And, yet, there are miles left to go...

After spending the last three weeks or so, raving about the beauty of a road bike, DH finally asked for one. And OF course I wasn't going to say no! Now he could easily join me on my long ride days. Little did I know that he would push the meaning of a "long ride."

Yesterday, we head to the bike store, get him all fitted out, add all the gadgets and head home to hit the road. We plan on a relatively short ride around the neighborhoods to let him get used to the new steed...so out we go with the intention of riding about 12 miles and at 6pm that would be pushing the darkness limits of our non-night-safe steeds.

We hit the neighborhoods that have nice long streets where you can get good speed and steady cadence (for the non-cyclist, that is the name for peddling). We get to the end of those and DH shouts, "Take a left up here, I want to see what's back there!" Words I will live to despise!

To make a long, tortuous story short, at 9:15 pm and 27 miles later we pull into our driveway; tired, hungry and VERY giddy. I pushed all of my limits and DH pushed most of my buttons (even though he wasn't trying too). I had started the ride (including my prep, i.e. eating, water supply, carry-on food, for it) on the aforementioned criterion and with the very clear fact that riding after dark was NOT to happen.

I was pushed to the max and quite honestly beyond. But now I know that I can find my way home, in the dark. And fix a chain, in the dark. Cross bridges on a bike, in the dark (btw, have a mentioned my insane fear of bridges before?). Successfully hold a panic attack at bay, in the dark. And NOT throw my DH over the bridge guardrails, in the dark! :)

The point of my choice to do a tri and change my lifestyle was to push my limits and find myself and inner strength. (And maybe, just a little, to prove someone wrong and that I CAN do anything I want!) Last night proved that I am definitely on that track. And that it may be a long journey and there are miles left to go...but I am here to tell you this story. I survived this time and I will survive the next. If for any reason, then to prove to someone, somewhere (myself included) absolutely WRONG!