Whew!!

Since I got my bicycle, many people have asked me how I've been enjoying it so far. I've told them that I'm really enjoying it; in fact, I'm enjoying it even more than I thought I would. However, I've also pointed out that the rides I've done so far have been pretty easy, and the weather has been really nice, so it hasn't really been much of a challenge. I guess at one point my husband heard me tell someone I didn't think I was getting as good of a workout riding my bicycle as I would get at the gym, and he kept that in mind. And today, he decided to make sure I didn't feel like riding a bike wasn't enough of a workout.

We just got back a while ago from my longest ride yet. Here is proof of how far I went today:

(In case you can't see it too well, that's 13.71 miles.)

We did this ride in the middle of the afternoon, in 85 degree temperatures, and we went up as many hills on this one ride as I think I've done in all the other rides combined! (Well, maybe not quite, but it was a lot!) AND, I'd also like to point out that I did this ride with one less pint of blood than usual, as I had gone to the Blood Donation Center just a couple of hours beforehand!

Despite the tougher conditions on this ride, I did still enjoy myself. There were still more flat sections than hills, and there was a nice breeze that kept us pretty cool. Plus, we took a couple of breaks to drink our water. But I definitely feel like I got a workout this time!! And that's a good thing, since tonight we are going to The Melting Pot for dinner, where I'll be indulging in cheese and chocolate fondue! I'll try to post about that experience sometime later this weekend. But for now, I've got to get cleaned up!