Conquering the Hill

Today Pete and I headed to Bike World to ride the 10 mile loop I do on Thursdays with the women only group. My goal was to conquer the hill that has stopped me twice (once with a chain coming off and once with hill climbing exhaustion.) My thought was if I conquer it on my own, I'll be able to conquer it on Thursday with the women's group.

To get to the hill, I have to ride the first five miles of the loop. The ride is uneventful. When I get to the rolling hills section of the ride, I try a new hill attack technique. Pete mentioned it to me on Sunday, but I wasn't ready to try it. The funny thing is I didn't even think about it today, I just did it and boy did it make a difference! I got through the rolling hills with minimal effort. Would you believe I was smiling when I got to the end of the rolling hills? Heading down the last hill, I just sat up and relaxed. I switched my bike computer to show me my speed. As I neared the bottom of the hill, I looked down and I was going 27.6 mph! I look up and behind the 30 mph sign is a cop. I'm bummed! The thought of getting pulled over for speeding on my bike would be a proud moment. Not that I really want to pay for a speeding ticket, but it sure seems like a bragging right "I got pulled over for speeding on my bike!" I'll have to work on that.

The fun is over and it's now time to attack my hill. One of the challenges of this hill is that it is immediately after a stop sign where you have to turn right so you don't have much of an opportunity to get a run at the hill. As I turn the corner, there is a mom and baby deer on the shoulder. I want to watch, but have to attack the hill. So, I start up the hill. I get half way up the hill and cannot go any further, I ran out of gears and cannot switch to the small ring. I stopped and catch my breath in frustration. Disappointed, I decide to take another run at it, so I turn around and go further down the road so I get more of a run to attack the hill. I'm pedaling with all of my might and once again, I get stopped at the same spot part way up the hill. Ugh! I look around and realize there is literally a line in the asphalt that seems to be the spot I cannot get passed.

After catching my breath, we head back down the hill for a third attack. This time, we manually shift my bike into the small ring. I stop and watch the baby deer for a little bit and try to catch my breath and calm down so I can get up the hill. The deer finally went over the fence and I decide it's time to attack. I take off and pedal with all my might. I near the line and just keep on pedaling. I pass the line! As I'm starting to think I'm out of breath and can't make it, Pete starts cheering me on. I hear, "You're passed your line. You can do it. Just keep on pedaling. Slow and steady you'll get there. Don't push it, just keep on pedaling." Any wonder that I made it to the top of that hill? How can you not with a cheerleader like that. We stop at the intersection and I try to catch my breath as I celebrate!

We continue on and I huff and puff up the next little incline. Truly, this hill would not be a struggle for me if I wasn't already out of breathe by the time I get to it. This is the incline where I turned around last Thursday because my knee couldn't handle another incline. We get to the top and I'm surprised, there is another hill similar to the one I just conquered. I say, "Amazing what you forget about a ride." We pedal on and I very slowly get up the hill. Pete coaches me through the hill and continues the coaching as I crest the hill. "Keep pedaling, don't shift until you've caught your breath. Slow and steady is the way to go."

I claim it's shade break time and we stop in a shaded driveway. My legs are so tired, I don't think I can swing my leg over my seat, so I try to pull it through the bike. My cleat gets stuck and I pull the bike over, but I remain standing. So much for being done with scratching up my bike! After a lengthy break, I'm rested and ready to finish the ride.

We're making our way back to the truck at Bike World and my butt feels an uncomfortable spot. I stand on the bike and try to adjust. None of that works. I stop at a stop sign to adjust, but can't seem to fix the problem as my shorts have a liner, so pulling on the shorts doesn't get to the layer with the issue. This means I'll have to do some inappropriate adjustments, but another cyclist has just come to the intersection, so I move on. As luck would have it, there's a jogger at the next intersection. So, I decide to buck up. We are almost there and I can suffer through until we get to the truck.

We get back and I'm excited that I conquered my hill! I could not have done it without Pete. He is amazing! He has so much patience for me and my struggles. He knows when to coach me, when to cheer me on, and when to give me the break that I need. There is just no end to the support and love that he shows me, especially on the road. That's not easy to do. I know I can't do it as I am out of breath so often. I feel so loved. I hope he knows how appreciative I am of his love and support in everything we do!

Goals
Today's Miles: 10.2
Total Miles Achieved: 169.2
Financial Investment: $863.55
Total Weight Loss: 0