road dreams.

It's a good thing I'm trying to post more often, because I mysteriously lost the draft I already made of this post...

Well, on Monday the temperature soared into the 80s here in Ypsi, and I took my baby out for her first ride on real pavement. After months now of training indoors on the cyclops trainer, I finally got a taste of what road riding was like. It was starting to feel a little absurd that here I am riding across the country this summer and I have never even ridden outside yet. And I was nervous. So nervous. Especially after a tense 25-minute rush hour drive in Michigan traffic, I was slightly shaking with the idea that I had to get out on the road with these cars--on a bike. But I did and it was EXHILARATING.

I am deeply indebted to my older, wiser, more experience brother (hehe, I know you're reading this Alex) who can show me the ropes and pick the right roads. We were on the outskirts of Ann Arbor where the cyclists are everywhere, the speed limit is lower, and the cars are more than courteous. The road was even scenic, winding along a small river that made me nostalgic for canoeing. It's a little saddening to be looking forward to a summer without a canoe trip, but on our short Monday ride I was hit with so many parallels between the two kinds of tripping--cycling and canoeing that is--that I think I'll be satisfied. Both have the same struggle with the elements, like wind, sun, and rain. Both will find me in a new campsite almost every night. Instead of whitewater and portages, I'll have traffic to survive and mountains to climb. And I'm sure that I'll discover that like canoeing, the company I'm with will make the trip.

As for the title of this post, I had my first cycling dream last night. I was biking uphill and the woman I was following was trying to teach me how to use both legs on one pedal, and how that was supposed to be so much easier. Somehow I don't think so....

and the sun comes out!

Ok, I PROMISE that I'll get better at updating this blog more often. I am so indebted to my sponsors that it's the least I can do. Life is crazy these days, but there are only signs of good things to come--the air feels like summer now.

I was sick most of last week, and lost a lot of training because of that. On the one hand, I could more exclusively study for my monster Organic Chemistry exam without looking at my bike with guilt. On the other hand, my bum is pretty sore from getting back on the bike again yesterday. Since the weather is absolutely beautiful, I am taking my baby outside for the first time today! My brother Alex is going to show me the ropes as far as road biking goes, and thank goodness because as I've said before, I don't even like driving with these Michiganders (that's right--they call themselves Michiganders, and I have heard some controversy on the sexist implications of that title :)

lazy sunday morning.

It's been a long, long time since I've updated this site, and I suppose I should start practicing for my route this summer. Something tells me that after all day of riding, my posts will be short and sweet and I won't want to spend a lot of time figuring out how to use the site. Something also tells me that I'll end up uploading my pictures and then letting my super-awesome brother take the time to put them on the site for me :)

Things are warming up here in Michigan. Ice cream sales at the cafe are a good indicator that the long winter months are ending, and I served a lot of ice cream last night. From couples carrying leftovers who eat maturely from a bowl with a spoon, to sticky-fingered little kids with superman ice cream smeared all over their faces and mysteriously too in their hair, the weather drew in all sorts of depot town wanderers. Pretty soon I'll get to take my shiny new baby (a.k.a. my bike) outside for the first time since the January cruise around the bike shop parking lot. Honestly, I'm a little terrified. Here I've been riding for hours, comfortably in my room on the trainer watching movies and listening to music, but I still need to learn how to really ride it--outside. Fortunately for me my experienced brother can babysit me while I'm learning. Good God, I hate driving with crazy Michiganders...now I'm supposed to bike on the road with them?

Safely inside for now at least, training is well underway. I'm up to about 2 hours a day on the trainer, with biweekly spin classes and a few core training and piyo classes. I've even dragged myself to the pool a couple of times a week, and surprisingly, despite two years of separation, we still get along well. It feels refreshing to get in now and just swim because it feels good, and every now and then I time myself for a laugh. There's just something entirely unique about the sport, and something about the water, that's hard to explain. Addicting too. Maybe I'll be one of those crazy people who never really quit for good. Maybe.

Now I'm off to get some more fundraising letters together and then I have some organic chemistry to tackle. Thank goodness training is by necessity a priority in my life this semester, there's only so much organic and quant. and genetics I can study before I start dreaming about it. And that's a bad sign.