....and counting. Time seems to be going so fast and yet, I seem to be no closer to being "ready". I am realizing that there are few, or at least fewer, gains to be made in strength, fitness, endurance. Where I am now is probably fairly close to where I will be in 60 days. The main goal now is to not lose anything.
I will continue to ride as much as I can on the trainer and, hopefully, outside. I will continue to do some upper body work. I will not obsess, I will not drive myself to the point that it isn't FUN anymore.
My lists grow more detailed and the shape of my travels clearer. More and more, I can picture myself leaving home and traveling to San Diego - everything after that is still a hazy dream. Right now I am not even trying to think beyond the first few days of riding, those days I know I can do. Everything after that will be a new challenge. New hills, new distances, new weather.
I have faced and met big challenges in the past and for each and every one of them I had doubts and concerns. Right now I would be worried if I wasn't worried. Mild to moderate anxiety produces the best performances, I am trying to keep that in mind.
Forward, always forward.
Showing posts with label southern tier. Show all posts
Showing posts with label southern tier. Show all posts
Monday, January 7, 2013
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
How did this come about?
Actually, it seems, a random series of events has gotten me where I am with cycling.
Almost three years ago Paulette rode past my window, enjoying being on her bike and having fun. It set me wondering if cycling might be the answer to my concerns about losing balance, muscle mass and core strength. After due pondering, I got a Walmart Schwinn to try. Could I ride a bike? Would I ride a bike?
For the first week or so I had to drive my bike to an empty parking lot because I couldn't even get on the step-through frame without standing on a curb. Surprisingly, I didn't lose my balance, I didn't fall. I wasn't graceful and I had NO idea what to do with all the gears, but I could ride a bike. And it was FUN!!!
I announced my new purchase on Ravelry - a social networking site for people interested in fiber arts and Catherine invited me to join the Casual Cyclists group (there's a group for everything on Ravelry). In that group I found lots of information, encouragement and advice. Which led to my first "good" bike.
Buying that bike, a Trek 7300 WSD, led me to my local bike shop (LBS) and Chris, my bike guy. Janice led me to Daily Mile where I learned to track my rides and that led me to some new friends and advisors. The more experienced riders helped me figure out technical details and they became my biggest cheerleaders. Ken sent me contact information for the local bike club and insisted that I call them. The bike club gave me the assistance and support I needed to expand my horizons and take on longer rides. Dan and Susan became my riding companions.
Just a few months after buying my Miss Marple bike, I found out about WomanTours. I drooled over their website for hours, and kept going back to the page about the Southern Tier. I told my knitting friends about it and Barbara told me to put down the deposit. So I did. I figured the deposit would be a good motivator, if nothing else. From that point on, ALL my decisions about cycling were made with the tour in mind.
A little serendipity, a lot of support from a lot of people...... a LOT Of support......and here I am. Ready to go, scared to go, more excited than a 5 year old on Christmas Eve.
Almost three years ago Paulette rode past my window, enjoying being on her bike and having fun. It set me wondering if cycling might be the answer to my concerns about losing balance, muscle mass and core strength. After due pondering, I got a Walmart Schwinn to try. Could I ride a bike? Would I ride a bike?
For the first week or so I had to drive my bike to an empty parking lot because I couldn't even get on the step-through frame without standing on a curb. Surprisingly, I didn't lose my balance, I didn't fall. I wasn't graceful and I had NO idea what to do with all the gears, but I could ride a bike. And it was FUN!!!
I announced my new purchase on Ravelry - a social networking site for people interested in fiber arts and Catherine invited me to join the Casual Cyclists group (there's a group for everything on Ravelry). In that group I found lots of information, encouragement and advice. Which led to my first "good" bike.
Buying that bike, a Trek 7300 WSD, led me to my local bike shop (LBS) and Chris, my bike guy. Janice led me to Daily Mile where I learned to track my rides and that led me to some new friends and advisors. The more experienced riders helped me figure out technical details and they became my biggest cheerleaders. Ken sent me contact information for the local bike club and insisted that I call them. The bike club gave me the assistance and support I needed to expand my horizons and take on longer rides. Dan and Susan became my riding companions.
Just a few months after buying my Miss Marple bike, I found out about WomanTours. I drooled over their website for hours, and kept going back to the page about the Southern Tier. I told my knitting friends about it and Barbara told me to put down the deposit. So I did. I figured the deposit would be a good motivator, if nothing else. From that point on, ALL my decisions about cycling were made with the tour in mind.
A little serendipity, a lot of support from a lot of people...... a LOT Of support......and here I am. Ready to go, scared to go, more excited than a 5 year old on Christmas Eve.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
New year, new adventures
New Year's day seems like a good time to add something new to my life...like maybe a blog? I always thought that as you got older, your life slowed down - that doesn't appear to be the case, at least not for me.
I'm starting the blog because I want to document a HUGE adventure - starting on March 7th, I will be riding my bicycle from San Diego, CA to St. Augustine, FL. I will be traveling with about 30 other women on the WomanTours Southern Tier tour.
There are 65 more days before I leave home, hearth and husband behind to spend two months on two wheels. I have been preparing for this for over two years now. The story of how I got here, and how much it surprises me, will unfold as time goes on. Suffice it to say, I am very excited and more than a little overwhelmed as the enormity of this sinks in.
I'm starting the blog because I want to document a HUGE adventure - starting on March 7th, I will be riding my bicycle from San Diego, CA to St. Augustine, FL. I will be traveling with about 30 other women on the WomanTours Southern Tier tour.
There are 65 more days before I leave home, hearth and husband behind to spend two months on two wheels. I have been preparing for this for over two years now. The story of how I got here, and how much it surprises me, will unfold as time goes on. Suffice it to say, I am very excited and more than a little overwhelmed as the enormity of this sinks in.
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