Climbing mountains one pedal stroke at a time
After being out of the saddle all week, I was eager to finally get on my bike today. When I poked my nose out the door this morning, I was greeted by a grey sky and the chilly air. It was a little disappointing after missing out on several fabulous days full of sunshine and warmth. However, I missed my bike so very much that I was determined to get out there. Continue reading “What Cycling is Really About”
Don’t give up on yourself. No one else has.
If you read my post ‘Saying Farewell to the Silver Strand’, you will recall that I was quite happy about the progress I had made riding the flatter, faster routes. I was super excited that I had really started to become comfortable riding on my husband James’ wheel. I have done a lot of riding with him over the years, but the winter of 2016 was the first time that I had really been able to stick so close to him so much of the time. My Silver Strand post was a celebration of this accomplishment, and also a bit of a sad goodbye to sunny San Diego. Continue reading “Don’t Give Up On Yourself”
I never thought I would be fast at anything that required physical ability. Before I started riding a road bike, I had no idea that I had an athletic side to me. I spent a good part of my life completely uncomfortable with my physical being. I wouldn’t have dreamt that I would be pedalling hard, sucking wind, and pushing my limits to keep with the wheel in front of me. There was a time when I couldn’t possibly have imagined feeling fast and fierce. What I didn’t realize that the seemingly impossible things can become reality. Continue reading “Saying Farewell to the Silver Strand”
Self Realization:
To completely and utterly become all that you can possibly be – what a concept! I vividly recall the moment in my life when I was first exposed to this idea. I was a little girl in grade school and in class one day we learned about the pyramid to self realization or actualization. It was likely Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, or something similar, that we were studying in our text books. I looked at the pyramid staring back at me, telling me that after my physical and emotional needs were satisfied, then I might have esteem. Then, and only then, after accomplishing a full esteem, I might be able to venture into the world of self realization. I remember feeling a complete panic. What if I never reached self realization in my life time? Continue reading “A Little Girl Terrified of Missing out on Self Realization”
When you know it’s time to push, don’t be afraid. Find a way, and just do it.
There are times when you don’t feel up to it, you aren’t sure if you’ve got it, and you have doubts about whether or not it is a good idea. But, deep down, you know you can and you know you should. There are also times when you simply know that you shouldn’t. There is a very distinct difference between these two scenarios. In both of them, you feel weak. In both of them you may be suffering. In one of them you know you should and it would be good for you. In the other, you know that you shouldn’t and that it is time to nurture and heal. You absolutely must get in touch with your inner being and your sense of intuition to enable yourself to distinguish between them. Continue reading “When You Know it’s Time to Push”
It has been over 12 years now since I was introduced to my first road bike. My bike has literally changed my life, and in more ways than one. Over the years, it has been challenging for me to maintain consistency in my fitness and nutrition. The last couple of years have been particularly difficult as I committed far too much energy and time both to support my husband’s intense career path, and to my own career oriented commitments. I often found myself on the cusp of getting back to where I wanted to be, only to find myself going in the wrong direction once again. The intensity and level of stress that I chose to be part of was greatly impacting my health. Continue reading “Getting My Groove Back”
I will admit it, there have been times when I have gotten on my bike, and I did not try. It has happened. When I am riding alone, I am the only one who suffers the consequences. I have been in situations where the ride wasn’t just about my bike and me, but there was also a team aspect to it. Driven by fear of not living up to expectations, I have chosen a defeated attitude that paralyzed me from performing as well as I could have. I have learned some very important lessons from these experiences. There was one ride in particular that I recall during which my husband and I were out in the open desert, only had so much water with us, and were up against a fairly aggressive head wind. If I had stuck with him and drafted, then we both would have made it back to our vehicle within a shorter amount of time then I could make it on my own. Due to some communication breakdowns, and some lack of understanding on my part, we ended up separated during the last leg this ride. I was really battling to finish. I was so caught up with the fear of slowing him down that I chose to ride on my own. I was so blinded by my fear that I didn’t even see the support that was being offered. Continue reading “The Importance of Appreciating the People that Push You”
Just a Girl and a Bike 