I DID IT!!!

I climbed my hill today!

Not that I haven't climbed it before, but I always have to stop and rest a time or five on the way, let my breathing settle down, my heart rate settle down, my quads settle down. My goal has been to get to the top without stopping.

Funny thing is, I didn't do it the first time I went up. I did it the second time.

First time, I stopped twice on the way up. And I KNEW I didn't REALLY need to stop when I did, I just couldn't make myself go anymore. Eventually, I got to the top, took pictures (see the riding in the hood thread) and then rode down again. My poor brakes.

All the while I was riding down, I was thinking about how I really hadn't NEEDED to stop, and that it wasn't my body "blowing up" it was my head, and I wondered what would happen if I tried again. Lots of rest happened just cruising around the parking lot at the top and then on the coast down (except for my braking muscles!)

So, I got to the bottom, and waited for a little traffic to clear, and turned around to go back up. Didn't expect to get all the way up, but kept talking to myself when the little pesky self talker started in: shut UP! I CAN do this! and looking at the ground, not how far to the top yet. When I DID glance up, and thought, oh, it's far, I looked back down at the wheel and the road right in front and said to myself, no it's not, pretty soon it's all gravy.

Lo and behold, next thing I knew, I found myself at the top!

Rode around the parking lot a couple of times, dug out my cell phone and called DH to tell him I did it! (and that it was my second time up the hill today!) Then came the ride down again. Once again, poor brakes!

At the bottom for the second time, I sat a moment, thinking, where shall I go next? Home? More distance? Decided on the road heading east instead of home, to ride a few little rollers, before going back home -- the road home has the nice straight shot downhill that I do NOT use my brakes on! I LOVE that stretch!

Not quite 20 miles this afternoon. I'm thinking about putting the saddle back on my comfort beast and seeing if I can talk DH into a little canal cruise, to see the rock chucks since I'm still in my bike stuff!


Karen in Boise