Finishing strong…ish (part 2)

Here’s the last post of the photo roundup for riding 31 consecutive days in May. I learned some hilarious lessons, so keep your eyes peeled for that gem of humor later this week.

Sunday, May 25, I went kayaking with friends on the Harpeth. I made it home around 5 p.m., but after a day full of sun, I was tired. Instead of riding a designated route, I rode my bike to Walgreen’s to get a Redbox. It was two miles. It totally counts, even if I did sit on the couch the rest of the evening.

Memorial Day — all day to do nothing. Well, not really. Another round at Percy Warner with my D-girls found this lovely new friend. He was in no rush and didn’t seem fearful of us in the slightest. Seeing nature while riding is one of my favorite parts — well, everything except for the snakes part of nature. We rounded out at a perfect 32 miles this day.

I honestly don’t remember if this was Day 27, but one day this was my ride. My old roommate, Laura, schemed with my friend Shelley and surprised me for dinner! I was so happy to see her face, and I may or may not have embarrassed myself in the Gulch when I squealed after seeing her smiling face. I love that girl. What a great surprise and a great way to log that day’s miles. Also, bravo to them both for pulling this off. So sneaky.

Day 28 consisted of another day on the trainer. I thought I’d grow to love the trainer after all the time I’ve spent on it this month, but that never happened. I’m not sure it ever will. I really hate that thing. It made the move to the new house, but it hasn’t been used yet. We will see. We will see.

Once a week, I hang out at local spot down the street from my office for lunch. I usually keep my Fuji in the office, but occasionally, my good bike is in the office. Every Thursday, I know I’m going to log miles on my bike even if it’s a quick there-and-back trip. The only negative to this plan is riding on the roundabout at the top of Korean Veterans Boulevard. Drivers don’t always notice other cars in the roundabout so they definitely don’t always notice bicycles. I take this route with extreme caution, but so far, I’ve not had any issues. Here’s to hoping that continues to be the case.

I ran out of time on Day 30. After finishing a couple of deadlines at work and moving another load of things to the new place, I ran out of daylight. Day 29’s ride consisted of riding my bike on the roof of my building before heading home. No traffic and no pedestrians though. It wouldn’t be a bad plan if my roof were larger.

My last day #inthesaddle for May started out great, but ended a bit differently. The plan was to ride with a women’s group in a no-drop ride. Y’all, these Tennessee hills are taking some serious getting used to and about 10 miles into the ride, we hit the biggest monster I’ve seen yet. My legs (and my lungs) just couldn’t do it. A friend and I bowed out of the ride and headed to Percy Warner instead. We did a few laps there to make ourselves feel better about not being able to climb the behemoth earlier. We managed 22 miles for the day.

After riding everyday in May and tackling some big climbs, I was beginning to gain some confidence, and I could tell my legs were getting stronger. But then the May 31 ride happened, and just like that, I was put in my place. It kills your pride and it’s embarrassing, but it’s also motivation to keep climbing, to stay in the gym and to show perseverance. Nashville, I’m more stubborn than you think.

So I did it. Thirty-one consecutive days #inthesaddle. My friend Matt rode more than half the month, and so did my awesome friend Stephen! My friend Bethany rode to work everyday in May! And Jeff and Lisa rode everyday or close to it — I think Lisa only missed one day so I’m giving it to her anyway! She earned it. I loved the challenge and I saw tremendous benefits from riding everyday. I didn’t decide to do this as a fundraiser, but the end result benefits my work for JDRF Ride to Cure Diabetes rides I’m participating in this fall.

Lake Tahoe is less than 90 days away, and I’d love to have your support. Your donations are a personal encouragement to me, and I am grateful for every single dollar friends generously give. It’s a tax-deductible donation, and more than 80 percent of all money raised for JDRF goes to research and research-related education for type 1 diabetes. You can support me at this link.

Thanks for following along on this journey. It was SO MUCH FUN!