Warning: The contents of this email are a pity party for one….ME!!!! Be Warned!
It started out great. The sun was out and it was only slightly sprinkling. I was thinking to myself….”this isn’t so bad. I can handle riding in the rain.” Then we started riding and it was downhill from there…or what felt like uphill both ways! About a mile into the ride I felt something rubbing on my tires. I mentioned this to the team and Hillary said that her tires rub a bit too…so I figured all was okay. Then we hit the start of the I-90 bridge and I knew something was truly wrong when my bike started to descend on its own. I literally started to come to a stop while heading downhill. I looked ahead to see where my team was and they were already halfway across the bridge. Then I checked my computer and it said I was going about 6 miles/hour and I was pedaling at full force. What could be wrong? Was I that out of shape? Probably! How was I going to make it across the bridge at this pace? How were Hillary and Leo riding across so easily? Then I came to the realization that I couldn’t do this….I spent the rest of my ride across the bridge thinking up ways to tell my team I was dropping out…and then deciding how to tell everyone at work I’m quitting before I even really began. Then I debated…do I stop and cry or do I push through and at least make it to the opposite side to tell my teammates my decision? I decided to continue on as my thighs were burning and my heart was racing.
I finally made it to the other side and told Hillary and Leo what was wrong. Leo checked my bike and noticed that my brake pads were misaligned. Basically I was riding my bike with the back brake fully applied. Any idea what that feels like to ride up hill with your brake fully applied? One word comes to my mind….HELL!!!! I was still defeated, but felt like maybe I wasn’t as crazy as I convinced myself of on my way across the bridge. After a few failed attempts to fix my bike we continued on to Lake Washington Blvd. in hopes of finding a bike shop. As previously mentioned the bike shop moved and the other store was closed. The three of us sat around and then we asked ourselves, WWTD? Let’s call Tom!!! We called Tom at work and he walked me through a few steps to troubleshoot my bike problems. Nothing seemed to work so he suggested I finish my ride without a rear brake and bring it back in for an adjustment. We decided that was our best option and continued on to 520, where I was positive there was a bike trail across the bridge.
On the way, we rode alongside the arboretum where I thought I was going to be hit by a car and die. I screamed most of the way…especially when I looked to my left and realized I was within an arms length of a car passing me. We finally made it to 520 and came to terms with the fact that there was no trail and we could either take the Burke Gilman across the water or go back the way we came. We decided to head back to 90, but stopped at the Cactus on the way. BAD IDEA!!! Two lavender margaritas later I was giddy and my head was spinning. Storm Watch 2010 had began and I was positive the ride back wouldn’t be so bad. Probably the alcohol talking for me!! Needless to say…the ride was pretty horrible. Once we got to the stairs heading up to 90 I was freezing and my toes were numb. I kindly asked Leo if he would carry my bike up the stairs (with no intentions of actually letting him do it). Being the wonderful brother that he is he grabbed mine and his bike and made his way up. Hillary and I spent the next 20 minutes laughing and peeing our pants trying to get her bike up. Once we made it to 90 the rain was coming down so hard it hurt my face! I swear I have cuts on my face from the rain slamming into me. We finally made it back to Factoria and I couldn’t be happier.
Unfortunately, I’m still feeling uneasy about the ride and wondering if the fun is gone and now I’m just struggling to make it through training and to the finish line. My biggest concern is that I’ve come to the realization that I work, have 2 kids and a husband, other family and a couple of friends that I would like to spend time with, which takes away from my training. I keep hearing people tell me not to underestimate the distance of this ride and that I need to ride my bike daily. The truth is that I can probably ride 1-2 days a week and maybe get in a 40 minute ride on a stationary bike 2 days a week. This alone makes me feel guilty that I'm not spending enough time with my children. Not sure this is going to be enough to get me through the ride without crying or catching a cab. Additionally, I’m a little achy…mostly just my knees. Either my bike needs to be adjusted or I’m just getting too old. Let’s hope our next ride goes better. I’m hoping my hero, TOM, can join us and provide me with some words of encouragement and wisdom!!!!
Motivational quote for the week, “This too shall pass”…at least I hope!!!
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