Day 68: on my own

If you know me, you know that I am the hugest risk taker. Silly things make me nervous. Biking in traffic is one those things. This is why I normally stay on campus, where there are hardly any cars or obstacles and I know the routes like the back of my hand. I have also been going on night rides recently, which makes it even scarier to think of leaving campus to take on the real world where the street lights are iffy at best and there's a chance cars might not be able to see me.

Today, as I walked back from work and the cool breeze lifted my hair, I closed my eyes and knew that today was the today.

See, there comes a time in every unathletic girl's life that she needs to step outside of her comfort zone. And frankly, my UMD course is getting pretty old. I lusted for adventure and challenge.

I decided to do a route that Kate and I have taken before - down Old Westport Rd to Reed Rd in Dartmouth, up Reed to Beeden, up Old Westport back to UMD. It's a fairly simple course which doesn't require me to cross the street or really have anything to do with traffic, which a-ok with me!

The way down to Reed Rd is very simple. Mostly coasting, not much challenge. Once I reached Reed, I was surprised at how short the ride had been, because at this point, I realized that it was nearly half over! Of course, the thought of the treacherous Beeden Rd hills and the Old Westport demon still loomed ahead.

I was definitely breathless on my way up Beeden hill, though I was able to retain my preferred gear without downshifting, so I'd say that's some kind of a mini triumph. And surprisingly, Old Westport didn't kick my ass as much as usual. Don't get me wrong, I was still huffing and puffing by the time I reached the top, but the level of effort I had to put in to actually make it up the hill was significantly less than last time.

And when I got back to UMD, I still felt energetic and wanted more, so I did a lap around the area, down the Dell, the usual....

When I go off campus, I like to map my rides so I can find out how many miles I've traveled. What I really need to do is invest in an odometer [one that actually works] but for now, I guess mapmyrun.com is doing the job.

Total mileage = 11

And I wasn't even tired at the end of it. Honestly, I could've kept going but for the twinge in my left hip. Bastard.

But hey, not bad for an unathletic girl, eh?