybrid bike and Universal sweatshirt ;)

Then there's the ride itself....the hills that were described as "rolling" have me practically peddling in place on the way up with glutes burning and quads screaming and gripping my handlebars for dear life on the way down as I reach speeds of 25 miles an hour without pedaling! That doesn't even factor in the cars who leave maybe 4-6 inches between the two of you!

Besides all that whining...it was an AMAZING day! I met and rode with some fabulous, fearless females! I had the best workout of my life! I learned how to ride with more than one person at a time and practiced calling out dangers ad directions...and I laughed a lot (when I wasn't crying or complaining) with these mildly insane but ever so supportive and entertaining women!

Can't wait for the next one!

Thanks Giving indeed!

I am so overjoyed at the wonderful and immediate response from the first round of emails I sent out asking for support! I only sent them to family and co-workers and the response has been wonderful!

I am so grateful for all of the love and support! I am surrounded by the most wonderful, giving people!

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart!!!

Ahhh the frustration!

I really want my early morning pre-work rides to become a regular habit...I just can't seem to get up at 5:15 am on the three required days! I did fine on Monday and Wednesday this week, but no luck today :( I just did not want to go. Humph! I'm pretty sure I used to be an early bird, I enjoyed having time to myself and the chance to get a lot accomplished before anyone else was stirring. These days it's such a struggle to not hit snooze over and over until the last possible minute!

I also need to get out my donation letters and start pulling in some cash! I'm a little daunted by the minimum amount, but also want to go over the required $3,000 and raise $5k! I know, doesn't make sense, but there it is.

Back In The Saddle Again

So here I am, starting up again :) After my initial "kick off" I went out of town for a few days and wasn't able to ride. When I got back in town, I just couldn't get myself up and out of bed in time to ride before work. Then, this past weekend a killer migraine took me out for the whole 48 hours. Yes, excuses, I know...but pretty valid ones I think.

Anyway, after all of the set backs, I got up this morning and got my 12 miles in! Here's to keeping it going all week!

Last Thursday I also had the pleasure of attending an orientation for new riders. It got me very excited for this journey, both the ride and the fundraising. I finally got to meet my rep face to face. I haven't been shy about harassing her electronically, but it was nice to see her in person and to meet another staff member, Pam. My loud self will fit in perfectly with this crew :)

There was a lot of information and some good talking points for donors in explaining where the money goes. I was able to ask some newbie questions, like "How do we get ourselves and our bike up to San Francisco?" or "Do those solar chargers work?" since we don't have access to electricity in most camps. The meeting was supposed to be from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm, I was the last to leave at 9:30 pm! Shocker :)

On my way in to the orientation I met an adorable young man just hanging out at the Village and when I told him I was riding he gave me big hug and said "You're doing that? That's awesome! We need more people." My response was WOW, didn't know they'd lost so many people and he said "Oh, no. I just meant we need more good people." Made my heart break that this kid was so aware of the need for tolerance. It inspired me even more to support such a great cause.

So, that's the latest on me. Hoping to ride Wednesday, Friday and at least one weekend day, if not both! I'll let you know how it goes.