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June 23, 2007
The Next Step
So last Friday I rode again outside for the first time. Then Saturday I did it again. Friday was in a park with friends. Saturday was in a park by myself. Baby steps. Today I took another huge step forward - riding by myself on real roads.
Actually, O rode with me for about 3 miles. Very helpful because he got me past the site of my accident. But he doesn't have a road bike and of course wasn't going to do my 45 miles with me. So as he turned around to go back home I rode off on my usual ride.
The first two rides I did last week at the park were surprisingly NOT nerve-racking. I'm not sure why but I really didn't have that much fear. I guess because it was a park. The traffic moves very slow, and the roads are well kept. Today was quite the opposite though. I was really pretty nervous out there. I got up and road early for the purpose of avoiding as much traffic as possible, but I still found myself suspicious of every car that looked like it wasn't going to stop in time (which means about 99.9% of the cars I saw). Part of it was probably the fact that I was back on my TT (Scotty is fixed!!) and I feel like I have a little less control on that bike. I sat up more often than usual to grab onto my brakes when the whoosh of a big truck would go by. AHHH!!
But then about 1:15 into the ride I saw one of my friends riding and although we weren't going in the same direction we did ride together for about 2 miles and all of a sudden I forgot that I was afraid. After he took off in another direction I felt myself relax a little and my HR (which had been quite high at times) slow down. I definitely have more fear than I should when I'm out there riding - you just can't be that afraid and still enjoy yourself. But I do think it will just keep getting better and better until all I have left is that "healthy" fear that we should all have when we are out on the roads. Just like anything, it's a process.
So other than some white-knuckle riding it was a great workout! Beautiful morning, shining sun, cool temps. Couldn't ask for more. 2:30 total, ~45 miles. Yesterday was a 3500 yd swim in the morning that reminded me why I do not like hard, short intervals with very little rest and an hour on the trainer easy after dinner. Tomorrow some running. We leave for Oregon in 3 days. Cannot wait!
Posted by beth at June 23, 2007 12:23 PM