And the Turkey Rolled

It was all over Facebook and Twitter yesterday, my completion of Denton's 27th Annual Turkey Roll.
Yep - I did it. I completed a 47 mile bike ride, and I did it in 4 hours and 18 minutes.
Now, while that is certainly not fast by racing standards, it is fast by my standards. Especially considering that I started training for the event about a month prior, and have only been cycling for about 2 months.

That I finished at all exceeds my expectations.

Some things I learned as a result of this event:
1. I LOVE cycling
2. I don't like chip seal
3. I still have a lot of training to do before I'll be ready for a century ride
4. I can reach my exercise and weight loss goals if I stay committed and keep working at it
5. The support of friends and family is everything

I biked this event with good friends, one of who happened to be my boss. She is an experienced cyclist and completed the event in what I suspect was half the time it took me and my other friend, both newbies. Nonetheless, when we crossed the finish line, she was still there, waiting patiently to cheer us in. I can not begin to describe how much that moved me.

I am glad this first event is over and grateful for the lessons I learned and the experience I obtained, and I'm ready to start training for the next event, what I hope will be a century ride, which, for those who don't speak cycle-ese, is a 100 mile ride.

Crazy, right? Yeah, I think so too.

Here's to good health!