Sara,
I am right there with you! In fact, I think we started about the same time. I am going to break 1,000 miles on my new bike today and feel like a totally different person. I know that I ask questions that experienced riders would be tempted to laugh at (and I'm grateful they don't, at least to my face) but I also know that I am much more into this and experienced than the average person who gets on a bike every once and a while. As Lisa said, (her perspective on cycling rocks!) it is definitely all relative.
And YES, I love what has happened to my legs, and I think we need to start another thread with pictures of our strong biker thighs. This time I'd actually put mine in there.
Without shame. That's personal growth, baby!
2007 Trek 5000
2009 Jamis Coda
1972 Schwinn Suburban
"I rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a bike. It gives her a feeling of self-reliance and independence the moment she takes her seat; and away she goes, the picture of untrammelled womanhood."
Susan B. Anthony, 1896