Step One

When I got home from work tonight I filled up my water bottle and strapped it to my handlebars. I hopped on my cruise bike and peddled into the nearby neighborhood. I made three loops. There were some uphills and downhills. But mostly there was a sense of starting something new, something big.

While peddling away I was reminded of the first time I decided to run a half marathon. I kicked it around for a while and knew going into it blindly was a bad idea. So I went to informational meeting for Team in Training. I signed up that night and started a four month training plan that took me from walking and jogging around my immediate neighborhood to running miles upon miles down bike trails and thirteen miles around Disney World.

I had to start training if I wanted to reach that goal of running a half marathon. I had to take that step outside my safety zone and sign up.

As I zoomed down a hill and over a speed bump, I laughed at my single speed, beach cruiser bike with squeaky seat. I have to start somewhere, so I did astride my squeaky bike.

I've more or less signed up for my next challenge. This time it involves riding a bike a few hundred miles over the course of a few days. My informational meeting is Monday. And hopefully, with some real estate luck, I'll get a bike that is more appropriate for carrying my butt from from New Jersey to Washington D.C.

And I'll be doing it for a good cause and in good company. It's called the Police Unity Tour and it raises money for the National Law Enforcement Officer's Memorial.

I'm ready for a different physical challenge. And I'm pretty sure my poor feet and ankles are ready to hand over most of the work to my thighs.

I will still continue running so I can run my half in August. But after that my running will decrease to the 5k distance as the max length for a while.

So, be prepared to see biking updates. I may have only covered a mile and a half tonight but a girl has to start somewhere, right?!?