“Fall. Stand. Learn. Adapt.” 
― Mike Norton, Fighting For Redemption: Hangambiiki

This past week I have had a relatively small victory in cycling, but a major personal victory none the less.  After forwarding Adam a list of the top routes to view CT foliage, he finally coerced me into going for a ride with him.  I have to give him credit too, because as of late I have been masterful at coming up with excuses not to ride my bike.  Somehow I thought getting the road bike I fell in love with would make me want to use it at every available chance.  However, after the multiple spills associated with mastering clipless pedals (not sure why they are called “clipless” when you actually have to clip in to them… and risk significant peril in the process…) I have decided I might love my life more without the added anxiety…  Typically, I try to give my scrapes and bruises a chance to start healing before I go out and acquire more.  In this instance, though, it was clear that my incredibly thoughtful hubby was not only making an effort to encourage my to ride, but also an attempt to spend quality time with me.  What girl can’t appreciate that?

Since awake time with my husband is in short commodity these days, I hit the road with him (despite any reservations) and we traveled up to Lake Waramaug.  I have to start off by saying that this ride was EXACTLY what I needed.  Despite the fact that the path around the lake was composed of regular streets, it was clear the route was used primarily by pedestrians and cyclists so the traffic was accustomed to sharing the road.  The route itself was slightly over 7 miles and made a perfect loop around the lake with beautiful views of the water and New England landscape the entire way.

It was a good mix of rolling hills and bends which kept things interesting, however the best part was there were very few left turns or intersections.  In fact, when we switched direction on our third lap and traveled on the lake side of the road, there were NO INTERSECTIONS OR LEFT TURNS AT ALL!  It was like I had died and gone to heaven!  Instead of worrying about falling over at a stop light, I was able to focus on my pedaling and going faster.  I even set a new speed record averaging over 15 mph! (sadly, this is super fast for me).  Adam had pointed out to me a while ago that the reason I don’t fatigue quickly (or even after hours) on my bike is that I “cruise” rather than ride.  I was determined to prove to him that it wasn’t true!  So, basically, I pedaled as hard as I could… at least when I wasn’t stuck behind a slow moving truck anyway…

I made it a full three laps around and covered over 23 miles.  Adam went ahead and did a fourth for speed… and partially because he is a show off. jk I probably could have ridden longer but I was starving by the third lap and struggling to get my legs to move… the crazy AM workout with the trainer and over 5 miles of running earlier in the day may have had something to do with it as well…  When we did stop finally stop to get something to eat on the way home I think I ended up eating more than Adam I was so hungry! lol

Overall it was a great experience just to get out and actually enjoy a ride and take in the scenery.  Spending time with my handsome hubby was an added bonus!  The best part is I now have a place where I know I can log miles in without anxiety.  Maybe there is hope for me yet!