Winded

I'm a big believer in just getting out there, trying something new, and just showing up. So I got down the bike, put some air in the tires and set out on a gentle 6 mile ride.  I've driven this gently sloping road more times than I care to remember. But riding downhill made me realize that this gently sloping hill was about to become a bitch when I turned my bike around.  Sadly it was only a 300 foot climb over three miles - but last time I was tooling around the city on a bike I was about a third less of the man I am today.

The great thing about the bike is that it has granny gear - that little tiny third gear on the crank set saved my ass.  I never used to use it - what was the point. Well fighting my way up the hill I learned that I have a lot of ground to cover and that I am going to be taking it more slowly than I imagined. Reality sucks. I'm more of an instant gratification kind of person.

It did eventually all get too hard and I laid my bike down in some shaded grass and just lay there. Defeated. The morning dew soaking through my shirt providing relief. I don't know how long I lay there but I had every intention of standing up and walking that bike home.  But I laid there in the shade, got my breathing under control, got to the point where I could drink from my camel back without feeling nausea, and finally felt human again. Who knows how many songs played on the ipod while I was down or if any of them were specifically inspirational. But I got up, brushed off the grass, strapped on the geeky helmet, and rode the bike home uphill.

That's what this whole thing is about really isn't it - getting back up when your down.