A New Year & Another Chance To Start Over

Wow that felt great. I went and rode with the Kevins today. Had my thermals on and that was more than enough to be comfortable for 28 miles in this weather.

Kevin 1 wasn't feeling well and had to turn back but thank God for him because he got me out of the house. Now that the weather is cold I really need a lot more encouragement/prodding to continue cycling… All ride invitations are welcome.

Kevin 2 stuck with me for the trip through Twin Creeks and back. It's funny, I fly down that hill a lot faster wearing pants than I do in shorts because I was not afraid of crashing. With the wind and the cold my eyes did water a lot and it was difficult to focus at 40mph. Anyway, we had a good chat about the church and it was a very enjoyable ride. We looked around at all the people walking and jogging and wondered how many of them were out there because of new year's resolutions. Although I am not one to make resolutions I do set goals for myself and I felt very much like part of the crowd.

What do you do to keep going?

Hey, I'm back!

Man have I been away for a while. Training for my first century ride became such a serious effort at the same time as my preparing for black belt testing that I was just overwhelmed and exhausted. Now I find myself slowing down and reading other people's blogs rather than keeping up my own momentum. Ugh, time to get back in the saddle Carle!!

I posted some pics on Facebook from the ride. It was quite an experience for me and thankfully my first Hotter N' Hell was gorgeous. I still broke a sweat but it was nothing compared to what most folks expect from this event. A record 14,200 cyclists showed up for this ride and that is a HECK of a lot more fellow riders than I am used to sharing the roads with.

The best part of the ride? I was happy to see the finish line ~ REALLY HAPPY!! I ruined a shoe recently during a 70 mile training ride in the rain but I had no idea how it would effect my foot. During the last few rest stops I had to pull off the shoe and stretch because I was experiencing some real pain. At the end I was so completely exhausted but I mustered just enough energy to race Kevin across the line. We could hear people clapping but when the announcer recognized our efforts and the applause got louder it made the race across the finish one of the BEST experiences of my life. I coasted underneath some sprayers but that was not enough to wash the salt from my body. I washed up in the bathroom and then found my way to a massage table.

On my way back to Austin I fantasized about how many other centuries I would ride before the season ended. Reality = zero! I am still riding but 35 miles is enough for now. My goal is to keep it up through the winter.

How are you doing?

Bike Noob said it all

Great posts!! Thank you for sharing. Elden, you and Susan are in my thoughts and prayers as well...

Bike Noob

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MapMyRide.com - Road Cycling - Medium Intensity: Ride to the Arboretum on 07/28/2009

MapMyRide.com - Road Cycling - Medium Intensity: Ride to the Arboretum on 07/28/2009

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Training Alone

The Tour is Coming - The Tour is Coming

I am so excited - can't wait to watch.

2009 Armadillo Hill Country Classic

Thanks again to Patti Hill for putting on an amazing event. Adam, thanks so much for being the first to photograph me. As a photographer I thought you might agree with me that we are never captured but then I saw all those pics of you on the meetup page. Geez have you got
friends!

I did this ride alone but there were so many people out there that I never felt lonely. The volunteers were great and the rest stops were very friendly. I met a few people along the way and was inspired by other injured folks who fought through the pain like I did to complete this ride. This was another training ride in preparation for the Tour de Cure so I felt giving up would be like letting down all of the folks who sponsored me and I was not about to let that happen.

There was a killer hill that I like to refer to as the "KILLER HILL". =) I stopped to photograph it from the bottom and this old man turned to me and said "you can't turn back now young man". Priceless. I think that this was near mile 40 or so of 63. I put my camera away and hit it as hard as I could. I know I had to stand up quickly and even when I saw others getting off to walk I was NOT going to do that. When I made it to the top I could barely breathe but I was victorious. I saw friends at the top high-fiving one another and I enjoyed the moment. I grabbed my camera and while gasping I took a few more shots.

Finally, in the last ten miles, I found a woman to chase. My knee was killing me but she was just fast enough to encourage me to push. My goal was to complete the miles, not make any kind of time records but then again I did want to cross the finish before all the sandwiches were gone. Her encouragement? "C'mon Jelly Belly!" I hope to see her again some day so that I can thank her for that.


Patti, in case I didn't tell you, we all loved the ride and I will be back next year, to ride AND volunteer. The 2009 Armadillo Hill Country Classic