Must. finish. riding.

Whew. I just got back from a 10 miles ride on my bike. I figured that I should start training on a real bike, rather than the stationary one at the Y. I made a route and thought for sure it wasn't too bad.

I wanted to get up and go this morning, but I just couldn't motivate myself to roll out of bed and onto a bike. So, sadly, I left the house at 11am. Hot, hot, hot! I was REALLY nervous about riding on the main roads because I'm not overly confident or comfortable on the bike yet. But I figured the only way to get over my fear is to do it.

So, I was doing fine, minding my own business, trying terribly to stay balanced and not fall off of the bike. After about 10 minutes on the bike, I realized that I forgot my helmet and sunscreen. I thought for sure I would fall on my head and be a lobster. I had one minor freak out right before I got onto the first road with a lot of cars, but I kept on going and happily slowed down so that a big SUV would pass me :)

Going, going, going. Crossed my second stop light and was getting pretty comfortable. Then I turned the corner to face my first (of many more) giant hills! I struggled up the hill and had to catch myself with my foot once. I made it though. I went through a neighborhood and was fine there. By the time I hit the next major road, I was getting pretty tired and it was only mile 2.5. Oh my soul! The rest is a blur. Nine giant hills stood before me until I was home free.

I had to walk my bike (slacker!) up three hills. One was where I stopped for a break, so I consider that a cool down to my five minute break. But I did it. I prayed a lot and I'm sure that the Lord pushed my up two hills because I couldn't do it alone. My legs felt like jello when I would get off, so part of me just wanted to stay on so I wouldn't have to stumble on my feet.

I nearly cried twice out of sheer exhaustion. But I made it home. Nothing major happened, I did not injure myself, I did not fall over, and I am not a lobster. I really should have started doing this before the middle of summer! I'm happy to say that for my first big ride I went 10.15 miles in one hour and seven minutes (that includes breaks!). My goal is to ride about twice a week until the triathlon.

During my five minute break, I asked myself : WHAT HAVE I GOT MYSELF INTO?! I'm still trying to figure this one out.