A Few More Pics

Final Thoughts and Lessons Learned

I started off this blog saying I was trying to get out of a funk caused by a couple of personal losses. My goal was not to solve all the world's problems, just get me back in it. Trying to rejuvenate my inner self, and find joy in what has been provided. Here are some of the things I've realized.

1. I need to breathe fresh air, to feel the of warmth from the sun, and to enjoy the cool refreshment from the rain. My allergies have been non-existent since I started riding. This has kept me from missing out on lots of things I would normally be too sick to do. I have more energy, and crave being outside more and more. I suppose this is why I don't like the gym...I like being outside :-)

2. When I'm riding I think of nothing else but riding...mainly because I have to focus so much to finish what I start. Takes the stress of the day away, and builds confidence in what I'm doing. Good stuff.

3. I made a new year's resolution back in 2000 that I would do something every year that I had never done before. This was actually the start of me breaking out of my box. Obviously, this bike ride fits that resolution. The difference with this bike ride vs. any other thing I've done, is that because I had to train for it almost everyday, I got off the couch almost everyday. Other things were just one day events (concerts, sky diving, trips, etc.). I enjoyed the challenge of the daily grind.

4. Surrounding myself with motivated people is a good thing. Keeping to myself isn't horrible, however it's not as productive and lacks the luster needed to keep going when things are down. I haven't kept totally to myself, I've just been a minimalist. This was a good envelope to push.

5. I've been forced into eating healthier. I even turned down fast food today...twice!!! This is a definate change. I feel so much better when I don't eat all that junk. And, the workouts are better too. Although sometimes I have to choke down the salad, I know it's worth the effort. Not perfect yet...still like my sweets...but I think this new outlook is good.

6. I am more overweight and out of shape than I realized. I truly thought it wouldn't take much to get in shape, but I was totally wrong. I've let myself go for years, so this is going to take some work to get back where I need to be.

Overall, I am proud of my accomplishment and the side effects it has brought. I'm still in shock that I did it, but the more it sinks in, the more pleased I am. I am looking for my next big ride. Here I come!!!

The Ride

Here we are! We dubbed ourselves the "Weekend Warriors" Diane came to pick me up, and we had our first fall. LeCreshia fell up the stairs to my front door. Not to worry, she bounced back and we were on our way to Weatherford, TX with Farfalla Viola on her first road trip.


After a fine steak dinner at Logan's Steakhouse, we parked our steady stead in our room at the Econolodge.

LeCreshia and I figured out in the motel parking lot, as she was giving her bike it's inaugural ride, that the chain was not properly attached to her bike. Diane, the master of all bike tools, came to the rescue. We had our second casualty when Diane dropped her trusty tool on her foot. You see the ice pack on her foot...OUCH!! Still she worked away getting not only the chain fixed, but Cre's new seat in place and ready for the Weekend Warriors to charge ahead.



The next morning, after a breakfast of good ol' Raisin Bran, we were off to the trail.

Here I am making biking look GOOD!!! Got all the gear I can stand, and am nervous, anxious, and literally couln't believe we were there. Couldn't believe it was already May 15th. I was also very excited...can you tell :-)

Conditions: Cloudy skies, about 70 degrees, (drum roll please)5 mph wind, can you believe it!!! I was so happy about that. Rain was supposed to come in the afternoon, so our goal was to get back by about 2ish. It was 9:30 when we started.

And we're off. Isn't it beautiful?!

About 3.5 miles into it, we stopped to take some "action shots." How'd I do? :-)

We meandered though many farms along the way, so I had to get some animal shots. I'm a city girl, and this is as close to the real thing as I get. It was very cool!!


At the 14 mile mark we were stopped in our tracks. We found out later that an earlier flood had caused a wash out hole 5 ft wide and 4 ft deep in our trail. We were rerouted through the Mineral Wells State Park, where we were going to pick up the back end of the trail.

We made it to Mineral Wells!!! This is at the entrance to the Mineral Wells State Park. A few miles up the road is where we were headed to catch the back end of the trail.

OOPS!!! That new bike seat decided to have an attitude.

We pulled in to a Chevron station, got some new tools (because we didn't actually bring any with us on the trail), and put Diane's expertise back to work. After she fixed it, we decided to have lunch at Subway. At this point we had gone 20 miles and had an appetite on the attack...growl...

