Sat on my butt all day. . .

I started out early this morning. . .8:40 on my epic bike ride.  I tried a new route to South Mountain again, using kyrene instead of 48th to cut across, and felt is was a bad choice.  My speed in town was a lot better than last time (comparing myself to myself with a cold in this case- yeah, let's hope it was better).  Let the climb begin!!  I reached South Mountain, and I was happy to have a ton of energy for the ride.  Potty break!  My bladder empty and my heart full, the climb was easier than it had ever been.  Except that one part, that still kicked my a--!  My dad drove by me during this part, and I couldn't muster a "hi" for my puppies who were staring at me from the car window.  I was also passed by my paragliding crew!  Carlos was there with a tandem and student.  Bill from yesterday was there too!  I reached to top to a team of PG pilots cheering me on :-).  And then there was a debate over whose way down this mountain was more dangerous.  I voted the bike would likely get me hurt before the paraglider- you don't have to worry about cars in the sky (not yet anyway).

WOOOOOO!!!  Roller coaster ride back down (don't put your hands in the air, keep them safely on your brakes, please)!  I had a van pull over to get out of MY way I was going so friggin' fast!  As always the ride ends too quickly. . . I would go again, but if you think waiting in line at Disneyland is slow, imagine that wait while pushing your heart rate up to . . .wish I knew (I still haven't replaced the battery in my HRM :-\).  Is it worth it?  Hells yeah!

My ride in town was pretty mundane.  I was about 15 miles out when my brain and stomach wanted to do something else. . . EAT!  So, I could think of nothing else for the rest of my ride back to the house.  Soup. . .Bread. . .Ham. . .Swiss. . . Should I heat the sandwich up and melt the cheese?  That will take too much time. . .but it sounds too good. . . .and so on for the next hour!  I wonder how much of my workout time is spent thinking about food.  Ahh, lunch- it was all I'd hoped it could be. 

A quick wardrobe change and sunscreen reaplication later, and I was off to tackle another mountain- "the little one this time" is how I phrased it in my head.  It felt like it took no time at all to get there, and I was still maintaining a pretty decent pace (for me).  The initial climbing was harmless enough, and I got my fun ride down again.  I think I got a bug in my teeth from smiling too much!  I need to check my garmin to see how fast I was going- it was FAST.  Garmin say 51 mph?  I am going to say, no. 

When I reached that hill on Usery Pass, I discovered my legs were on fire.  Not literally, that would have put an end to cycling for me if I found that could happen.  Note: my 3rd least desired way to go is by death in a fire.  I climbed up that hill, and it felt like I would never reach the top.  Did I stop?  No!  I reminded myself that in not very much time I will have to run a marathon on legs that feel very much like they do now.  In other words, "quit your b----ing and climb that hill!"  I reached the top, had a little snack break, and started the journey home.  I was pretty proud of myself.

On the wa home, I encountered a small hill, and discovered something strange.  I decided to stand up to pedle instead of shifting, and the lactic acid burn I usually feel actually tickled. . .I'm concerned on a number of levels.  I hit every light on the way home, and I hit a car which was making a right hand turn and decided to park in MY bike lane (sometimes I hit cars).  I tapped it with my front wheel, but that just doesn't have the same drama to it.  Time slowed down, and the miles just would not go by fast enough.  I was ready to take a nap. . .My butt hurts so bad, my shoulders ache and my lower back and obliques are tight.  But it was well worth it to have reached my goal :-)  I was home by 5 just like I wanted!