i survived.

I made a new years resolution this year, well 3 of them. 1.complete an official bike ride 2. complete another 1/2 marathon 3.complete a race (bike or run) out of state, and on Jan. 17,2011 I signed up for the inagural Round Rock Express 77 mile bike ride. On Sunday, April 10th.2011 I completed the RR Express Inagural Bike Ride.
Now this is not a post to gloat or to make others feel lazy but I am proud I finished due to the adverse weather conditions I faced. I have ridden th VCBC 200 mile ride on 2 seperate occasions, both without a day of training, so I knew I could ride the miles. I have ridden in the rain, in the wind, in the blazing heat, in the cool texas winter, so I thought i was prepared for whatever Sunday's weather would hold. I was not prepared. I woke up at 545 Sunday morning and checked the weather hoping the windy forcast had somehow changed to nice, clear, calm April morning...no such luck. winds were blowing SW at a sustained 30 mph, gusts were hitting upwards of 40 and this was in town and knowing the rural terain we were riding on i knew that the winds would be even gustier out there. But, nevertheless I packed up my gear and headed to the Dell Diamond where I joined about 250 other riders on a very blustery morning. During our safety meeting before we began the event director was encouraging people to utilize the support vehicles that would be circling if they could not handle the winds or to opt out of the long course and just do the 27 mile short ride that was also being offered. not exactly the "you can do it!" pep talk i was hoping to hear and at 7:18am I set off and started to fly. The course was 1 giant loop and we began heading NE and so we were cruising because the 30 mph wind was pushing us along. I completed the first 32 miles in just under 90 minutes. Awesome. I was thinking, "this is a piece of cake!" and then i turned and began riding directly into the wind...and i literally stopped. I had to pedal the entire time or my bike would not move forward, coasting was not an option, downhill was not much of a relief and the wind just did.not.stop.blowing. I paced with 2 other guys (not too many other female riders out at this event oddly enough) and we averaged a whopping 7.3 mph for the next 40 miles, it took us 4.5 hours to go the rest of the way as it was back into the wind. It took all of my mental stamina to ignore the support vehicles as they drove by full of people headed back to their cars and I mustered all of my strength to get back on my bike after the 3rd and 4th rest stops. Additionally, I did not think about the fact that i was riding during morning and mid-day and i had forgotten to put on sunscreen, so i am fried. i will have these bike short tan lines for quite possibly the rest of my life. but, at the end of the day i did it. i finished. i beat the wind advisory. i am not a competetor, i have no desire to win these events but i will not give up either.
Not only was i proud to finish but i was maybe even more proud at this comment (after I mentioned something about one of the boys), "what?! you have kids? i would have never guessed." thats right friends, i may be a full time working mom of 2 young boys but i officially weigh less now and am more fit than i was before having the beasts and that i am proud of.