We ate and had made it back to the entrance to the State Park when that seat acted up again. The Lord was definatly on our side, because after Diane and Cre had taken the seat apart, and were looking at the pieces in wonderment, a truck with two Boy Scout troop leaders, two men in their late 50s early 60s, stopped and saved the day. They put humpty dumpty back together again :-) We love the Boy Scouts of America...just wish I had thought to take thier pic...oops!!

We didn't make it to the other end of the trail, however on our way back through the state park we passed this area of the lake that was overflowing, from the recent flood, over the roadways...YIKES!!

After I took this shot (which by the way is the closest I've EVER been to a longhorn...WOAH!!) the trail had a bit of a divit from the flooding. I needed to kinda make a little jump up to get over it, and when I did...well, I missed it totally, and the bike stopped and I didn't. I landed on the bar. Although it hurt, I couldn't stop laughing at what I had just attempted and failed. They didn't see it, but man it was funny at the time.

That darn seat!!!

LOOK!!! A deer!!! Closest I've ever been to one of those too!! I was truly impressed with all the animals out there.

At the top of the tree you can barely see a cardinal. They were everywhere. There were butterflies everywhere too, but I couldn't get one of those to sit still long enough to get a shot.

Chillin' with about 10 miles to go.

Here we are at the highest point in the trail. The 6 or so miles it took to get from the last pic to this pic was a very brutal uphill climb. Obviously, on the way to Mineral Wells, we had this awesome downhill adventure, breeze in our hair, lovin' life. Coming back up was no small feat. This is our victory shot, because it was all downhill from here...WOOHOO!!!

The last half-mile. Beautiful canopy of trees and shade.

WE DID IT!!! 37 miles of bike riding for the Weekend Warriors was a success. Here's the proof in case you have doubts ;-)

I WIN!! I beat mother nature again. It's 3 to 1 right now. We got back around 4:30 and still beat the rain. In fact, it didn't rain at all the whole day!!! I set my goal, trained best I could, and conquered it well!!

Then I crashed :-) On the way home, there was an Elvis sighting. A big, gigantic blow-up thingy on top of a car dealership, with his infamous white suit and mic in hand. Every adventure needs an Elvis sighting.

Thank you Diane and Cre for a wonderful adventure!! Thank you for waiting for me to train well enough to make this ride with you. Thank you for pushing me in order to accomplish a great personal goal. Thank you Farfalla Viola for being AWESOME!!!

UN-Believable!!!

I did it!!! Now, I'm sore, tired and need to get to bed. The next couple of days I'm being pampered by my husband with a night at the Crescent and a Spa Day there as well. I'll post the story when I return. I will say, have no fear...there WAS an Elvis sighting...phew...that was a close one :-)

Interesting Development: 1 Day Left

I am glad to say that the wind is only 13mph today, and it looks like it will be the same tomorrow. The interesting development is that after 3 months of this area slowly moving into a drought, we have severe thunderstorms going on as I type. Not to be dismayed, I am headed off to Walmart for the last little doodads, and Diane is picking me up at 5. We are forging ahead with our plans despite the lastest kick in the fancy pants from mother nature. Tomorrow is the big day! I looked on the park's website and they also have a "Wildflower Bike Ride" tour on their calendar. Not that we are doing that, but I could insert some bad joke about stopping to smell the flowers here if I wanted to :-)

We do have a backup plan if we get rained out. Shopping!!! It's still a girls' weekend whether we ride or not. BUT, let me tell you...if I don't get to ride, it's not like I'm not going to come back. I've trained for this, and I'm doing it one way or another. So, off to Walmart I go. Sunscreen here I come.

Enfuego!!!

I rode 14 miles last night, and the wind was blowing up to 25 mph as usual. Today my legs feel like they are on fire. Good thing I'm resting today. FIRE!!!

And the Wind Blew...

So, at 8pm when I decided that the wind wasn't blowing any harder than other "bad wind days" (slowed down from 30 mph with 47 mph gusts to 20 mph with 28 mph gusts) it was time to try out the CamelBak. VERY cool contraption. Water tasted like plastic, however it was right there for the taking. VERY cool contraption. The wind was in from the south, which was perfect since my uphill is headed north. I made it uphill in the fastest time yet! Then, downhill was a different story. I hit a brick wall (figuratively of course), and it took me 25 minutes to ride 3.5 miles tonight. Got a good little workout though.




