Wheels for Meals 2011!!!

The Meals for Wheels annual fundraising ride: “Wheels for Meals” was this past Saturday and it was a success. They raised over $100K (*UPDATED 10/25) for the Alameda County CA division. And it offered some perks, like bringing friends old and new together for a great cause and for a great day. That's us kick ass chicks shadow riding the last few miles, hehe!

I remember Rina and I sending Kathy off on this ride last year. As Kathy rode away to do 15 miles, we looked over at one another and asked ~ why aren’t we doing this with her? We decided then and there, that if they had this event again we should all go for it. Well they did, so we did.

“That was great, it was easy!”, said Kathy last year. “Just two bad hills that I had to walk, no problem”. She really kicked butt, finishing 15 miles in just a few hours. Well..haha..either the route changed or someone forgot about the hard parts! Hehe…

We did a few strenuous rides in preparation, just to be sure we could finish the upcoming event. One in the Calaveras hills. And one along the Ironhorse Trail. The open roads were great! We pushed hard, had some girl time, had great workouts, and learned we could accomplish more and more with each pass. I also learned my bike is really out of spec and couldn’t hit lower gear or one entire sprocket, making Calaveras really challenging. Oh and I learned he (yes this bike is a he) really prefers to go fast, not slow…well those are in fact smooth racing tires. But hey, Livermore’s flat, the ride was flat last year, right? No problem. It’s a family ride. Right?

Wrong! It wasn’t flat! There were some hard core hills!

Although it was still a 15 mile route, this year was a little different from Kathys last event. For one, we had a group, and in this group we included family and friends, young and a little less young. ;) It was all cool because it’s a ride, not a race. And hills, oh did I mention the hills, like miles 5 - 10 were ALL hills. They changed the route! Shit!

Live life with No Regrets!

That nasty little thought crept in; am I going to make it? Miles 5 – 10 really tested me, I was just not sure I could do it. So I pushed! Hard! Hills, oh my these hills, argh! And I learned my bike has a personality. Really it is his fault. Uh Huh. He prefers fast (really fast) over slow, and flat or subtle grades over hills, so we nailed those and got the most amazing workout that I’ve had in years. I led our group much of the time! It’s just what I needed.

We kicked ass! We rocked!

I’ll put up a pictures post soon, once I’ve got them all pulled together. Meanwhile I’m thinking, I've really dug this, fast hard riding, I have loved this workout! And I loved being there in 55F temps with all those fabulous die-hard long distance riders at dawn. It was an amazing and beautiful day filled with incredible people. So while I’m pondering going further with this, meanwhile the girls and I instantly called it, next year ~ the 35 mile route!

Live each day like it’s your last!

Thank you all for your support. Have an amazing week everyone. I think I’ll go workout again now.