My Birthday Ride

As some of you know, I was planning on 45 miles for my 45th birthday. I've been prepping for a couple of days, getting the electrolyte powder ready, making sure the extra thick padding shorts are clean, that sort of thing.

D*H the manly-man cyclist's version of foreplay: he cleaned and lubed my chain, cleaned the wheels, installed new handlebar grips and new squishy gel tape on the extenders. Happy birthday to me!

So I get up at 6:30 and I'm at the lake at 7:30, half an hour earlier than I'd planned. It was cool and a little foggy, but surprisingly warm, so I left off my jacket and hit the road. Two laps zipped by and I was into my third when I realized I was already halfway through and making good time.

On the back-again side of lap four, a young woman running actually passed me on a hill. I cheered her all the way up. She was running 11mph up a hill. I told her she rocked and cheered for her at the top like she was crossing an Olympic finish line. She wished a good day and we saw each other a couple more times and smiled and waved as we passed each other. (Thankfully, it was always in opposite directions.)

I stopped after the third lap to refill my water bottle - the sun had come out by then - then did two more laps. Now, at that point, I was at 40 miles and feeling good. I texted D*H to let him know I was on my last lap, refilled my water bottle again, and headed back out for my five-mile loop to my final goal.

At Lake Miramar, it's a five-mile loop all the way around the lake, but just shy of mile 4, they've got a turn around, so I ride to the turnaround and back and that's my lap. Eight miles each.

I had planned to just keep going, but when I got there, I was feeling pretty good still, so I turned around and headed back again.

I was feeling all squishy and proud of myself, and I did my little happy dance as the odometer clicked over at 45 miles, and as I looked up - I kid you not - here comes Woman in Black. And this is the first time I've seen her from the front (last week she just blew past me like I was standing still several times), and she's pretty. Really pretty. It's like the Universe was just thwacking me in the ego.

I tried to remember what someone on the board last week said about her having her own problems, but man, she sure doesn't look like she's got a care in the world. She's probably got an MBA and I'm sure her uterus works just fine.

Okay, enough whining. I will not let this envy thing get me down today.

I was aiming for 45 miles and I did 48. I so totally rock.

I'm icing my knees as I write this, but I'm off to my writing group meeting, and then maybe to dinner tonight.

My new mantra: goroxygoroxygoroxygo!

Roxy

WOO HOO!!!!
Congrats, Roxy!!! :) Sounds like it was a WONDERFUL day!!! Way to go!

what a great accomplishment for your 45th - you rock!

Whew! Sounds like a great time...I'll have to keep that goal in mind (1 mile for every year) as I am homing in on 50 in a year or two and that would be fun. As it is, last month I rode 21 miles on the 21st for my birthday...
Wish we had a nice area or park to ride in here, we do have a MUP but it isnt very long and it gets a little boring doing short laps on it.
Best Birthday wishes for a happy riding year ahead!

GoRoxyGoRoxyGoRoxyGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!Congratulations on accomplishing your goal and then some.

Happy Birthday! You did it! Go Roxy!

Now, about that lady...pretty is as pretty does. Remember that the next time you help someone in need.

Way to go!

GoRoxyGoRoxyGoRoxyGo! Happy birthday. :)

Way to go!! And Happy B-Day to you:D

Atta Girl Roxy! What a fantastic acomplishement and birthday present rolled into one. Keep working on that voice in your head and reprogram her to only saying loving things.

Way to go!

Great job!!!! and Happy Birthday!!!!

goroxygoroxygoroxygo! :p:D:p:D
YEA!!!
You rock!!!
What else can I say. You have done yourself good, and you have encourage all of us who are down in the dumps about our riding accomplishments this year...
goroxygoroxygoroxygo!
:p:D:p:D
Oh, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Congratulations and happy birthday! Great story.

Happy birthday! In your honor, here is a bicycle related dino comic:

http://www.qwantz.com/comics/comic2-335.png

Reesha, you crack me up.

mtbdarby, I agree -- really need to work on my internal critic.

And thanks everyone else, for the good wishes. It really was a good day all around. We went out to my favorite restaurant for dinner - Chevy's, and they've got some new salads and I tried one, then we went out for frozen yogurt instead of birthday cake (we have one of those new serve-yourself places in the strip mall across the street - I had chocolate, vanilla, and Nilla Wafer flavor with M&Ms and Ghiradelli chocolate chips).

When I got home and looked at the mail on my desk, there was a package from a friend of my dad's with some pictures of him when he was a hot young musician in the 70s, and one of him and his favorite dog, Misty, who passed a few years ago (he's got terminal cancer and he's on the opposite side of the continent from me, so this was a great gift), and a birthday card from my mom with a great big ol' check in it. Thanks, Mom!

And not to get too personal, but let's just say D*H turned into DH. I hope this lasts a bit. I like having him around.

Today I'm going to work on a list of goals I want to accomplish this year. I keep putting it off, but it's time. I figure I'm halfway through my life. My grands and great-grands on my mom's side mostly lived into their late 80s and 90s. I've got a great grandfather - Elgin Ward - who lived to 104, when he was killed walking into town because he was hit by a car or a truck - I need to get the story again.

Anyway, thanks, everyone, for the good wishes and all the love and support that you share with everyone here. I really do love this community.

Roxy