Very full day!!

Working 3 jobs is hard enough, but what really sucks is that I do not have the free time to ride as I want. That's why spring break is so wonderful!! Today was the first day of it and I could only wait until 9:30 before I was on my bike. I started by running a couple of errands in town and then going for a little stroll through the countryside.

It was kind of funny, because as I was coming out of the post office parking lot, there was a group of about 7 cyclists at the traffic light waiting for it to turn green. I have to admit that I thought it was pretty cool that there were more bikes on the road at that time than cars, but that is a side story. We all caught up to each other about two traffic lights away. (We were all turning left, and that light takes forever.)

As the pulled up behind me, they were checking out my ride, as I did to them. These were some serious riders. They all had the jerseys, drop bars, lights galore, and more. It was also very cool to see a married couple sharing a tandem bike. They started the morning out in Petersburg, VA and they were heading to the beach. I should have asked them which one since this town is out of the way for finding the beach. Then again, they said it was a 225 mile trip for them, so obviously they are not worried about the fastest route. We split up after about 3/4 of a mile, and I continued about my journey. It was nice to be back in the saddle, and the first 6 miles of the trip were absolutely wonderful.

However, somewhere in the 7th mile it all started to suck. I was going uphill, my legs were hurting, I swallowed a bug, there were more and more cars... all in all that was just miserable. I was seriously beginning to question if I was really going to finish the ride. Regardless of that, I decided to push through and kept going. Then about the 9th mile the worst was over. I got my second wind and everything was great. I cruised right along at a nice, easy pace and kept going.

I decided to stop somewhere after 11 miles to readjust my saddle and make a couple of other minor tweaks to the bike; it seemed to ride even better after that. All in all, I went little over 14 miles in about 64 minutes. I was sad that it took so long, but this was my first real ride in a while. Although I have tried to shake off my winter legs, it's time to get some real riding in.

In order to keep myself motivated, I promised my soccer team (oh yeah... I'm a soccer coach. Did I not tell you that?) that I would ride at least 100 miles during spring break. If I didn't, I would run 10 laps while they watched. Sheesh... why did I make that promise? At least I got the first 14 miles of it done. Now to pace out the remaining 86. That'll be fun...

At any rate, this is only part of the day, but the rest is rather personal. Let's just say that the prospects of buying a house are very good right now, and I am rather excited. It's our attempt to help the economy. Well... that and to stop paying rent! I am REALLY hoping to find somewhere within a distance that I can ride my bike to school. There are a few options as much as 6 miles away. For now, we will just have to wait and see how they look on the inside.

Until then... lot's of water, rest, and getting ready for another ride tomorrow!