School Needs To Start So That I Can......

Rest!!!!

Really........

I was invited to Marshall, Virginia to do a bike ride....

I didn't ask a lot of questions about the ride; I just called a friend to go with me.....

We got to Marshall around 9:30 this morning, and we proceeded to do one of the toughest rides that I have EVER done....

Over 61 miles of Hills, and I ain't lying.....

It's hard for me to say no to an adventurous ride, Soooo....

I really need for school to start so that I will not have time for a 61 mile bike ride in the middle of the week....

Every muscle is tired.....

So, this must have been a good day...

Yep, it was.....

This article made me sooooo happy!

Please read and enjoy this wonderful article about minorities and biking...

I love my bike and riding it!

I am begging you to find things that you love to do, and do them often........

Even Rev. Al Sharpton......

Bikes!!!

Let's get moving people........

Oh, How I Missed This Good Habit.......

Just the two of US????

In a previous post I talked about that fact that I have not ridden my bike since before Christmas, and I really missed it; Biking is my good habit that has made me its slave.

I've been checking the weather all week, and it was predicted that the weather today would be around 45 degrees and sunny. (Good weather for winter biking!) I have been anxiously waiting for today....

After church, I hurried home to cook and prepare for my 3:30 bike ride. I called the bike shop around one to make sure that Philip knew that I was coming to do the Sunday bike ride.

Of course I got to Spokes bike shop early to talk and to also get my bike checked out before the ride:

My favorite Bike Doctor!

For awhile I thought that it would be just Philip and me, and I was okay with that! Then, this rider who oftentimes rides with us showed up, and it was on.....

Three Amigos!

We did our regular, hardcore bike ride to DC!

Philip is such a great ride leader! Today, he showed me how to draft, which is basically getting as close as possible to the bike in front in order to get in its wind. In another riders' wind, a rider will use less energy, and I needed this today because it was super windy. The wind made me feel like I was riding up a steep hill until I got behind Philip. At one point I started to slow down, and Philip turned around and asked, "Are you going to get behind me or what?" I was laughing on the inside; Philip does not play!

This month, in order to honor the power that God has given us and to honor the people of the Montgomery Boycott, many of us are giving up something and replacing that with something else; If a person gave up juice, then that person may need to replace the juice with water. Right? So, the person may start to really love water and realize that the body loves it as well, and the person may become a slave to drinking water. (Developing a good habit!)

Develop good habits, and become their slave.

Well, that is what has happened to me. I've become a slave to biking, and I can not go long without doing it. My body loves it, and so do I. It makes me feel invincible, especially when I can keep up with Philip.

My people, let's develop good habits and reap the benefits.

Let's Do This People!

Just the Two of Us!

Philip and Me!

Today, the weather was somewhere between 65 ad 70 degrees, and the sun was shining brightly. I could not wait until 3:30 in order to do a group ride with the bike shop Spokes Etc. This group normally rides through neighborhoods. It is a great, challenging ride, but I really desired to ride to DC today. There is nothing like riding to DC on a sunny, fall day. However, today DC was not in the plans, or so I thought.

I got to the bike shop about 45 minutes early. (Can you tell that I was a little excited?) I talked to the guys in the shop for a while, and I was the only person who showed up for the ride. That meant that the ride leader, Philip, and I were going to do this ride by ourselves: Just the Two of Us.

As we were preparing to leave, Philip asked if I would mind if we rode to DC to Hains Point, a park in DC where riders love to ride because there are few cars and a rider can do speed practice. This was truly the desire of my heart. I wanted to ride to DC, and that is what we did. (We are always granted the desires of our heart.) I also informed Philip that I was a fast rider; I was not in the mood for a granny ride today.

Philip pushed me hard today. We rode between 17 to 20 miles per hour the entire ride. When we got to Hains Point, Philip stated that we were going to do one fast lap and head back to the the bike shop. We got to Hains Point and Philip took off, and I was right behind him. I wanted to stop a few times, but I stayed on his tail for the entire lap. (I've come a long way baby!)

We talked, laughed, and rode hard, and I am looking forward to more rides with Philip....

Just the two of us!!

I really hope that you received a few of the desires of your heart today.

Thankful Thursday: Quick Weekend Getaways

Biking Weekend 2012 in West Virginia

So, I am on a lot of biking groups' email lists, and I got this one email about a biking weekend in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, and I acted on it right away. I didn't know the people, but I know that I love activity filled trips. I contacted the organizers and sent the email to two of my easy going friends who would make this an extra fun trip: Nancy and Deitrea, and the rest is history. What a good for the heart, in more than one way, weekend!!!!

We hiked, biked over 100 miles in two days, ate almost every meal outside, and talked much s@$#!!

Harpers Ferry is a little over an hour from DC, but I felt like we were very far away.

So, you can leave after work on Friday, have a short weekend getaway, and get enough joy to last for awhile.

I am Thankful for Weekend Getaways!

Happy Thankful Thursday My People.

Do the things that you love to do often....

Black Women Bike DC (BWBDC)

The Washington Post wrote an article titled "Black Women Take Their Place in DC's Bike lanes" in July 2011, and all I know is that I got tons of emails from my friends about this article, because my friends know that I LOVE to bike.

