Relentless Forward Progress

Relentless forward progress. 14 miles into a 20+ mile training run, those are the words going through my head. Intermittent with Frosty the Snowman lyrics.... Wouldn't I like to know where THAT came from.  One foot in front of the other, over and over. I'm sore. I'm tired. I'm ready to be done...

The same thing was going through my head on yesterday's freezing cold ride. I couldn't make myself go more than 12 mph on the downhill - I was shivering so hard I was afraid I'd fall down. But 12 mph is better than stopping. One way or another, I had to get back to my car...

(This was the only moment the sun came out - just in time to fix my husband's flat, and therefore the only picture from the cold, wet ride.)

Sometimes I get philosophical and start thinking about how it all relates to life. ESPECIALLY during stupid-long runs. It's kinda the same thing, isn't it? No matter how shitty it gets sometimes, you have to keep moving. Otherwise you're gonna get stuck. 

(Guess I didn't get stuck 😊)

I can totally feel the 40 miles on my bike yesterday today, but I guess this is what I signed up for. And without relentless forward progress, I'll never get anywhere. And boy, do I have places to go!😊

Grateful :)

Eight weeks ago today I had a bike accident commuting home from work less than a half a mile from home. The past eight weeks have been very challenging but there have been so many blessings upon the way. Many of those coming in the form of friends, family, and many meaningful relationships which I have been able to develop since being off of work due to my injury. Long story short, be grateful for what you have today, because you don't know what tomorrow will bring.  Smile, stay positive, and always be thankful.  

I am so thrilled to be back riding my bike, and cannot wait to partake in many fun activities with my amazing bike team in the next several months. 

2nd day at the new job, 1st day commuting! - Bike Storage 101

As cliche as it is, my commute this morning was a dream come true!  No seriously though, it really was!  After hearing about my company's corporate office moving to Broomfield and then seeing the campus first hand last summer (after buying a house nearby), all I could think of was "man....I've gotta find a way to get a job there and bike to work. I just HAVE to!"  Apparently, good things come to those who work their tails off, refuse to take "no" for an answer and keep their goals in sight.  Finally, after a lot of work and some intergalactic alignment, everything fell into place to make this morning possible.  As awesome as it would have been to commute on day #1, that simply wasn't feasible (darn those boxes of files and pictures and random "office things" anyhow!), but I knew day #2 was meant to be!

Before moving to the my new "home", I did some recon about bike storage because my biggest concern about commuting to work was, "where am I going to store my bike?!?" A few phone calls and several emails later, I learned that my company has 6 bike lockers outside the main entrance.  I walked right by them the first time, thinking it was an electrical box or something bc you'd never imagine it was meant to hold bikes!  So on day 1, I sniffed out the bike lockers, discovered that my lock would fit perfect (always a good thing to test out before making that first trip!), and also accustomed myself with the on-site gym (I'm one of those lucky ones who can rent a locker to stash all of my personal/shower items so I don't have to transport them back and forth!).

I'm quite thankful to work for a company that values its active employees and has provided these awesome storage units.  Plus, they're pretty neat!!  The bike fits perfect inside and has a heavy duty handle which fits a MasterLock just fine!  Although I was fully prepared to stash my bike in my cube with me, I'm grateful that my ride can stay outside in a secured area.

Looking forward to many more new adventures and lessons that commuting will bring!
 

Love love LOVE my Cannondale CAAD10 and my bright Marmot commuter bag!

Look how snug the Green Machine is in his temporary home! 

Back at the track

After a five year hiatus from track racing .... I attended the BVV cert class part I yesterday and it felt really great to be back on fixed fears with no brakes making left hand turns ;) 

It was cold and grey and I was so thankful for my amazingly warm champsys thermal cycling bibs. Delicious!! 

Exploring new trails

I LOVE days like yesterday.  The sun was shining, the grass was so green from the weekend of rain/snow, and it just felt like the perfect afternoon to say "the heck with cleaning and painting inside, I'm going riding!"  So that's exactly what I did!  It wasn't about watts and intensity, it was just about getting outside and exploring! 

 For 10 months at my new house, I've seen this trail crossing close by and thought "hmm.....wonder where that trail goes".  Yesterday I found out and I'm so glad I did!!  Turns out, this new trail takes me to an awesome park which is close to my favorite local burger joint and my dentist (guess which one I'm least excited about commuting to...haha!)!  

Just a little reminder that, you never know where the trails go until you take that first step/pedalstroke to find out!    

So get out there and start exploring!!  :-)