Riding Strong

Wow! I am proud of myself.  This was my first Saturday group ride since starting back and I felt certain I would be dropped .  When my alarm went off at 6:00 a.m. I though about staying in bed and riding later, by myself.  I am so glad I didn't stay in bed!.

Often, we are faced with moments of difficulty and uncertainty.  How we react, whether or not we succeed, depends on our mental outlook.  If you see yourself failing or doing poorly, you probably will do just that.  A positive outlook that Incorporates self confidence can lead to successes you thought unachievable.

I started back training seriously about four weeks ago.  Since then, I have done a lot of base mileage, riding mostly by myself.  There were times when I was out for three hours going at an 18-20 mph pace and all I wanted to do was put it in the "big ring" and go fast.  But I kept to my plan and I think it is starting to pay off. Riding base miles is boring!  However, accumulated miles lays the foundation by which future successes can stand upon.

This week I have done a hard block of training, I have ridden a lot if miles and for the first time, I have added work designed to build power, speed, and acceleration, or "kick".  These are my first hard efforts, but they are already showing results.  Although, without all the long boring miles in my legs, I feel the hard efforts would not be doing me much good.

Lets get back to today's ride- it was a 40 mile group ride at a fast pace.  Here is what I did to succeed: I adopted a positive outlook.  I set goals for the ride: get to the end of this road, then the next, and so on.  Before rolling out, my over all goal was to make it to the half-way point, Fruit Cove. Beyond that, everything would be a bonus.  Well, I finished the ride with the group.  the pace stayed around 24-28 mph with surges up to 32 mph. I got in the red a few times, but I was able to float and not get dropped.  I positioned myself well, kept close to the front but not on the front.  I Payed attention for accelerations and reacted early. The only thing I didn't have the legs for was the sprint at the end.  In the last kilometer the strong guys surged and I was not able to follow the 15 or so guys that took off.  But maybe next time!

 I feel that today was a personal milestone.  I stuck it out, maintained confidence in myself, and used my experience to make up for my lack of top-end horsepower.  My base miles are giving me a good foundation to build upon.  I am truly enjoying my bike and being tn the moment. Keep it up Joe, you're doing great! 

That last part was not meant to brag.  I have learned that positive affirmations are a good thing!  Stay true to what you believe in and as always: keep the rubber side on the road.