Spoke to Diane tonight. She's the outdoorsy one of the group. Her email address includes her love for mountian climbing. She informed me that this 40 mile ride is her warm up for her 14,000 feet mountain climb in Colorado this summer. WOW!!! She also told me she hasn't been on her bike in about a month. YEAH...evening the playing ground. Also, LeCreshia, who just purchased her bike about a month ago, hasn't given it the inaugural ride yet!! Another point for me :-) That's a pic of her bike. If I called it the Silver Bullet she'd get mad, so I'll have to come up with something else. Cre works out on a regular basis though, so, I'm anticipating their athletic abilities to trump my aspiring ath-a-let-a-cism. I did learn that the plan is that once we get to Mineral Wells, we are going to have lunch and take a long relaxing break. I LIKE BREAKS :-) Ok, must shower, clean dishes and go to bed. Now this is getting boring...

Wind Advisory

To add to my "40's"...the wind advisory from the National Weather Service says winds are going to be up to 40 mph this afternoon. Good times!!! Mother nature and I will go rounds again today, and she ain't gonna like it :-)

Last Week of Training

This is my new gear. The CamelBak is for hydration, the seat cover is for the more padding needed to keep my tooshie from falling off, and the watch is to look cool :-) (or maybe time the thing next weekend...whatever) Our hotel has been booked, and fear is rearing it's ugly head. "What am I thinking??!!" now applies to the 40 mile trek. I'm going to shoot for 25 miles tomorrow, and then tone it down the rest of the week. I do think I "should" be able to do this. I just get reminded regularly how out of shape and overweight I really am. I can't believe I let it get this bad. I didn't even know until I started really training for this thing, how bad I had let it get. I eat horribly, I never get out and exercise on a regular basis, and I'm paying the price. This has been a DEFINATE eye opener. I can't wait for this to be more fun than work. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting outside almost everyday, getting to enjoy the sun and the rain and the mud :-) Lisa Moore's house is next, but then I want another trek. I want to keep this up. Outdoors, I am coming for ya!!

21 MILES!!!!!

I need a nap...

My training goal has been met!!! I wanted to be able to do at least 20 miles (since that's the length of the trail) once before the big day. I figured if I can do it once, I can do it more than once. It was 78 degrees, wind gusts up to 24 mph, I felt every bit of it, and I conquered. I also need a shower :-)

AND...I got hit by flying rocks, and have bruises. The only thing I can figure is that a car kicked up the rocks, that then ricocheted off the stone wall I was riding by, and hit me in the arm, both legs and chest. OOOOOWWWWWWWCCCCHHHHHH!!!!! Who saw that coming??? I'm just thankful they didn't hit me in the face...geesh!!

The Cool Down

After each bike ride, Kevin and I sit on his tailgate while I eat my apple and drink water to cool down. We chit chat about how to save the world, promote world peace, and what's for dinner the next night. The usual generalities. Today is trash day, so last night people were taking thier trash to the curb for pick up, etc. While we were solving the economic crisis, people walked up to the trash pile across the street and started digging through it!!!! We were shocked!! The house is for sale because the owners were elderly, one passed away, and the other moved out to a nursing home. They'd lived there for over 30 years. Their now adult children have been cleaning it out. What could possibly be worth anything in their trash?!?!? I know Gene would have blown a gasket if he knew folks were digging through his trash...hehehe. Well, he is the guy that stole our fire wood...maybe karma is comin' around here...hehehe. It was just weird to see that.

9 Days Left: Joanna vs. Mother Nature - Round 2

WE'RE EVEN!!!

Yesterday was SO windy all day. I've noticed that most of the time that when it's windy during the day, it slows down at sundown. Not last night!! So, I battled Mother Nature once again.

Conditions: Clear-ish, 78 degrees, 15 mph winds gusting up to 25 mph.

I am stronger this time around, and the gusts were 10mph slower than the day she won. I rode the tough route with all the hills. On my way up the last big one, the wind was blowing so hard that, literally, I peddled down with my left leg and the bike just stopped. It didn't go anywhere. My first thought, "HUH???" My next thought, "OH NO!!!" So, I pumped it as hard as I could. It was my slow-mo scene for this blog. I could hear "Chariots of Fire" playing in the background. (does that date me? eeek...) Yes, she tried to stop me. No, she di-en't!! I rolled right over and through her wind!! I feel so great about it this morning!! I am sore in some new spots. Whatever!! I WIN!!

For today, I'm pushing it back up to 20 miles. One week left of training, so "forward march!" (Never really got to say that much...long story, not about biking...so you don't get to hear it...mwahahahaha...) Last time it took about 2 hours. Will probably take that much time again. No worries, just want to make sure I can do it. (fade out with "Chariots of Fire" music...)

