Back in the Saddle

I find it absolutely insane how well I've come to know and predict my body's physical response to certain things. Take my eating habits, for instance. I eat breakfast every morning, which usually consists of cereal and a banana or an english muffin with peanut butter and some yogurt or eggs. Right after I eat, I'm stuffed... even if the breakfast was small. But give me exactly 2 hours and I'm hungry again. So ravenous I could go for a second breakfast. Then there's the night-time munchies, which I have yet to conquer. It happens every night around 10 o'clock.... I begin to crave either ice cream or oatmeal. More than not, I give in to temptation because going to bed with my stomach growling is torturous. I also know myself really well when it comes to exercise. If I go one week without any physical activity, I begin to feel like anything but the strong, energetic 21 year-old that I know I am. Lately my body has been feeling completely under-worked and sluggish. Simply walking from my car up the slightly inclined parking lot to the building where I work left me winded and uncomfortable these past few days. What a discouragement... Kate, who months ago could run for an hour without stopping, is now having trouble walking a slight incline? Okay, wait a second. I'm not going to be so hard on myself. I was doing P90X a couple of weeks ago and getting through it just fine. Anyways... given that this week has left me so lethargic, I decided to go for a much needed bike ride. My friend, it has been too long... I'm getting back on that saddle.

I started out this evening's ride about 7:45, so I knew I wouldn't have but 30 minutes before it would become too dark, but I was fine with that. And honestly I didn't even mind riding for a little while after the sun went down since I'd be on campus and not major roads. I made my way to the campus park, unloaded my bike, slipped on my headphones (which are still cranking out anonymous tunes from the interim iPod Shuffle which I loathe), strapped on my helmet and took off.

The first few spins and I was incredibly happy. I made my way through a sudden wave of freedom that seemed to be lingering in the air, just waiting for my arrival. Unfortunately this euphoric moment came to a screeching halt no more than 2 minutes into my ride. It hit me that oh ya... it's been a while! I was already struggling. My legs weren't able to exert the power they usually do. I had to shift gears and make it easier on myself. But I was still going to push through it and make the ride worth while.

It started getting better as I made my way to a longer stretch of road. I focused on pedaling to the cadence of each song, just like we would do in spin class. This worked out for some songs such as The Beach Boy's "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and Bret Dennen's "The One Who Loves You The Most." Fall Out Boy's "This Aint a Scene It's an Arms Race" really got my blood pumping but needless to say, I couldn't keep up with the tempo. The ride got a little less strenuous as I started heading back to retrace my path (there was a little down-hill). N*sync's "Gone" came on, which was perfect for the time being.

I noticed some dark clouds rolling in from the south, but didn't suspect any rain to hit. Several times, I could have sworn I saw flashes like lightning up around them, but when I would fixate on the clouds I never saw anything. A few minutes passed and I realized I was right about what I saw. A full-on lightning storm had broken out in the sky and I began to get concerned. There I was, rolling along on a piece of metal, basically saying "Hey! Strike me! Look, I'm open!" As the lightening got worse, I got panicky. I was bound and determined to get back to my car ASAP.

My heart rate increased to a ridiculous 194 bpm due to the combination of frantic pedaling and nervousness. I immediately envisioned getting struck by a 54,000-degree bolt, flying off my bike, breaking my neck, and being paralyzed for the rest of my life. Death wasn't my fear; pain was. I checked my time... it had only been about 18 minutes and I was really needing a solid half-hour. But I didn't wanna chance it. The lightning was getting worse and the fact that I was facing towards it made me feel like I was getting closer to it. I started to pray for safety; I knew that God would protect me.

The road started to curve as I got closer to where I parked, and I was now facing away from the storm. I was breathless and pedaling hard, as Jeff Johnson's "Old Rugged Cross" started to play. At first I thought, It figures that a worship song would come on right at a freaky moment like this. But then I had a sense of comfort come over me. I felt the Lord calling me to trust Him, but at the same time I realized something amazing- the lightning I was so scared of was causing me to push myself to new limits. I was flying down that road like I had never done before. My heart rate was higher than it was the time I almost passed out from running, yet I could handle it. The power I was able to attain from my legs seemed to come out of nowhere. I was amazed by how fear can cause perseverance, which can then be proof of strength.

I got to where I could see my car in the distance. I knew I needed somewhat of a cool down, so I took it down a notch, relaxed, and began to slow my breathing. Looking over my shoulder, I gazed back at the explosions in the sky. I hated the fact that I was witnessing such a magnificent event in the clouds from such an unsafe position. I wanted to hurry and hop in my car so I could sit and enjoy the view for a while but once I got there I realized too many trees were in the way. So I did a quick stretch, chugged some water, un-geared myself, thanked the Lord for revealing His mercy and truth to me yet again, and rolled my bike into the trunk.

It was unfortunate that my ride had to be cut short by 10 minutes but it made for an interesting evening. I'm looking forward to my next ride! I know that building back up my endurance might take a while but I'm ready for the challenge. I'm going to get a tune-up tomorrow and I might even hit up Target for a new sports top (for motivational purposes only).

For Fun Fridays,
Kate