Sunday Ride

Sunday was brilliant. The temp was above 70, the sun played hide and seek with clouds, and Kyle and I set off to Dupont with bikes in tow. We started off easy, heading towards one of our favorite trails to ride. It's a nice long, fast, swooping singletrack through the woods, enjoyable in that the curves aren't too tight and the jumps aren't too jarring. Jubilant at the end, we attacked Lake Imaging trail, a giant stair-stepping trail. It was the perfect interval ride, chugging up the slant, then recovering for a few yards before the next step loomed ahead. We headed towards Lake Dense for our first break, enjoying the sun and breeze, and even the burn. I did feel close to exertion-puking at one point, but even that was exciting since I don't often push myself as hard as I should (and hence, my body's reaction to all the fun!).

We sat by Lake Dense, talking about things, looking over the green lake and up the mountain, into the perfect blue sky. It was so peaceful, so invigorating to be in the middle of action, nature, and each other's company.

We left Lake Dense, heading towards the south end of the forest, then looping back over another mountain towards Lake Julia. This is were we started to feel it, but kept on, pushing towards the lake. More downhill (the reward for the burning legs and screaming lungs), and finally we reached the lake. There's something so peaceful about lakes anyway, and laying there, feeling the tension from gripping handlebars and legs pushing pedals slip away was almost magical.

Finally, we headed home. The return trip is always strange. On one hand, you have that motivation to get to the car, were you can sit and relax, and eventually get home to a meal and nap. One the other hand, your body has just about had it, and your muscles are so unhappy with you! But, the mental overcame the physical and we made it back to the truck rather quickly! At least, quicker than I expected!

One of the most exciting things to me was how much my fitness has improved from our last ride! I didn't give up, my lungs didn't hate me too often, and I put mental over physical. Plus, I got to spend all day ourside with my man!

We're already planning our next route for this coming weekend! And I think I'm getting Kyle excited about the thought of cross county or endurance racing in the future!

Yes, I'm Still Here

...Lurking in the background of the internet, reading what all you wonderful people write, but rarely having the chance to sit down, comment, and write for myself.

2011 has had an amazing start! I'm looking at which college I'll transfer to, and have two great options! There's a chance that I may be a on cycling team by the time school starts in August. That thought both terrifies and excites me greatly! This is what I want to do, who I want to be, the thing that I do! But there's so much to learn, experience to gain, and the biggie, fitness to work on. I'm keeping myself motivated by looking at all my dream bikes, the ones that cost more than my car (well, not quite, but some of them are close!) and I can only justify buying if it's paid for by school or I'm using it to pay for school, and admiring my toned and happy legs.

In May I'll have my Associate's Degree! I'll have finally reached the stepping stone in the middle of my educational river! I'm excelling at work, and impressing everyone with what I can do. It's so nice to be recognized and appreciated for doing things that I enjoy!

And Kyle, my love! We're happily going along, working hard to reach our goals, playing hard in our spare time, and taking each second together as a gift. I'm so blessed to have him as my partner in this life. We're getting close to 3 years of marriage, 5 years together. It seems so long, but at the same time, so short.

All in all, I'm feeling 2011...and it's feeling awesome!