Making mountains out of mole hills or......that mountain ain't no hill!

Today I have found my next goal/hurdle with cycling.  I attempted to ride up and over Paris Mountain. Big emphasis on attempt!  I made it half way up but by that time my legs were shot. Never before have I worked so hard to go so slow!

A day or two later I was riding a new route I had found near to my house. It had a good mix of hills that seemed somewhat challenging but enough downhill to be able to recover and it had a lot less traffic than my other routes.  I rode the route in the car first and then on the bike and was pleasantly surprised. Those hills that I was judging to be challenging while in the car really weren't as bad as I thought. Especially not when I compared them to the mountain I tried a few days prior. They got me winded for sure but I could handle them and then position myself for a good transition into the next with out slowing or needing to recover.

I guess its a good thing to have tough situations test you at times. It can really put things into perspective since we all tend to be a little over dramatic and blow thing out of proportion. I know I've been going through some really trying times recently and, at times I remember thinking "can it get any worse" and "I'm not sure I can handle this" but those times passed and somehow I found the strength and determination to handle everything that's been thrown my way so far. You just have to keep pushing and doing your best.

So Paris Mountain....you may have bested me this time but you best believe I will be back to try again and, one day soon, I will be the one who will come out on top!

Newbies will be newbies

Those of you who have known me for a long time already know this about me......I absolutely have to know everything there is to know about something once I get started on it. When I got started in fishing, it wasn't enough for me to buy a fishing rod and tackle, I had to know how to be able to make them and its been that way with everything. Its kind of a nerdy thing but its what I do and so when I got started with cycling it was no different.

I was given a bike so I didn't get to research that to death but I did read countless articles and watch hours of videos about getting the perfect fit before I had the chance to get it professionally fitted. I read everything I could find about how to ride in a group and by myself. Watched tons of videos to get tips and pointers about climbing hills like a pro and various other topics. Then it came time to move into clip-less pedals. So, me being me, I watched videos and read about which ones to get, how to install them and set them up, and, most importantly, how to get out of them so you don't fall.

Everything I came across said that you WILL fall while getting used to the new pedals.  Everyone WILL fall???? well I am certainly not everyone and I will not fall.  I got my pedals, installed them on my bike and set up the cleats on the shoes.  I then sat on my bike in the living room after my little one was asleep and practiced clipping in and out with each foot for an hour or so while watching TV.  I felt very confident in my ability to clip in and release after my practice session and I was excited to try them in the real world!

The next day, after Allie was at daycare, I took my bike out for my maiden voyage into the world of clip-less pedals. I rode circles around the parking lot for about 10 minutes clipping in and out with each foot the whole time.  Now it was time to actually stop.  I approached a part of the parking lot with a curb and slowed down to give me plenty of time to react. I un-clipped my right foot, slowed  and came to a smooth stop and firmly planted my foot.  I did it!!! my first stop and I didn't fall!!! I got so excited that I leaned a little too far the other way, lost my balance and fell on my left side. I stood up, picked up my bike and looked around to see if anyone else saw me. Oh well, at least I got that out of the way early.

So I guess "they" are right.  Everyone falls while getting used to the new pedals and I am no exception but at least it gave me a funny story to tell people and it will help keep me from getting too serious about this new hobby!

Life lessons from long runs

When I started running I expected to get sore, to lose some extra weight, and to possible gain some self confidence and a sense of accomplishment. I never though I would learn an important lesson about life. It was on a long run, when I was really struggling and bashing myself for not doing as well as I had hoped that I realized that this is only one run and I will have many many more in my life and at least one of them will be better than this one so why worry and complain. Just knuckle down and get through it!

Life is not a straight, level road. You don't travel at one speed nice and easy through it.  There are bumps and hills (at times some damn big ones). You don't set a personal best every you go out for a run. Sometimes you have a really bad day and it feels like you've never ran before.  When that happens we write it off as a bad day and know we can try again tomorrow but we don't seem to do that in life.When we hit a bump in the road of life, we tend to feel like all is lost. This is the worst day ever so therefore my life is over.....but its really not. Its just like a bad run.  You can always try again the next time and, if that one is bad too, you can try again........again.

I have been through a tough time recently and, I have to be honest, have struggled with being angry and bitter.  I haven't always remembered that there is usually another chance to do better or to have a better day.  I guess we can't always be optimistic and upbeat huh?

I'm sure in over romanticizing running but I don't really care. Running and exercising in any form have really helped me get through this tough time and see that shit happens and we can get over it and that's exactly what I plan to do every day from here on out!