And So Winter Begins

I'm very reflective when I ride, and have written hundreds of blog posts in my head, but somehow, as you can see, I rarely end up writing them down when I get home.  I've thought about trying to backtrack and catch up, but that is not going to happen.  So here is my fresh start, once again.

Today was a very wintery commute on my bike!  Kind of unexpected for November.  I hesitated about whether or not to bail and drive my car, and then decided not to let "my big but . . ." get in the way (as in "I would have ridden my bike today, BUT  . . . ").  

Today's ride wasn't so much about enjoying the ride, although with the beautiful sunshine all day, I did actually enjoy the ride.  It was more about . . .

• Facing a challenge and not letting it stop you
• Pushing yourself towards, or to, or beyond your limits and seeing what you can accomplish 
• Setting, meeting, achieving a goal (The goal I set for myself in September was to commute by bike to work as many days as possible until I retire in January.)
• Thinking about "the big picture" - all the things you've experienced and learned in the past - and using that to plan for and execute the ride
• Having an arsenal of appropriate gear and making the right selections when choosing what to wear
• Thinking like a driver - What would the average person driving a car in my neck of the words expect, or not expect when encountering a winter cyclist?  And then using that to shape my visibility and behavior on the road

And what value did I get from my ride today?  Aside from the physical fitness aspect, I ended up with a great sense of personal accomplishment!  What could be better?!

Now, if it had been a blizzard here today like it was to our west, I would NOT have been out riding my bike!  I'm not crazy!

Which Path on a Snowy Day and Lesson #7

I had not been riding for several days so today I was determined to go, despite the snowy weather.  It was about 23° F and there was lots of fresh snow on the road, but no wind, so I went for a 9 mile ride through the Village of Hilton.  I decided not to head out of town for fear of having to share the road with snow plows, which is not my favorite thing to do.

Lesson #7 - Which Path to Take?

Cycling Lesson - I think one of the things I really like about riding in the snow is that, although I am going much slower than I do on dry roads, I am definitely improving and refining my skills as a cyclist.  Riding in snowy conditions is hard.  I need to really concentrate on what the bike feels like, anticipate what lies ahead and adjust accordingly.  I need to constantly be monitoring and adjusting and learning as I go.  Although I know the route, there are many choices in terms of the tracks to take.  Fresh snow where no car, person or bike has gone? A slushy, brown track from a car?  A packed down snowy track from a car?  The ghost of a track where freshly fallen snow has covered the track from a car?  A track that has footprints?  A track, once packed, that now has lots of loosened snow?  What I've learned is that there is no perfect single answer to this.  I'm constantly adjusting and changing as I ride.  A lot depends on the terrain under the snow, whether I'm coming up to a curve or a hill, going downhill, approaching an intersection where I might need to stop, whether the road dips down toward the shoulder, etc.  Today, I looped back on part of my route and discovered that I didn't even necessarily stay in the track I had chosen previously.  Conditions, weather, time and knowledge change things the second time around.

Life Lesson - The path I take, even if familiar, also has many track choices along the way and it's okay to go more slowly at times, to change tracks, to not go a certain way just because I did previously.  I need to monitor and adjust and learn as I go.  Challenges help me to improve and refine my skills to deal with them.  Sometimes the path well trod, sometimes the one less taken, sometimes one in between.  They all take me to where I want/need to go, just in different ways.

A Little Snow in my Tires - Winter Riding Lessons Learned

I've gone for 3 winter rides - one at 30°, one at 40°, and today's ride at 20°.  Low and behold, it turns out that I LOVE winter riding, which is quite a surprise to me!  And I've learned a few things in a short amount of time.

Winter Lesson 1 - If you are wearing a scarf around your neck and over your nose, your glasses get totally fogged up immediately.  I had to ride without my glasses on.  Luckily I can see well enough without them to make this okay.

Winter Lesson 2 - My knit gloves and short boots with regular socks on are fine in 30° and 40° weather, but not in 20° weather!  Going shopping tomorrow for better winter riding gloves and definitely planning to wear 2 pairs of socks next ride.

