It's been a while since I gave an update, so I figured it was time to provide one to my two devoted followers! =)
Riding has been going really well over the past couple of weeks. I wasn't able to do the group rides for the past two weeks, so I was having to make them up on my own. Which is far less exciting than riding with the group!!! But I have kept up my mileage, which turned out to be a really good thing.
This week we were scheduled for 35 miles. That would be the longest ride I've ever done. It was also the week to have our team hero BBQ after the ride, so we were meeting at someone's house to start and finish our ride. When we got there, we were given a map and the miles totaled up to just over 40. We were close to the foothills, so I was a little scared of what was coming our way. I looked over the map and saw that we were going through Golden and Morrison....and RED ROCKS!!! For those of you who aren't familiar with Red Rocks, it's up, up, up, up, and more up.....and it's quite steep. I was thoroughly terrified since we haven't really done much, if any, hill training yet.
This week we had the Denver, Boulder, and CO Springs teams riding together, so we had a really good group. I was pretty excited about this since I had no idea where I was going (even though I had a map), and I knew that we had all levels represented so I would surely be riding in a little group of people that rode at my pace. Off we went...
The beginning of the ride was really nice. We had one really tiny uphill, then a pretty nice downhill to start off. We then rode along a highway of somewhat rolling hills, and then up a decent stretch of steady uphill. That seemed a little hard since my legs weren't too warmed up yet, but I had no idea at that point that I would consider that an "easy" hill by the end of the ride. We continued on along E-470, and hit a really long, wonderful, downhill. I think we got up to 30 mph. I fully enjoyed that portion of the ride, as you might imagine. =)
We rode about 10 miles to downtown Golden (and through a little farmer's market, which I'm sure was not appreciated too much by those walking around), and had our first stop to meet our SAG vehicle. We took about a 15 minute break, refilled water bottles, munched on some snacks, and then took off again. We rode through Golden, past the Coors plant, and down a nice stretch of rolling hills. Our second stop was back in Golden about 20 miles into the ride. We continued on our ride and headed towards Morrison. We had a pretty treacherous uphill as we approached the Red Rocks area, but learned to just keep my feet moving in circles, and breathe. It's all I could do to distract myself and get up that hill. We reached one of the entrances to Red Rocks to wait for the rest of the group, and I was dreading what was coming next. I knew we still had to go through the actual park, so I was living up every second of the break. To my surprise, we didn't head into the park, but instead headed down a nice, big hill into Morrison.
My joy didn't last long, as I quickly noticed the "Red Rocks Entrance 3" sign that people were turning into. Crap. Here we go. We waited for everyone to get there, and then we started up. Adn kept going up. And up. And up. I seriously thought it would never end. It was probably 30-45 minutes of STEEP uphill riding. I thought about crying, but then I did what do when I feel beat down during training....I thought of those that I know that are fighting, or have fought, cancer. This is nothing compared to what they are going through or have been through. I remembered John Harris, who just started another round of chemo....I bet he would rather ride for a measly 30 minutes up a hill on bike. I watched our team hero, Mark, kick my butt up that hill. And I watched and listened to enthusiastic Daniel cheer us on up that hill...he rides with his wife's chemo needle taped to his bike. These are the things that help me remember, it's just a hill. It'll be over soon enough, and my legs will stop hurting shortly thereafter. Before I knew it I was at the top. And cruisin back down the other side. Once I got down, I had cheezits and water and lots of other yummy things waiting. It felt so good to have conquered it. Especially since we started it after about 25 miles of riding (and lots of hill riding, as you read).
One more easy climb, and then it was smooth sailing back to the finish. I was so relieved to get off that bike, put on different shorts, and go sit down and enjoy a beverage and some snacks. I won't lie, my legs hurt pretty bad, but I knew that would fade soon enough. I had done it!!!
I didn't get to hang out at the BBQ for very long since I had some other things going on that afternoon, but I was able to get to know more of my teammates. We have such an amazing group of individuals doing this ride. Every single person on that team is so encouraging to one another. I am so happy and proud to be a part of this group.
I still have a long, LONG way to go on my fundraising. If you are reading this, please, please, please go to my website and donate. I really could use your support!!! Every dollar helps get me there, and helps fund researchers who are trying to find a cure for blood cancers.
http://pages.teamintraining.org/rm/moabtour09/cwardbgtef. If all of my friends on Facebook donated $10, I would reach my goal. So skip that appetizer next time you eat out, and help the fight against cancer!
If you have already donated, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!! Your support means so much to me, and I hope you will continue to follow my training.
Until next time....
Cassie =)
