First Practice

When I signed up for my Century Ride back in late September, the first practice seemed so far away.  And it was.  People kept asking how the training was going, and I kept telling people that it doesn't officially start until November 19th.

Well, it's November 21st, and you know what that means... Training FINALLY started. 

I wish I could write that everything went beautifully, I'm the best on the 18-person team, and I felt like a stud after our 20-mile practice.  Instead, I'll tell you the truth...

Last week, I felt run-down and had a couple of canker sores in my mouth.  Canker sores mean one of two things-- either I was getting sick or I was stressed.  Unfortunately, the first reason was the cause.

By Saturday morning, I felt so run-down that I didn't want to get out of bed.  But, once again, I remembered that my poor, pitiful sinus infection (or whatever I have) is nothing compared to cancer.  I got out of bed, drove 61 miles to Texas Motor Speedway, and rode the 20 miles.

I probably appeared to be the most unfriendly person on the team.  I kept to myself, shivered through the mission moment, and wasn't overly talkative.  The wind was in our face for half of the route, and the windy part was also part of the slight incline that we rode.  Pile that on to the fact that I didn't feel well, and you can probably guess that my riding abilities were far from impressive.

By the time I got back to my parent's house, I felt so rough that I took a nap.  This so-called nap lasted until about Sunday night at 9 when I had to go back to my apartment.  Don't kid yourself, I slept all night, too.  Can you tell that I really didn't feel well?

While I am very unimpressed with myself and disappointed in my performance on Saturday, I also have a lot to be thankful for.  The Solvang team is full of selfless, inspiring, and caring people.  We've all been affected by Leukemia or Lymphoma, and we all feel very strongly about raising money for the cause.  The next 16-weeks of training may not be the funnest thing I'll ever do in my life, but it will definitely be worth it.

With only six days until the next training ride, I'm loading myself up with Sudafed, Advil, Mucinex, etc.  Hopefully, I'll be able to report about a better performance next week.

Please help me reach my fundraising goals!