Wow. Great stories.

TrekJeni - big smile!

Knot/Trek - another big smile!

BikeMomma/Kim - good luck. Man, it just always takes work regardless. I think my story's similar in some ways - maybe I'm the future of your story?

We were both pretty out of shape after kid. We both work full time, etc.. Then I started running again, and spinning and MTB-ing. And when we both started road riding together, training for our first century in 2001, he couldn't keep up.

Fast forward a couple years and a couple too many humiliations (none malicious) at being dropped and he just up and changed his life and dropped (in about a year) from 230 to about 190. Whereas I happily remained about the same. But he leaves me behind these days unless I really gut it out - but there's just no staying with him on hills anymore. Math (power to weight) is against me. The competitive part of me is bugged by it, but really I am proud of him. And he's a heck of a lot nicer since he lost the weight and got in shape. Really. We're all a lot happier than we used to be. It sounds silly. But I think there was a lot of bad self esteem stuff going on that he is finally getting the better of.

And cycling is definitely part of our lives together. We both coach and do long rides (though he thinks doubles are "stupid"), and we have done bike tours together. When we go on trips, we figure out how we can get some rides in, even alternating so one of us is with Em. And he's trying to get me back into mountain biking.

In November we'll try a race together that we've each had great results in separately in the past. I wonder how long I can hang with him.