Thunderstorm

After my recent return from serving an 18 month mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I've been very hesitant to get back in the saddle. I knew I was out of shape and I didn't want to see how much progress I needed to make. 

I mentioned to my boyfriend the other day that I was thinking about going and his response spoke volumes to me "Finally!! I'm sick of you complaining about not riding"  Hmmm...

So I gathered my gear, I was checking my tires when I realized that my front tire was flat, yet again.... So I did what any good cyclist would do! I stole my father's wheel so I didn't have to mess with the eternally flat tire. 

It felt lovely to be on the bike again. And then the rain started about 2 minutes into my ride. I was close enough to turn around. I pondered for a moment, but was already soaked to the bone, so I decided to just continue. 

What an enjoyable ride that was!! I was laughing so hard, it was very enjoyable. (although the other people on the trail didn't seem very pleased about the sudden down pour.)

About half way through my ride I pulled over to try to clean my glasses. As I rubbed them on my soaked and dripping jersey I began laughing again. A man in a car rolled down his window and asked:

"You look a little wet... how far are you going?"

"as far as I want!" I yelled back

"You mean you're doing this for fun!?"

I nodded at him and started laughing again. I'm sure he now thinks the cycling breed are insane.

A little later, after nearly being blown off my bike a man with a stroller smiled at me "Isn't this fun?" I laughed in response. 

Then the lightning started and I decided I'd best call it a day. It's always an adventure and I love cycling more and more! Here's to getting back in shape!

Oh Honey

Once upon a time, I was going for a bike ride with Dad; my brakes were rubbing and slowing me up a lot. I didn't really realize what was going on. I tried to push through it and ended up over heating and having a very traumatic experience. (I had been drinking a lot of Gatorade and ended up vomiting... a lot. I know, nasty. To this day I am unable to drink Gatorade, even the smell makes me gag.)

Ever since that experience I have been looking for a way to get carbs and electrolytes on my rides. My brilliant coach came home from work one day and threw a few packets of honey at me. (I learned later that 1 tablespoon of honey has about 17 grams of carbohydrates. Who knew?)

"Here, try these on a ride."

It works miracles! Give it a try, let me know what you think.

On another note. Tour De France starts this Saturday! You can watch it here

Good Morning!

My little brother has recently started cycling a little bit. After cycling to Dad's work the other day and having a short conversation about said little brothers progress Dad asked me to take him on my 11 mile route. I got home, asked little brother if he thought he was ready for a longer, to him, ride. He full heartily agreed and was very excited to be going out. I then explained to him that we'd be going on Saturday, but that it was a very busy day for me so we'd have to go early. 

"Like, I don't want to leave later than 6:30 early."

He just looked at me...

"You still want to go?"

"Yes! Of course I do!"

We were heading back home and the sun just started to peak over the mountains. Below is the picture I took:

This, dear readers, is why I cycle in the mornings. If there is a more beautiful sight I've yet to see it.

Dead Mans Hill

Just down the road from my home in Utah County is a massive hill, it looks something like this:

Yesterday as Dad and I were finishing up a training ride he asks, "Do you have a preference of which hill you want to climb?" I thought a little and decided I didn't, so we set a route home that hits a longer hill, but is still fairly steep. A few minutes later he tells me he's going to take the short, REALLY steep hill we affectionately refer to as Dead Mans Hill. "What changed your mind?" I asked. "I'm going to have to stop anyway, at least that hill is shorter." 

Well that's that. We head up Dead Mans Hill after a short break at the bottom. The whole time I thought about how much I love climbing and that this is going to be a great finish, to an awesome ride.

I hit the hill. Easy, piece of cake, pfft, Dead Mans Hill, what a dumb name! And then I hit the hill. I'm barely moving. My quads start screaming, I check to make sure I'm in my lowest gear. Suddenly the name seems very fitting. But I'm not smart enough to pull over and un-clip with dignity. 

I look up and see the top of the hill about 50 feet in front of me. I focus on putting all my 115 pounds on the pedal and I realize, I'm not moving. My bike tips over. I land in a heap on the road, Dad is standing at the base of the hill laughing at me. (He chose to un-clip further down the hill and walk up the steep part.)

Dead Mans Hill: 1

Katherine: 0

Don't worry, no hill humiliates me and get's away with it. 

So Unladylike

As I was riding yesterday I realized how unattractive it is. Maybe it's just me. 

I always thought that I look like my dear friend Lance while he's climbing. Nothing but pure power, motivation and skill. As I was daydreaming about how fantastic I am; I hocked a huge loogie. It was in that moment I realized I was dripping sweat, panting with my mouth wide open, there was a chain mark on the back of my right leg, and I needed to blow a snot rocket. 

I think I'll stick to the back roads from now on.

Brand New Bike

Now that is a good looking bike, if I do say so myself.

It was home built!  As in, my dad, my brother-in-law, and I put it together. Pretty cool, right?

It rides beautifully, and I am so grateful to have a bike that actually fits; instead of using my dad's old frame. We took it out for our first ride of the season today. (I know, we always start really late.) It rides beautifully, and I couldn't be happier with the outcome. 

Here's to many more miles. 

Why I Ride

"It doesn't get easier, you just go faster." -- Greg Lemond.

Lately I've been a little discouraged, I'm not seeing the results I want as quickly as I want them. But that's just part of the fun, isn't it? For me cycling isn't about the distance (although bragging is a lot of fun) It isn't about the race, (but I'll never shy away from a challenge) and it most certainly isn't about the speed (because I don't have it!) 

No. For me, cycling is all mental. It's me and myself. Seeing how hard I can push it when I feel like there is nothing left, miraculously, I can always find a little more energy stored in the tank. It's about winning the argument with myself, to go home and sleep, every time I mount. It's about shortening the time that argument lasts. It's about strengthening, not only my body, but my determination. Because this is my sport. 

And I'm never leaving.