Mother Nature and Me

You might not know this, but I am of Native American descent. This means that I am probably more at one with Mother Earth than some of you. That's okay. Don't feel bad. You probably have some things that you're way better at than I am. Like getting off of a ski lift by yourself without falling. I am terrible at that. But back to me. Today I knew I needed to go for a longer ride since I couldn't go yesterday because of the rain. But today it was windy. And let me tell you something: biking into the wind is NOT A JOKE. I weighed my options, but knew I had to go out there. I decided to start out biking into the wind, to get the worst part over with right away before I'm tired. But first I had to figure out exactly which direction the wind was blowing. Here's where my ancestry and my connection with nature comes in. I licked my finger and stuck it in the air, put my ear to the ground, and checked the weather app on my phone to see which direction the wind would be coming from for the next few hours. Sure enough, it was from the east, so east I went. My great, great, great... something, would be so proud. And sweet mother of Pete, those gusts were not kidding.

But the wind didn't win this one! I pushed through, and rode a total of 32.82 miles. It's a new record for me, and I'm quite proud of myself. And hey look- I'm still upright and typing coherently and everything. But that's probably due to the giant bowl of Rice Krispies I had right after I got home.

I nearly hit a cat that was creeping across the road, on the hunt for some dinner. I'm pretty sure I would've hit him, too, if I hadn't told him to move. I saw some of the countryside that I had never seen before. I didn't fall once. And it only rained for the last 1.5 miles. Tonight's ride: Success.

I do know that if this trip wasn't something I was excited about and really wanted, it would be easy to give up on the training. This is hard work! I read a quote recently about dreams that I think applies here for me: "If you start chasing a dream just to get applause, you'll quit dreaming when the applause stops. And it will. Approval is a terrible fuel for dreams." I have set a goal-for me, not for anyone else- and I'm going to keep working and dreaming. Because I'm looking forward to the huge sense of accomplishment I know I'll feel at the finish line.

Here's one more fun fact: I do not have laundry facilities at my apartment. Also, I do not have many biking clothes yet. This means that I wear the same biking clothes repeatedly without washing them. Which means that right now I smell like a trash can. A very dead trash can. I'm half expecting my shorts to start walking around on their own soon. I think tomorrow is as good a time as any for laundry day. And right now is as good a time as any for a shower, lest the neighbors wonder what on earth landed in our neighborhood.

Small Victories

Tonight I rode with many thoughts in my head:

Will I spend half of this trip lying in various ditches?
Do they make training wheels for adult size bikes?
Should I invest in full body armor and forget the training wheels?
These banana chips taste like feet.
What is going on in Shipshewana?
Did I really need that nap I took before my ride?
Because now it's so much later and I won't be able to go as far.
Here, have another banana chip, self.
What day is it?
Where am I?
Good grief, woman, get a hold of yourself.
These banana/feet chips kind of grow on you after a while.
Seriously, what is with all the people in Shipshewana?
Gas stations should accept credit card numbers without the actual card, so that those of us who know our number, but forgot to bring the card along can still buy Gatorade.
What is citric acid made of?

But the number one thought in my head as I rode was this: Whatever you do, DON'T TIP OVER.

And by George, if I didn't do just that. That is to say, I did not tip over. Not even a little bit.

I'm putting this one in the victory column. (And cancelling the training wheels order for now.)

Now for a hot shower... hopefully I'll have feeling in my frozen toes again soon. It's a little chilly out there tonight.

Thieving Trees

The trees in this town have sticky fingers. Or... Sticky limbs, if you will.

I rode a little too close to this little guy while going around a corner, and he stole my iPod right out of my pocket. Just grabbed hold and wouldn't let go.

But not to worry. I arm wrestled him for it and got it back. And I think he learned his lesson. When word gets out around town about me, I don't think I'll have to worry about any of the shrubbery messing with me or my stuff.

Tonight was quite the windy ride. I didn't think about it in the first half of the ride, because the wind was at my back. But on the way home, well, that was a different story. The wind kept trying to push me right off the road.
Did I fall into the ditch? I don't want to talk about it.
Was it the wind's fault? I don't want to talk about that, either.
Did I fall after I had come to a complete stop, and was standing with one foot on the ground already? I really don't want to talk about that.
Did I skin my knee a little bit? Well, yes.

There's also a pretty good chance that I called a friend to come pick me up when I was still a few miles from home. I hated giving up. But I also knew when I'd been had. The wind won this one.

But I'll be back.

And I'll get the next one.

1 month, 3 weeks, 1 day. Until we embark on an adventure so big, we'll probably both require surgery afterwards. Bike removal surgery.

1,000 miles (give or take a few) looks pretty huge today, but if I compare my endurance now to my first ride this spring, it doesn't look nearly as discouraging. It'll take a lot of hard work, and probably some bruises. But we! can! do this!

Last night was my first experience with my new clipless pedals. They say everyone falls at least once when learning to use them, but I was hoping I was not the average person in this case. I mean, I'm better than average in a lot of other areas, why not this one? I set out for a short ride with fear and trembling in my heart... And I loved them! Biked all the way to Topeka. Stopped for a bathroom break. (Taking the bike along into the restroom with me. I'm not overprotective of my stuff or anything.) Keeping everything upright the whole time. I AM SO GOOD AT THIS! I can keep biking forever!

Until. I hit 8 miles, and was still feeling pretty good about myself. It was getting dark, so I had put my sunglasses in my hoodie pocket, and turned my lights on. Suddenly, I heard the sunglasses hit the ground. No! I can't lose those! I paid actual money for them! I hit the brakes, while quickly getting my right foot unclipped. Way to go, self, I thought, you're such a quick thinker with that unclipping while suddenly stopping business. You'll probably win some kind of "no falling with clipless pedals" prize after this. I stopped. I leaned to the left. Then I leaned waaaaaay left. I had leaned toward the side that was still clipped into the pedal. And sprawled right out on the road. So much for quick thinking. 

I stood up, set my bike in the ditch while I grabbed my sunglasses, got back on the bike, and rode off into the sunset. 16.57 miles in all. My left leg is still pretty sore today, but I'm pretty sure I'll live. I just hope I get a giant bruise out of the deal.

Speaking of sunsets... Last night was a perfect evening to be biking. No wind, just the right amount of chilly, and the sky was gorgeous!