Tough, Windy Ride

I got up later than I had hoped this morning--7am, which isn't bad, but not enough time to go for my ride and be back in time to get the kids off to school, which is my goal.

So I got some other things done in the morning, got the kids dressed and fed, and was SHOCKED when we walked out to the bus stop at how cold it was. 48 degrees--not much colder than it was over the weekend, but what a difference! It's very windy...perhaps that's what it is...

Anyway, I was glad I had had the opportunity to experience the cold before I went out, because I came back in and bundled up!

Today's ride was VERY difficult. I did the regular 10 mile loop around my neighborhood, but my legs and body were so tired, I often felt like giving up. At the bottom of my "100" count hill, I honestly considered walking. I really didn't think I would be able to make it!

But then I remembered a quote from Arnold Schwartzenegger that I read recently. He said, "The last three or four reps is what makes the muscle grow. This area of pain divides the champion from someone else who is not a champion. That's what most people lack, having the guts to go on and just say they'll go through the pain no matter what happens."

I thought about how many times in my life I had quit or given up because I was too tired, and I found the determination to push forward.

It took me 78 counts, but I did it!

So what made today so difficult? Though it may have something to do with the wind (you work harder and don't go as fast when the wind keeps pushing you back!), I believe that the number one determining factor was my poor eating choices over the weekend.

I won't make that mistake again.

Now it's off to do my yoga...