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
