Did Someone Say "Hill?"

What do hills, more hills, and holy-cow-that's-a-big-hill have in common? That would be the workout we did yesterday for our 4th practice. But, that was just half of the ride. In order to fulfill our 30-mile practice, we had to do that loop twice!

Solvang is a hilly area, so in order to be prepared, you have to practice crazy-intense climbs. I must pat myself on the back because my theory of riding with the coach helped me a ton. She gave me good advice on how to pace myself, told me how to set goals on bigger hills, and was there to encourage me when the hill seemed a little too high and way too long.

After the first loop, I felt really good. I was trying out new powder in my water bottle (it had like 4 carbs to one protein), ate a good carb-intensive breakfast, and had a good bar during the break. The second loop was going to be a piece of cake because I knew exactly what to expect.

And then my legs died.

I turned into the biggest cheerleader on my team at that point. No, I wasn't encouraging others, I was yelling at my legs to keep pedaling. It went a little something like this.

"Come on, legs. Don't fail me now. You can do this!"

I repeated this many times. It was the last hill, however, that my now-shaking legs quit. I stopped, stepped off my bike, and tried to stretch my quads. It felt great, so I got back on my bike.

And then they died again.

Getting up that last hill was probably the most challenging workout I've ever had. It was so hard, it hurt so bad, and I was pretty sure I was going to fall off my bike because my legs were not working.

To my surprise, I somehow found that last very-small burst of energy to get up the hill and finished the route. It was certainly not easy, but it was worth every bit of the pain.

Like most rides, I take something away something valuable. This time, the lesson is simple. Don't give up. Don't ever let your mind convince you that you can't finish.