The article stated that:

"But the racial gap for cycling is huge, both locally and nationally. Cycling advocates and enthusiasts say groups like Black Women Bike DC, which launched on Facebook six weeks ago with three women and now has more than 60 members, could encourage more African Americans to consider biking for transportation and recreation. Those pushing to expand biking infrastructure throughout the city hope that more participation by black cyclists would stem opposition to bike lanes, racks and bike-sharing facilities."

I have been in DC for 12 glorious years, and I have seen lots, and lots of bike lanes pop up all over the place thanks to the former Mayor, Adrian Fenty, and gentrification. The why does not matter to me; I'm just thrilled that the bike lanes exist. However, many of the bikers that I see are White, but I do see Black cyclist as well; I'm one of them.  (For those who may be living somewhere where biking is not that big of a deal, bikes lanes are lanes on the streets that are dedicated for biking.)



Bike Lane!

I have been bike riding for about ten years now, of course I rode as a kid, but I really started riding as an adult about ten years ago. My biggest influence for riding is where I live. The DC area is an outdoor place. On any sunny day, there are lots of cyclist and runners everywhere, and I mean everywhere. Seeing the excitement that biking and running generated in this area, I had to get in on the excitement. A few friends and I bought bikes, and we started riding. I'm not sure if they turned their recreational riding into a passion or not, but I sure have. I absolutely love riding, and I do it often.

Let me tell you why women and men all over the place should consider biking!!!!!

For all of my readers, I really need to let you in on a secret. Quiet as it is kept, biking is the fountain of youth. Yep, it's the fountain of youth. It really is great for the entire body: back, arms, stomach, legs, heart etc, and there is NO wear and tear on the body. A person can really ride forever, and I mean forever:


Couple that I ran into at brunch. They biked from their home to lunch,
and they were leaving to bike and pay some bills. They were in their
late 70's or 80's!

The gear! I love the biking gear. Those tops with the pockets are absolutely adorable, and those biking shorts makes a rider looks like she may have boo boo in her pants, but from the front, they look awesome. For years I rode in shorts and T-shirts, but one day I decided that I wanted to look like a biker. So, I bought the biking clothes, and I must say that the clothes really make me want to bike even more!


The dreaded picture in front of a mirror using a cell phone :(
but the biking gear is cute right?



Last, but not least, biking is fun and builds camaraderie! I have a group that I ride with in my neighborhood, and they are people whom I would never know day to day, but some kind of way, I ended up on their email list, and I love riding with them. We ride, eat breakfast, and ride back home. I am extremely blessed, because I have quite a few co-workers who bike as well, and we bike right after work. I also ride with my friends Nancy, Tammy, and hopefully Rodney soon!

 However, last night, I went to a happy hour hosted by BWBDC, and this opened up a whole new world of cyclist and cycling. We met at this great bar in DC, and talked about biking. You know that I had to show pictures of my new bike. Now, I have a whole new crew of riding buddies. My first ride with them is Sunday at 11. (Mom, don't panic; I"m going to 8am church service. I won't miss church to bike. My priorities are straight.)

I am soooo grateful to The Washington Post for writing that article, otherwise, I would have never found BWBDC. And, I am equally grateful for all of my friends who read The Washington Post article and made sure that I read it as well!

People, here is another option to get fit for life alone with good, clean eating, and all of the other exercises that you may do.

If you live somewhere where people do not bike, start packing your bags NOW!!!!

"I Get It"



My Hybrid Bike that's holding me back!

In a previous post, I talked about waiting. I wrote that post late at night, and I'm not really sure why.

I really pondered if there was anything that I was waiting to do, and I could not think of anything. However, on a recent bike tour in Vermont, I learned a lot about waiting and fear. I think I was shown a possible reason why people wait: Fear.

I have this wonderful hybrid bike that I really love. It's light, fast, and cute. I really get a kick out of riding it. But, sometimes when I ride it, I get extremely tired. I thought that I needed to do more squats and run more in order to strengthen my legs so that I could have better rides.

However, In Vermont, I was riding with an older couple from San Francisco, and I just could not keep up. I observed them as they gracefully rode hills and flat surface; they were really doing some good, solid, hard riding. I was holding my own but could not keep up with them. The difference between the older couple and me was our bikes. They had those super, powerful bikes that I feared.

Finally, it dawned on me, my bike was the problem, and I had to ask myself, "What was I waiting on to buy a bike that would help me to ride to my full potential?"

The reasons why I was waiting was fear: fear of the speed and power of the bike, those foot clips etc. Me, who will drive across the country by myself, afraid to take my bike riding to a new level. Imagine that? I had to ask myself, "Waiting for What?"

I talked to the ladies who were leading our tour, and I let them know that I really wanted to have more graceful rides.

The tour leaders assessed my bike and my body, (They actually said that I have a strong body, and I almost couldn't receive that, but I did, because I know the difficulty of my workouts.) and they told me that my bike was definitely holding me back. They even suggested that I try one of their powerful bikes. WAIT popped in my mine, but I instantly got that thought out of my mind and told the leaders "let's try it."

After riding for 36 miles on my hybrid bike, I was beat. However, the tour leader knocked on my door, and we rode for another hour so that she could give me pointers on how to ride a faster, more powerful bike.

The next two days, I actually rode that powerful bike. Riding it was so liberating; hills and valleys were ridden with an ease and comfort that I had never felt before.

As soon as I get back home, my old hybrid will be happily sold to the highest bidder.

I've faced my fears and is no longer waiting; I'm pleading with you to do the same with whatever it is that you are waiting to do.



Bike that I want!