Optimistic Dodo Rides

My friend and I rode our bikes this weekend. Or, I should say - She took me on a bike ride this weekend. It was not only the first time I have ridden since the surgery, but the first time I have ridden in 2 years. (Can I crawl under the rug and hide now?) That's so very embarrassing to admit. Not only that. I am a good 30-40 pounds heavier now. (Eeks! I'm squirming in my stretchy pants.)
I have been looking forward to the first time I got on my bike. I have even been craving it. Just as adamantly, I have been dreading it. I knew it would be hard to come face to face with the fact that I have let myself down in this area. But, I decided to be optimistic.
Luckily, we were in her neck of the woods. So, she had some routes already picked out. We waited til it warmed up a little, about 10:30 in the morning, because it was down right frigid in the Arlington area. Besides, it gave me a little more time to pump up my shrunken cycling ego.

Then came the question I have been trying not to think about, "How far do you want to go?" My poor stressed mind went into overload. 5 miles or 10 miles? I can do ten miles. Geez! 10 miles is what they call the kids fun ride. But, I haven't ridden in a long time and I'm still in recovery mode. Maybe 5 miles is the safest bet. I'm being a wimp. Surely, I can do 10 miles. I've done 12-13 miles on the stationary bike for two weeks. I said I was going to be optimistic, right?! So, I said,"10 miles." Dum Dum Dum Duuum! The famous last words of an optimist as she rides off into the countryside.

OK. I'm obviously not dead. But, there was a time or two that I was thinking that was an option. For all you people who attend spinning classes and think you should be able to jump on a bike and pedal away... I can only laugh at your naivety. Simulated hills are nothing compared to real Texas hills. Doing 90 RPM's on the stationary is nothing compared to trying - not succeeding - in doing 90 RPM's on the road. Another optimist almost bites the dust. Almost!!!!

Dare I say it?
I did it. Barely. But I did it. I only had to stop once on a hill that was beating me badly. I could hear it laughing at me. But, I decided that was OK. This was my first time out, after all. Let the hill laugh. I'll be back and make it eat my dust. (Optimism. wink wink)

So, my cycling journey begins anew. I mapped out a 10 mile route of my own. It has one really big hill that looks like it has some attitude. That's OK. Someday soon, I'll be laughing, gasping for air, laughing, and gasping for air as I crest the top of that hill. I will beat it and some others. I will do a ride of over 50 miles. Maybe even a metric 100. I will start to look like a cyclist. I will do a ride with my brother and keep up with him. Tee Hee. (I can't let him be the only rider in a family so full of runners.) However, until then I will remain an optimistic dodo. Frankly, I'm beginning to like the sound of that!

Why Blog About Cycling?

I decided to start this blog after a futile search for one written by someone else beginning to ride a bike for sport, physical fitness, or just for the challenge. Frankly, I was looking for a little, indirect, moral support. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find what I was hoping for. Oh, there is a lot of very technical info on beginning cycling. What I couldn't find was the good stuff. The down and dirty stuff. The "My legs, shoulders and butt are killing me" stuff. I needed to know that I'm not the only one talking myself up a hill as other riders pass me by. So, I got to thinking that maybe I'm not the only one looking for some anonymous (or not so anonymous) moral support. That, along with some cajoling from my husband, made me decide to take the leap and chronicle my own experiences.

I hope that someone else is able to find a bit of the camaraderie I was looking forward to finding. At the very least, I hope I am able to look back a year from now and see just how far I have come.