I swore I’d never ride the roads

Never say never!!  

My husband (then, fiancé) bought me my first road bike…complete with helmet, gloves, clipless pedals and shoes.  At that time, most riding was done in the Florida or Northern VA areas.  We moved to western PA after we got married and that’s when I hung up my Schwinn Tempo for good.  

Have you heard the saying, “it’s up hill both ways”?  That describes where we live-only add a headwind coming and going as well.  I have had a fear of hills pretty much forever.  It isn’t as much a fear of the hill as a fear that I won’t be able to make it to the top.  I would rather get off at the bottom and start walking than fail part-way up .  Did a lightbulb go off above your head?  Because, if it did, you are probably 100% correct.  My problem with hills had nothing to do with my bike, my legs or the terrain.  It had everything to do with my stinkin’ thinkin’!!   

Mental games will stop a lot of people from trying new things.  Matter of fact, I was asked once if  there was anything I didn’t do well.  My unfortunate answer was, “No—because if I don’t think I will do it well, I won’t try.”   Changing that mindset has been a long, hard, ongoing process.  AND today was a step in that process!!

I am not sure what got in my head, but I decided to ride my bike to work.  Yes, up hill both ways in a headwind!  There are no bike lanes, so traffic can be unnerving.  Before you get all excited, to be completely transparent, it is a 3 mile ride and I did use trails in some areas. Riding home was longer because I detoured through town.  Round trip, the ride was 12.5 miles.  But more important, I road up every hill (in a headwind).