Accomplishment

Oh Yeah!  Hubs and I made it around our local State Park and back!  Only two more times, and we've already met the next goal!  Unbelievable!  Now, for transparency, around the lake and back to our house is 13km (a little over 8 miles).  Not the longest ride in history, but far enough for me!  I remember when a friend of ours told me I was the worlds biggest wimp when I told him I didn't think I could make it around the park and back.  He kept telling me how easy it was and he was flabbergasted that I thought it was hard.  Well, now, I know I can!  I can't wait to go farther!

The last hill was a killer!  I thought I was about to die!  I know I have mentioned what a big wimp I am.  I felt bad for Hubs ( we were barely moving at one point :D).  The worst part of the hill, was that about half way up, a dog, which looked a lot like a pit bull (before a dog lover screams at me, I know they are not all bad dogs), came running at us, barking.  It came at us for a little while, getting closer and closer, but finally gave up.  I am not a huge dog fan anyway, but when one who looks scary is barking at you and you don't have anyway to protect yourself...the anxiety kicks in.  I think that made my heart beat faster and made the ride uphill a little harder. 

On the other hand, what an accomplishment for us!  Now...I'm going to go look at Chicago pizza places! :D

Reminder

Note to self:  Don't forget to wear padded cycling shorts....OUCH! :-)

Za! #1

YAY!  Pizza.  Here's our day/review.  So, yesterday we went to Pi in St. Louis.  We looked on several top pizza ratings and saw Pi was the best on some and at least at the top on others.  It was fairly easy to find and while it was a small building but we decided to go during lunch for a smaller crowd.  The waitress told us that they were famous for their deep dish pizza, but unfortunately, none of the family wanted the "Chicago style" pizza.  So, we ordered a thin crust half sausage, half cheese....because I'm the only one in the family who is ambitious and would like to get more on it. 

 I suppose that helped taste the flavor of the sauce.  Hubs said the sauce was more like a marinara than a pizza sauce.  I thought it was pretty tangy.  The sausage was just a little spicy for me, but probably okay for everyone else.  The crust was a cornmeal crust and it was pretty good.  In fact, I think that was the best part.  We got a large and that fed 4 of us, no problem.  Hubs ordered a brown ale, and I ordered their signature sangria.  I've had better sangria's but it had a nice fruity flavor and went down smoothly.  Our youngest doesn't eat pizza, so we ordered her garlic bread with mozzarella cheese on top.  This was interesting, as they brought a small loaf of bread, cut, with cheese melted on top.  They then provided garlic butter to place on the bread.  I had never seen garlic bread served like this.  She thought the bread was great and enjoyed spreading the garlic butter on it.  

After the pizza we spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the Japanese Festival.  It was nice to add a little exercise to our day, since that what this is all about.  Speaking of our goals, we came up with a new one.  Our next goal is to ride around our local state park and back home.  It is about 14km (9mi.).  Maybe not much for some, but it is a big step for us.  Today we rode 8.5km.  Our next city is Chicago, and I am looking to get this goal accomplished before it gets too cold to be outside for long.  

Solo

Ok.  So I thought I would post a picture from my recent solo ride.  Hubs goes on solo rides more than me.  I am too anxious about being on a country road by myself.  I mentioned I was a wimp, right?  Speaking of wimp, I noticed that the ride was less stressful, because I could ride how I wanted and not worry about Hubs thinking I was too far behind or riding too slow or generally that I am a wimp.  However, it was harder.  I like riding with him because he does push me (even if he thinks I am going to slow or not far enough).  He also talks to me and keeps my mind off the pain in my legs or in my bum (man, bike riding is not kind to the nether regions).    He keeps me reminded of my goal, which is to get fit and ride like the wind :).  All in all, I know that it is my own insecurities that stress me out when I am riding with him.  I just want to be “good enough” for him and to make him proud.  I don’t want him to see that I am a wimp (we’ve been married for 21 years, I am sure he KNOWS I am).  I hope that he will put up with me, even when I am trying to give up or seem less than motivated.  And in reality, he IS my motivation to do better and become a better person.  Sure, it’s for me too, but he (and I guess I should mention my kids) is the reason I am on this journey.  They are “the reason” I want to be strong and around for a long time.

Just for kicks…here is another picture…my tattoo that (hopefully) says “the reason.”  I got it several years ago to remind me of them and why I need to stay fit.  

Well tomorrow is our first ZA day.  I'll post pictures and a review when we're back....or maybe Hubs can :)