The road to Austin began way before Houston. (Part 1)

Last year my sister and brother participated in the Lone Star BP MS 150. I was able to join them at Camp St. Mark on Saturday evening and follow them along the route the next day, catching up with the team at lunch and at the finish line in Austin. After being on the outskirts that weekend, I realized that I too wanted to be a part of this awesome experience.

When the time came to sign up, I registered on the first day! I realized that meant I needed to begin training as soon as possible. About that time I turned 29 ½.  I decided it was officially time to join a gym. If I had any hope of being physically fit when I turned 30, I needed to start working out right away. At this point I didn’t even own a road bike, so I figured it was a good excuse to start out in the gym and wait for warmer weather before getting out on the roads.

I joined Gold’s, got a trainer, did some classes, and really devoted myself to working out 2 to 3 times a week while building my strength and endurance.  I kept that up until February, waiting for warmer weather and a bike to ride.  My sister was generous enough to share her bike with me for the season, and my mom was able to haul it back to Waco from Colorado on one of her many road trips back and forth.

My first time on the bike was downright scary. Figuring out how to get on, clip in, get going and then stop, clip out and get off was a mental workout in itself.  I realized pretty quickly that if I ran into anything at all I would go directly over the handlebars without a doubt. Along my route on that very first ride, a reflector came loose on the back tire causing a “pop! pop! pop! pop! pop! pop! CRUNCH!” - which scared me to death because I had no idea what it was or how to stop the bike and get off so I could check it out. After that I turned and headed back to the house, wondering how I’d ever get myself ready for the MS 150.

The following week I attended a bicycle maintenance class so I could learn a little more about my bike and how to change a flat if I ever should need to know. I stocked up on supplies and decided I was ready to hit the road again. I took another practice ride so I could learn how to use the gears and get comfortable riding a little faster pace.  That second outing was about 10 miles or so down by the river. I followed a hike-and-bike loop path just to get used to the feel of the bike. I practiced clipping out and stopping and realized that I could really handle this. By this time the race was only 8 weeks away. It was time to get serious!