Preface:
So, I think that’s important that we take this back all the way to the beginning. When I decided to blog about my cycling experience I came across an old blog account and what did I find…a blog post that I created some 10 years ago. I guess its safe to say that this was always meant to be.
In order to know where I’m going I have to know where I’ve come, and this short blog post tells a very telling tale. Picture this: Its summer. I’m back living with my mom at the age of 34. I’m a single mom. I am coming off the heels of a very heated and stressful marriage. I am working part-time as an accountant making a 1/4 of the salary I was making just a year before. I’ve recently enrolled back into college to finish a 4-year degree that I started 10 years prior. Let’s just say that I was a mess. And then along comes biking. Now, when I was a kid I used to bike all over my neighborhood all day long. When I got my driver’s license I left my biking days behind me. Now, all of a sudden, its the only thing that helps me deal with my anxiety, my frustration, my depression.
Back then I was out of shape and riding 7 miles was a difficult for me especially riding through the hills of Cincinnati. When I read this post, I see my growth both physically, mentally, emotionally. I’m not in the same place I was now back then, and thank God for that.
So, the weather today was a hot 92 degrees. I decided regardless to go and ride my bike from home to the church. I filled one of my bottles with water and I filled my camelbak with water. I decided to use the other water bottle for Gatarade (that is if I felt like stopping to pick some up during the ride. I took a different route today. Last week I rode down Reading Rd. to Victory Parkway all the way to Gilpin Street to Woodburn, down Madison Rd to Clayton to Wm. Howard Taft, down Collings and onto Eastern Avenue. Note that I did not ride down Collins last week. The hill is extremely steep and I wasn’t in the adventurous mood. Today however I decided on a different route. I am still a novice at riding and my endurance sucks. Even the smallest inclines take the breath right out of me.
So, today I rode down Tennessee to Montgomery Rd and took that all the way down to Woodburn. From Woodburn I took Madison Rd to Clayton and continued as I did last week. The first part of the ride was okay. I had to make several water break stops which disappointed me just a bit. I wanted to finish the ride without stopping. I guess I had to understand that it was over 92 degrees outside. Needless to say that by the time I got to Woodburn and Montgomery Rd I was worn out! After I hit Wm. Howard Taft I got a burst of energy and was able to ride the rest of the way. I even rode down Collins. Of course I rode the brakes all the way down! I’m sure eventually I’ll have to get some more break pads. Oh well. The total distance that I traveled today was 7 miles. Not too bad.
I have to learn how to use my camelbak though. I had the hardest time trying to sip water out of it. I guess I should have did a test run before using it for the first time. I love it though. I really thought that it would be heavy and bulky especially while holding 50 oz of water. Not the case. It felt so light on my back and it felt as if I didn’t have anything on at all.
Regardless it was a decent ride. I hope that I can continue to do this more often. Perhaps it will help clear my head as well as help me get in shape (which I surely need) and to lose weight (which is becoming a burden)
Next time I’ll post pics and the map. (I’m having the hardest time getting the url from mapmyride.com