Put me back on my bike...

Joy here...Today's title is taken from the biography of Tour de France cyclist Tom Simpson who died of exhaustion on the famed Mont Ventoux.  And while his story is a dramatic and traumatic one of bravery and determination, mine is nothing of the sort.  My story is about emerging on the other side of a seemingly never-ending winter and climbing back on my bike and heading out to the park with its dreaded hills so that I can get some riding in my legs before we head on a plane to Malaysia.

On Sunday, I went out with two friends (LS and CW) to ride up to the Pink Lake lookout, which is at the top of the first steep climb in our local park.  From door-to-door, it's about a 50km bike ride.  Then today, I went out with The Man and my other cycling friend who was my regular Sunday cycling buddy last summer/fall, and we ride up to the Pink Lake lookout, and then kept on going into the nearest town where we stopped for a treat before turning around.  From door-to-door, it's about a 57km bike ride.

I won't lie to you (well, okay, maybe I would, but I'm not lying now), and I'll be honest when I say that riding up those hills was HARD.  My legs aren't used to it, and there's a world of difference between a spinning class and a real out-of-doors cycling experience.  However, I will be honest and say that while I'm not as fit on the bike as I remember being by the end of last autumn, I am more fit on the bike that I think I've ever been at the start of any cycling season.  

And I remember thinking of all my bike rides when I was running the 1/2 marathon in October, and I used the memory of riding up those hills to boost my confidence as I was lagging in the 1/2 marathon, and since my next 1/2 marathon is a short month away from now, I'm going to have to use these rides to fuel my confidence on that run.

The reward for riding all the way up to Pink Lake is the view, of course!

So while I don't necessarily feel prepared for this upcoming 1/2 marathon, and don't necessarily feel like my running is where I'd like it to be, I will admit that generally speaking, I feel fit and strong, and like I'm making overall progress.  And for now, that's just got to be enough!

Heck...in a week from now, we begin our journey to Malaysia...so I'm just happy that I've been able to get out into the park and enjoy the beautiful scenery before we're gone for a good six weeks!

Over and out,
Joy