Met an Inspiration on Today's Ride

Interval timer, nice and loud!

This morning was brisk, 59° and sunny when I started my ride at 0630. The cooler weather is fine by me! I feel so much more vibrant when it's cool. My ride plan was to warm up about 5 minutes and then do 10 intervals, :10 hard and :50 easy. I'm still struggling with some body pain, 6 days after a bad ride on my mountain bike, so I figured something short and to the point would be good before work. I felt pretty strong, shifting from my middle ring to my big ring and getting out of the saddle for each of the 10. I wanted to do more, but instead continued on to spin around Lake George. It's one of my favorite roads. Sublime's

Lovin', is what I got! Sublime and a
northwoods bike ride make me smile.

"What I Got" came on my iPod and I couldn't help but smile. I thought about synchronicity as I rode. Last year I had been in contact with retired pro mountain biker Willow Rockwell, who said "Trust in the beauty and synchronicity in life, it is always working for us!" I have been studying Ayurveda and it has a lot to do with being in synch with the cycles of day and night as well as seasons. Getting up closer to daybreak and getting my exercise done early in the day feels right by my body. Going to bed shortly after sunset is taking some adjusting to, but when I do, I wake feeling very well. 

What I love about Lake George Road, besides the scenery, are the curves and hills. It's a super fun road to sprint. But, not today. That's fine. I noticed flags sticking straight into the wind

and telling me I would have a slow ride home. That's not supposed to happen at 0700! I stopped for a couple of photos and then settled down into my aero bars. 2 blocks from home I saw this woman, who I've

Lake George.

been seeing around for a couple of years. She rides a lot, with an oxygen tank on a rack behind her and tubing to her nose. I asked her to stop and turned around. I had to know her story! What an incredible woman. She rides 45 miles most days until the snow flies, but longer when she feels like it. Due to the long winter we had, she might only get 6,000 miles this year. She has a lung disease as well as a kidney disease. Yet, there she is, getting out there and engaging in life. Now, what's your excuse???

No excuses! What an inspiration! There she goes :-)