Back in the Saddle

It feels as though a million days have passed since the last day I rode my bike outside. And yet it also feels as if only a day has slipped by. I am nervous. My heart is beating. But I am ready.
This is the day I have been waiting for all through the long winter and yet I want to cry "too soon" "too soon" "I am not yet ready for this chapter of my journey to begin". With hesitation and elation I pack my gear, grab my sunglasses and my helmet, make a note to buy sunscreen and hope I don't get too burnt today. However, I have always had a "thing" for the first "burn" of the year after the winter has caused my skin to turn some pasty shade of "white", I am ready and yet I hesitate. Yes, yes, I am ready....set....go....
Deep breath, zip up my jacket, clip on my shoes, feeling the sun, the glorious wind and the smell of Spring. Ironman is calling, Do you hear it - that gentle whisper through the trees as I whiz by. Ironman is calling, tugging at my sleeve, can you feel it? One more day of opportunity, one more day to train. My bike. The open road. The amazing journey.


April 1 and April 2

• April 1, 2010 - Bike 1.5 hours/Run 1 hour - Today was my first time back "on the road" since early October and I forgot about one thing - wind. I could throw my arms around all winter sitting on the trainer, but throwing my arms around on the bike outside, in the wind, with cars whizzing past, potholes and gravel below; it is a recipe for a face-plant and some serious road rash. After the bike I attempted an hour run across Alum Creek Dam and it felt like winter never even existed. It was honestly a blur and I had to fight, mentally, just to remember all those episodes on the tread-mill (ok, perhaps it wasn't too much of a strain to remember working out in the gym and the knee deep snow. Perhaps I would just like to forget that part of it for now). It was almost as if the sun assisting in melting the winter horrors away.
• April 2, 2010 - Bike 50 miles - I went on my first 50-mile ride since Fall and I realized my legs had just about enough at 2:15:00. However, I learned how to draft today (thanks Bill) and that made a huge difference in finishing out the workout. I learned a lot on this ride and am looking forward to learning and growing as a rider. After the ride, I didn't need a nap, which was a bonus (last summer, in the beginning, after rides such as this, I would have needed a serious nap). However, I also noticed my heart-rate is higher than when I left the road in 2009 for the trainer. Hopefully I am able to get out more in order to lower that heart-rate - I must.

After the past couple of days I feel wiser. Mentally, I feel a bit more prepared somehow. On the bike I actually knew how to shift and there was no need to stand while climbing the hills. Being on the bike felt "normal". I am sun-burnt and a bit more in tune with the wiles of the weather. I know I will be ready, I just still have such a long way to go.