For the last month and a half, Jeff and I have been training for a century together. What is a century, you might ask? A century is a 100 mile bike ride... kind of like a marathon for cyclists. And yes, this will all be accomplished in one day.
I came across information for the Apple Cider Century a few months ago, and though it seemed daunting at first, I was intrigued by the challenge. Jeff had previously shared his dream to accomplish a "fast century"...and while I knew that I would not be able to do it fast, I knew that it would be a great bonding experience for us to work towards such a big goal together. So...I signed us up! Jeff was pretty impressed when I announced that I had enrolled us in a century that was going to take place in just a few months!
Excited, but still a little leary of all the time in the "saddle"... I knew that it would be vitally important to find some sort of training schedule. After researching for a little while, I came across a perfect one for us! Training for a century in 12 weeks! I knew that it would be a challenge, but I was up for it! The training started off slow...with the first couple of weeks of bike rides being pretty easy...I guess the mountain biking we'd been doing came in handy! Of course, there was still some soreness and pain, but overall, it seemed that every time I got on the bike, it hurt less and less, and I got stronger and stronger.
After riding our mountain bikes on the road for a few weeks, Jeff decided it was time to "upgrade" to a hybrid. The problem was, he owned one...and I did not. ("Oh no...this century is going to be more expensive than I thought"...was going through my head)...that is, until, Jeff's ever-creative thinking told me that he thought he'd be able to turn his old mountain bike into a hybrid for me. I was a bit skeptical at first...after all...my mountain bike has FULL suspension...which makes for a pretty pleasant ride. Was I ready to transition to a bike with only front suspension? Would my backside be able to handle it?
My wonderful husband, always eager to encourage me to keep going, made sure that the bike was a perfect fit for me. After ordering new tires, handle bars, and a new seat (made especially for women/long distance riders)...I have seen dramatic improvement in the rides and the level of comfort!
While much effort has gone into my comfort...I wish I could say that I don't still complain. While extremely grateful for all the work Jeff has done, it seems like no matter how comfortable, the body still does not want to be in certain positions for long periods of time. So, I have been struggling with wrist, palm and toe pain... which I never would have guessed would have been the areas to look out for! Surprisingly, my bottom has stayed the course, and has come through very well! I pray, in time, that I will be able to just push through the pain...but until then, Jeff's a good sport about hearing me bellyache on occasion.
Since beginning our training at the beginning of July, we have already seen dramatic improvements in our time and lengths. After about 3 weeks on the training program, we decided that we were able to accomplish more than it was asking of us, and have ventured off onto our own modified training program. In addition to riding 20-25 miles 3-4 days a week, Sundays are our "long ride" day. I am proud to say that (at the encouragement and pushing of my excited-to-ride hubby)... the last two Sundays have been rides of 54.5 and 64 miles each! Though each of the rides had their challenges (not enough snacks one day, and 20mph wind the other)... I am learning what I am capable of! Pretty soon those 100 miles will come, and I am now confident that I will be able to accomplish this goal that seemed so big just a few months ago.
I am continually amazed at the abilities that God has placed in me. And through this experience, I have been reminded that we probably underestimate our abilities more often than we realize. He listens to our whining about the pain...and continues to encourage us to keep going...and though, at times, we have to work through the pain... He is with us through the "training"... preparing us for something greater.
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