I'm not afraid of granny gear

 I am training  to ride in the Tim Johnson's Wachusett Fondo hosted by the Minuteman Road Club on July 28, 2018. My husband, Bill just told me that my ride would be 40 miles. I had a moment of panic. Per usual, I did some thinking again on my ride today. As I started out I chose the harder route (for me) and went up hill vs down hill. A friend who lives on that hill joked about another woman who pedaled extremely slow up the hill in the little ring. As I did the same past his house today I got anxious feeling like I needed to be faster and have improved cadence and not feel so winded.

My parents are now showing signs of slowing down. They struggle with mobility issues as many do when they get older. I realized on this ride how proud I am of both of them. They are work daily on challenging their comfort zones. They push them selves to move and continue to maintain their independence. Sometimes it's not pretty, but they do it and are better for it. I am truly blessed to have them as role models.

I can't say that I will ever stop wanting to do what I did--or even didn't do-- in my younger years. I hope I will always find the inspiration to continue to move and practice moving in way that challenge me. What I do know is that I am quite ok with needing to ride in granny gear up those hills. At least I'm doing it, and I am appreciating the view, experiencing life, and finding an inner calm at the same time.