Riding a Century? Are you nuts? Week 1

Last year around this time I got a book that was really how to ride a century in 100 days...or something like that. Being a planner I really liked how organized the book was and I really liked the chart. So I started the plan...did really good for about a month. Until my riding buddy, Dave, got sick. Now, I am a chicken to ride alone. I really don't like it. I rode to work and back for about a month (that was mostly alone...but not that far). Anyways...with no motivation and no riding buddy I gave it up. I thought that I could just ride on my stationary bike...but that is pretty boring so I just didn't ride much this past year.

What's a century though? Well, it is when you ride a bike for 100 miles....well there's some other milage also that counts...but, since I am a novice in this whole arena...let's just say I really want to ride the 100 miles. I know that there is no way that I could just get on my bike and ride tomorrow, so the plan in the book made a lot of sense to me.

Back to today...well, Saturday night actually. I thought that this week would be a great week to start the 100 days again. The way my week looks will work with what the plan requires for the 1st week. Ride Monday easy 30 min, rest Tuesday, ride Wednesday easy 30 min, Thurs-Friday rest, Saturday ride 1 hour moderate, Sunday rest. EASY right?

I don't know about you, but I tend to procrastinate. So since I woke up way earlier than normal on Sunday morning I started....well, I rode 30 min on my stationary bike! Then I talked Dave and David Jr. into riding on Monday (Dave's day off) on the green belt. After about 1 mile David Jr.'s bike got a flat..but I had an extra tire in one of my saddle bags (not my hips, the bags on my bike). So we got that fixed and rode another 4.5 miles into the heart of Boise. We had a great lunch at Prontos (a great pizza place) and rode back to the car. In total we rode 11 miles! ( a little more than the 30 minutes of easy riding)

Today I am sore! It's ok though. I am so glad to have started once again on my journey to ride a century. I just hope I can get up tomorrow to bike before Dave goes to work. It is way too hot to ride later in the day. I'll have to plan for it though. :)

Trying to ride the century reminds me of when Paul writes to the church in Romans...

I want to prepare to ride the century, but I put it off to another day; I don't want to be a couch potato...and yet that is sometimes what I am....woe is me.

"For I know that in me(that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present iwth me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will tod, I do not do; but the evil I willnot to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me...O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God-through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Romans 7:18-20,24-25a)

I am thankful to God that in He has conquered sin and that through His power I can live a right life and I can flee sin. Praise the Lord for His everlasting goodness to give us a powerful savior!