I never thought of myself as an athlete. Not when I trained to walk a marathon or walked/ran countless 5Ks, or when I started hiking and did close to 50 hikes with the Atlanta Outdoor Club. Not even when I joined a boot camp and went consistently for 6 months.
As much as I love bicycle riding, I wasn't looking forward to a 46-mile ride that my husband and I signed up for over the summer. The distance, while it would be the farthest ride to date, didn't bother me, but the idea of climbing hills did. Dreading the four climbs on the route wasn't helpful, so I thought of ways to prepare for this ride and improve my outlook.
Growing up, I was embarrassed to admit that I didn't know how to ride a bicycle. It was embarrassing not being able to do an activity that seemingly anyone and everyone could do. I didn't think I would be learning to ride a bicycle as an adult.