First Sounds of Battle

It's a tough road back after losing my fitness.  It's a struggle to get out the door and I can think of a million excuses to skip the ride.  I have resolved not to miss a day of riding though, so I will not be deterred.  It's funny ... I can't think of a single time I've ridden and then regretted it -- it's just getting out the door that's the hard part.

Even so, riding now is not pleasant.  I can still remember just a year ago when my level of fitness was off the charts.  To compare myself now to then is such a disappointment.  I keep reminding myself of something to get me through:

There's a verse in the Bible I often rely on during tough times.  It's in Romans 8:18:

"For I consider the suffering of the present time not worthy to be compared to the glory which will be revealed to us."

I think that verse is directly applicable to what I'm doing today.  Conquering Yarnell Grade and Mingus Mountain are battles being fought RIGHT NOW not in the future!  My success or failure this year is being fought with my alarm clock!  Get out of bed and ride!  No excuses!  It will all be worth it next June!

Today, I hit the flat lands.  Where I live, west of I-35 hilly; east of I-35 flat.  I think the flats did me well today.  I got started a bit later than I wanted and I paid the price.  When I arrived in Marion, it was 9:30 am and already the bank thermometer was displaying 95 degrees!  Still, a good ride.

I got a new scale today.  It's pretty fancy; maybe I'll write about it in a few days.  Interestingly enough, during my sweaty ride of 1 hour 13 minutes, I lost 2.3 lbs even though I drank two 16 oz bottles.  That's a lot of sweat!