Winter Lesson 3 - People who recommended fenders for winter riding around here were correct!  Also going shopping for fenders to help keep me and my drive train a little cleaner and less slushy.

Winter Lesson 4 - Sights like those below and the quiet peacefulness of winter riding in my small village and just outside of it on country roads make all of the above so worth it!

A Good Day on my Bike! And Lesson #5 - Just Keep Cycling, Cycling, Cycling!

Today was National Walk to School Day.  Who knew?!  Well, I didn't have enough time in my day to walk to school and between schools, so I packed up my pannier and rode my bike instead.  I rode to the Northwood Elementary School where I spent the morning and then to the Village Elementary School where I spent the afternoon. It was a total commute of 10.89 miles. It was my fastest ever commute to and from Northwood and I took EVERY hill under COMPLETE PEDAL POWER without stopping once - even my arch nemesis, the great and powerful Frisbee Hill! First time ever that I've made it up that hill without stopping and this time I even had my pannier packed with an extra 10 lbs. of computer and iPads and more! Do you hear the Rocky theme music?! I do!! 

Lesson #5 - Just Keep Cycling, Cycling, Cycling!

Cycling Lesson AND Life Lesson (rolled into one) - Being persistent and facing your challenges over and over can eventually lead to success!  You can accomplish things you once wondered if you ever could!  That line from Finding Nemo where Dorey says, "Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming," comes to mind so often and definitely today.  I think "Just keep cycling, cycling, cycling," has become my new mantra!

Lessons Learned #4 - Just Do It!

Getting ready to participate in my first cycling event, PedalPGH!  on Sunday.  I have my jersey, my ride booklet, and my number.  This is the first time in my life that I have ever participated in something where I was given a number to wear!  I'm excited, but also a bit apprehensive.  It was a bit of a leap for me to officially register for a real event.  Will I be able to handle the ride?  The hills in Pittsburgh? Will I look like a fat dork in a cycling jersey, since I haven't lost nearly as much weight as I was hoping for?  What will "real cyclists" think of me, my bike, how I ride?  But my son and my daughter-in-law, and many of their wonderful cycling friends, encouraged me and so, I took the leap.  That familiar Nike slogan kept ringing in my head - Just Do It!  And so I am going to.  Hmmm.  I think I feel Lesson #4 coming on.

Lesson #4 - Just Do It!

Cycling Lesson - Cycling is full of "Just Do It" moments for me!  Whenever I start out on a new route, a longer ride, an unfamiliar hill or obstacle, a familiar hill that is always trouble for me, I wonder if I can handle it or not.  Dressing for a ride causes a bit of apprehension as well.  What will I look like in a sleeveless shirt or more form-fitting exercise shorts?  Registering for this PedalPGH! ride.  Heck, just getting on the bike in the first place!  But I can't let these things get the better of me or I would never ride.  Just get on the bike and go, whatever may come my way.  And 9 time out of 10, I discover I can do more/better than I thought I could!

Life Lesson - Life can be fraught with apprehensions, misgivings and worries.  Acknowledge them, but then summon your inner cheerleader, step outside your comfort zone if necessary, jump in and just do it!  Don't get in your own way and hold yourself back.  You might surprise yourself and your accomplishments will be all the sweeter!

Lessons Learned #2 and #3 - Park Your Bike in the Kitchen and Celebrate the Small Things

I had another great ride today with my 2 best girls - my 7 year old granddaughter and her mom, my thirty-something year old daughter.  We did the 5 mile old Village of Hilton bike route together, plus a small detour for a treat at Abbotts near the end, for a total of just over 6 miles.  Although Brianna has ridden 5 miles with me before, this is the first time she has done it without a break and with several good-sized hills in the mix.  This brings me to the next 2 Cycling/Life lessons in my series.