13 Days Left: I'm Thankful For...

Sunset bikerides, cool temps after a rain, that the rain stopped in enough time for me to take the sunset bikeride, my knee not hurting, my legs getting stronger, my allergies being non-existent this season, mud puddles (harnessing my inner-child and splashing right through them...yes, I'm a mess right now...lol), sprinkler systems that are spraying water right by the sidewalk (yup, rode through that too...hehehe), people who notice me coming and move to the side, my friends who are willing to take the ride with me, my family and friends who are willing to cheer me on, my husband who seconds as my "coach", and the Lord who is making it all possible.

Biker's Tan

I now have a biker's tan developing. This is interesting to me because I have never developed a tan before. My outside outings are usually in spurts, so I either am generally white, or sunburned in spurts. Even as a kid, I never really tanned. This should be interesting. Got the little line where the fancy pants stop on my leg, and then also where my sleeves stop on my arm. Not so much by my ankles yet, but I'm sure that's coming, along with the sunglasses lines. CRAZY!!!!

14 Days to Go: I Love Sunscreen!!!

I don't know what it is about sunscreen, but I absolutely LOVE the smell. It smells like the beach, the sun, the ocean, the lake, fishing, sunbathing, boating, having a cookout, being at the park, and all kinds of fun festivities all wrapped into one. It was warm enough to need to wear some today, and it just brought the whole summer element to this experience. I LOVE the smell of suncreen!!! Now, I guess I'll add the smell of biking to that list :-)

Today's conditions: Sunny, 79 degrees, 17mph winds with gusts up to 25mph

At least it was only the gusts that were 25 mph, instead of the wind being that strong before any gusting. What a great ride today. 10.5 miles, beautiful weather, it was perfect. I did find where I can purchase some weed if necessary. Can't mistake that smell anywhere. 3rd house behind the fence on Gateway, in case anyone was wondering...lol!! I'm so glad my knee is cooperating again. I'm shooting for 14miles tomorrow, and getting as close as I can to 20 miles before next weekend. And then there will be one week left...WHEW, this 40 days is going fast!!!

15 Days Left: It's a Breeze...

This is where I have a gym membership. Today, I stick my tongue out to it and say phooey...I ride outside!!!! I'm SOOOO excited to be back outside today. The wind died down to a breeze, my knee acted right, all things were good!! Since I've been off for a week, I only went 7 miles today, hoping to be back up to at least about 15 here in the next couple of days. Need to make sure my knee can handle it, but it's looking good right now!! WOOHOO!!!

Weather Update: 16 Days to Go

So, who knew this would turn more into a weather blog than a biking blog? I haven't been able to ride this whole week because the wind never gets below 20mph. See the lean on that tree?? As I type, Euless has winds up to 30mph!!! Can you belive that?!?!? It's been this way all week. I'm hoping once the storms pass through, the wind will die down, and I'll be able to get back out there. There is a small issue of my knee still being angry for trying to fight mother nature on Sunday, so I'll have to keep my eye on that too. I REALLY wanted to ride to Lisa Moore's house tomorrow, but I guess that will have to wait. I've been telling her since January 2009 that I was coming to her house. There's a big hill to conquer to get there, and I'm determined to conquer it :-) Stayed tuned for further updates, as this wind saga continues.

What was I thinking???

No, not about doing 40 miles in 40 days, but you're close! I said in my first entry that I am trying to doing something outside my normal m.o. I'm trying to push past this slump I've been in for quite some time, especially since Mom passed away. WHAT WAS I THINKING doing this around Mother's Day?!?!?!!! A glutten for punishment, or just clueless sometimes. I only slump more during the holidays...geesh! But, like I said before, I pushed through the holidays and came out with a new holiday towel and an Elvis experience. I'm going to keep riding, keep looking for Elvis, who knows what else.

DUDE!!! STOP THE WIND ALREADY!!!!!

Ok, so if you have had a bad day, and don't want to hear anyone else complain about anything, now is the time to stop reading. This angry cat pretty much captures how I'm feeling about all this right now. WHAT IS UP WITH THE WIND?!?!??!!!! 23mph today. Not all day. It was only about 10 around noon. BUT, when I want to ride, 23. My knee is killing me from yesterday's attempt at fighting 27 mph wind. So, what did I do??? I went to the gym. Well, that's boring now. I didn't last long before I got bored. I didn't want to go in the first place, but my "coach" Kevin made me get up and go. And for what?! 15 minutes of boredom, and aggrivation of my knee.

