When the Butt Meets the Seat

by Joanna

The race is only 4 months away. It’s no longer some far off feat…it’s time for the rubber to meet the road, or in my case, for my butt to meet the seat.

I was out for my first ride of the year last weekend on Mt. Seymour. It had the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Among the good: My brand spankin’ new top of the line Scott Genius bike from Obsession Bikes!! (More about that next week.) My colleague Sian who got me out there (one of the best things about having lululemon sponsor me in this race is the amazing community that I have the support of… No shortage of riding buddies!) And the wind and rain on my face in those moments when everything just clicks.

The bad: Those moments when things just don’t click…literally. I’m new to clip-in pedals, and while I totally see the value in having them for this race, we’re not quite friends yet. I know it will just take more time in the seat, and look forward to the day when clipping in on the fly feels seamless.

The ugly: well that would be me, soaked by rain and covered in mud. Again, something I’ll get more than used to this spring (and truthfully, something I kind of revel in).

My big takeaway from the ride is that I still have a long way to go. With only two seasons of riding under my belt, I sometimes get that nagging voice in my head that says something along the lines of “who do you think you are, there’s no way you’re good enough to do this”. Luckily I recognize it’s nothing more than a little voice, and one that I can turn off at that.

Appreciatively, it drives me to work harder. My training has picked up significantly in the past couple of weeks. My tailbone (broken in December) is almost back to 100%, thank goodness. I signed up for an unlimited ride membership at Eastwood and have been spinning 4 times a week. I don’t know what I would do without that amazing place – They let me know it was my "spinniversary" last week and I’ve grown so attached to it over the past year. I love you Eastwood! I’m also weight training at Elite Performance with PowerFit twice a week, and again, I’m so grateful for their brilliant training and fitness knowledge. (Pst – come work out with me there, I coach Mondays at 6am!). Right now I’m focused on driving my overall fitness and getting leaner. Pretty soon the more intentional longer rides and trail rides will take priority.

The countdown is on!!

“The more difficult the victory, the greater the happiness in winning.” – Pele