Lesson #2 - Park Your Bike in the Kitchen

Cycling Lesson - There are so many obstacles/excuses that can prevent you from riding your bike - it's too hot, it's too cold, it might rain, I'm too tired, I have too much to do, not enough time, big hills, blah, blah, blah.  And after not riding for a few days, inertia can be a powerful force to overcome.  I don't have a garage.  We have a shed in the back of our yard, which is where we normally store things that others would put in a garage, like bikes.  But if my bike were way back there, out of sight, those excuses and inertia would win.  Instead, I park my bike in my house, in my kitchen.  Every time I go into my kitchen, there it is, begging me to ride it.  Not getting on my bike and riding is what weighs on me, not all the reasons preventing a ride.  It's a great motivator!  And every time I ride, I'm so glad I did!  Today was one of those days!

Life Lesson - There are so many things in life that that get in our way and prevent us from doing what we should/need to do. Find what motivates you to do the things you'd rather not and put that motivating force where you can't ignore it.  Park your bike in the kitchen, if you need to.  

Lesson #3 - Celebrate the Small Things

Cycling Lesson - Frisbee Hill is my nemesis!  It's the steepest, toughest hill I regularly encounter.  The other day I was determined to make it all the way to the top without stopping.  I didn't make it.  I did have to stop once.  But I didn't stop twice, and after catching my breath for a minute, I powered up the rest of the hill in a higher gear than usual!  That's incremental progress!  Who hoo!  Focus on what I did, not on what I didn't! And today, riding with Brianna, she faced a steep hill on Short Hills Drive.  It's a tough one for me too.  She stopped half way up, so I stopped with her, which makes it that much harder to start up again.  So I did something I've been nervous about doing.  I stood up and pedaled and, viola!  I powered up the hill in my highest gear!  All the way I could hear Brianna behind me cheering me on and when I started to sit down, Brianna yelled, "No Nana, don't sit down, you can do it!"  And, not only did I get up the hill, but Brianna powered the rest of the way up too, and so did Heather!  Hooray for us!  Every hill I do better on than the time before, every small increase in my average miles per hour, each extra mile I add to my ride, are all additional ways I keep motivated to keep riding.

Life Lesson - Sometimes we get so caught up in the big goals and the things we struggle with, that we forget to recognize and celebrate the incremental goals, the smaller successful steps along the way.  My 3 year old grandson is a baseball fanatic!  He will swing and strike out a hundred times when you pitch a ball to him, but he keeps going and cheers emphatically for himself when he does connect and hit the ball!  It's those hits that keep him trying.  As a teacher, and as a parent and grandparent, I frequently find myself positively reinforcing small steps children make.  Why is it that we forget to do this for ourselves?  So take some notice of all the small successes you make and give yourself a cheer!  Celebrating small moments can keep us working towards those bigger, tougher goals.

Second Month Reflection and Lessons Learned - Part 1

So, I've now been on this journey to "becoming" for 2 full months now.  I've lost 13 lbs. and have increased my average speed from 10.5 MPH to between 11.5 and 12.5 MPH (depending upon the route, the hills, and my general fatigue level) and I've logged a total of 322 miles.  Today I hit another first - a ride in a gentle summer rain shower.

While on this journey of mine, I've begun thinking about the cycling lessons I'm learning.  And recently life sent me one hellava curve ball with the sudden, and unexpected death of my father.  This event really took the wind out of my sails, but it also has caused me to take some time to reflect - on what exactly is the legacy my father leaves to me as well as what is the legacy I want to leave my own children and grandchildren.  In the midst of all this reflection, it has occurred to me that many of the cycling lessons I've learned are metaphors for life lessons I've learned as well.  I'm going to share these lessons, a few at a time and in no particular order, here on this blog, since they all have an effect on my journey to "becoming."

Lesson #1 - Don't Let a Little Rain Stop You

Cycling Lesson - Sometimes you get caught in the rain, but when you do, you might as well keep going (assuming there is no thunder and lightening).  If you were to turn around and head home, you'd still be just as wet.  Today, when I got caught in a gentle summer shower, I could have bailed out at any point, but instead I kept going.  Turned out the rain was actually refreshing and if I had quit, I never would have seen this!

Life Lesson - As they say, into every life a little rain must fall.  Sometimes it's a gentle shower, sometimes a heavy rain, and sometimes a downright deluge!  But the important thing is not to give up; to keep moving forward.  There is undoubtably sunshine and blue skies beyond the clouds and you don't want to miss it when it comes!