Why the knee, you may ask? I was in a motorcycle accident back in 1997 in Honduras. Had surgery in Houston to place 3 screws and replace ACL with my hamstring, which is now only 3/4 where it should be behind the thigh, and 1/4 as a stand-in ACL. Should I have kept it in shape all these years? Probably, but I didn't, so this is where I am.

I'm angry this isn't working out the way I wanted it to the past week. I haven't had what I would consider consistant rides since I couldn't pull it together last Monday night. It's like there's always something trying to get in the way. Two long rides, two short rides. I had hoped to be pushing 20 mile rides by now. I've made it to 18, but I want to keep going. It's supposed to be windy for at least the next two days, then rain with lightening for the three days after that. Arg!!! I'm very upset about all this. I haven't figured out what to do about it yet, and that frustrates me more. Usually, this is when I start eating, but I'm out of cake. Church group gobbled it up. I guess that was the point. Actually, I'm just so disappointed I want to go to bed now. It is 10pm. Not that outrageous a thought...

And just as an interesting fact, now that I'm back home from the stupid gym "work-out" winds are down to 8 mph...sigh...

I looked Mother Nature in the Eyes: 20 Days to Go

Mother nature looked back at me and blew as hard as she could!!! Mother nature is killing me today!!!

Conditions: 76 degrees, sunny, 17 mph wind with gusts up to 27.

I felt every bit of it!!! Mother nature won this round. I had to go home. I couldn't do it. She took her big fat shoe, and kicked my big fat bicycle all the way back home. I only made it 5 miles. Those 27 mph gusts were more often than JUST the 17mile an hour wind. I will confess that I wasn't, and still am not, in the best of moods for this today, but I thought I would try. NOPE. Go home she said, so go home I did. So, I'll get after it again tomorrow. I can't say that I'll be in better spirits. One thing is for sure...mopey attitude leads to not the best bike ride. Maybe I should eat cake :-)

Whew...21 Days to Go

So, this is one of the new hills I'm treking up. It's a killer, yet part of my "next level."

Last night's ride's conditions: Sunny, 90 degrees when I started - 85 degrees when I finished, winds at 10-12 mph.

I was out there biking along the hard hill route, finished it up, and thought, "I wonder if I can do it twice?" So, off I went to do it twice. AND I DID!!! Now, if you read "knooks, crannies, crevices, and fannies" I'd like to add "and cleavage" My chest muscles are SOOOO sore. TOTALLY NOT expecting that!!! I didn't even know I had chest muscles!!! Maybe that's part of the problem. Anyway..I rode a total of 18 miles yesterday. It took me 2 hours. I got some good ol' vitamin D from the sun. Getting a bit of a farmer's tan/reddening. I guess here you'd call it a bikers tan. Don't know if I can make it out today because of the soreness, but we'll see what later on holds for me.

It's interesting because I run into the same people out there each day. The one's that get me revvvvved up the most are who I like to call "the wagon people." They are a couple with what looks to be about a 2-ish yr old daughter. The daughter rides in the wagon, and they take up the whole sidewalk. When I say my "on your left" thing, they just look at me like I'm crazy, and keep on about their business. So, last night my choices were to either hit the brick wall on our left, or go out into the street into oncoming traffic. Or I supposed another option is to run them over, but I just can't bring myself to do that...yet. So, I waited for oncoming traffic to pass by and out on the street I went. Fortunately, the cars were understanding in the two lanes available and everyone moved over for me :-) Don't think I didn't take the first opportunity to get back on the sidewalk though. It just scares me is all. I don't want to be run over by a car, and all they have to do is form a single-file line and let me pass. Anyway...the wagon people.

Knooks, Crannies, Crevices, and Fannies

So, there are places I didn't even know existed on my body until this bike riding started cleaning out the cobwebs. My goodness!!! When I started this blog I said that I was out of shape and overweight. The overweight thing isn't as much an issue as the out of shape bit. I won't go into too many details, but I'll just say I didn't realize that hamstrings were so long and calf muscles got so angry. I also now know where the term "pain in the neck" comes from. I can tell I'm losing some of my "shapeliness" which is a good thing. AND...did you know that angry muscles twitch...no matter where they are located on your body?? ;-) So, I just thought I'd share :-) It's very rainy today, so we'll see again if I ride in the rain, or if I just go to the gym. I wouldn't mind riding outside if it's not too bad.

25 Days and Counting

I set out to find additional routes since I'm needing more road to ride. I was disappointed to learn that we don't have very many complete sidewalks around here. Some of them even stop about 50 yards before the intersections. Did they run out of concrete?!? So, I'm thinking I may start hitting the trails. I'm a bit intimidated by actual trails...there are REAL bikers and runners and whatnots. It's kinda like the first day of high school, when you think, "ok, who's gonna be the one to embarass me for not knowing where to go or what to do?" Wow, that takes me back. I was more scared about the fact that there were 3 floors in one building for high school, than I was about the 2 floors with 3 buildings that were in jr. high. Interesting how our minds perceive things. Anyway, back to biking. I'll have to do some research, but I know the trails are calling my name. Probably safer than next to the freeway anyway...lol!! Oh yeah...I went to Stratford High School and we are the Mighty Spartans!!! Explains the pic today :-)

Oh Yeah...I made it up that hill!!!!

Conditions: partly sunny, 64 degrees, 3 mph wind (VERY happy about this)

So, this morning I thought, "I'll try the two hills that I have tried to conquer twice before and not made it, see what happens, and plan my workouts around how much work I need to do to get up the hill." I SAY PHOOEY ON THE HILLS!!! I guess all this bike riding is paying off, because I nailed it!! Hence the Rocky pic :-) I was going to put a pic up of the hill, but it was too dark to take a pic tonight. I'll get that up tomorrow. I was evidently spotted by a friend as she was coming home from the gym. I'm hoping she didn't throw up seeing me in my fancy pants. I'm tellin' ya...I don't need to be wearing these things out in public!! If it weren't for the padded serenity it provides my bottom, they'd still be on the rack at the store!! My goodness!! Catch me at day 40, but whew, not now!!

So, I'll practice on that hill and call my friend Lisa Moore and tell her I'm coming over. The ultimate hill is on the way to her house. I tried it last year and it was a definate no go. As irony would have it, the name of the street at the top of the hill is High Point. NO KIDDING!!!! Next Saturday...hope she's home :-)

26 Days Left: The Revival

So, I didn't make it anywhere yesterday but the couch. Not for lack of effort though. It was just one of those nights where I just couldn't pull it together. It happens...BUT, not to be dismayed. Today is the day for revival :-) Today is the day I get back on Farfalla Viola and conquer Euless/Grapevine. This pic shows the hill that has been my nemisis. While not very steep, it's just a long booger. My goal for today is to get past this, and add a couple more. I'll post pics as soon as they are conquered. I'm totally rested, so I'm hoping the new long boogers will be put to shame...mwuahahahaha.

HELP!!!!

I'm having a LOT of trouble pulling it together today. I've now missed daylight, while attempting a new recipe for dinner that has flopped so bad that Kevin is on his way to pick up something else for dinner for us...FIRST TIME EVER!!! So, this means my only option for tonight is the gym, but it's already stupid 8:15 and I don't want to go to the gym. UGH....stay tuned for the probably not so exciting conclusion. Is this where I chant "Thunder cats are on the move, Thundercats are loose..."??

Thoughts and Goals

Thoughts:
So, part of this quest is to get outside of myself, and do something that forces me to live life again since my mom passed away. So, I've been thinking...there is definately a "pre-Joanna" and "post-Joanna." And I dare say it goes back further than my mom's passing. Perhaps as far back as to when my brother passed away. The "pre-Joanna" was embracing life's experiences with enthusiasm and curiosity. The "post-Joanna" is much more fearful when it comes to experiencing life and being curious about new things. I would say to the point that I would not try things in fear of failure and ridicule. I'm tired of feeling this way and, I say BOO on "post-Joanna." I say it's time to be "post, post-Joanna." I miss the person who enjoyed life and it's experiences. I almost feel a "Thunder Cats, HO!" coming on, but I'll try to keep that to myself...lol!! It makes me a little mad that something like death can really put such a damper on things for such a long time. Rough stuff for sure, though. I don't think that one 40 mile ride can fix everything, but it's a definate start to doing something I've wanted to do for a very long time, an didn't have the guts to do it.

Goals:
This week I've decided to concentrate not so much on distance, but making it up that next big hill. I need to get my body used to stuff like that too. I feel the distance will come, but the hills will need some work. "Thunder Cats, HO!!"