Bike Michiana for Hospice

My alarm went off yesterday morning and I so desperately wanted to throw it across the room. The air coming through my window was cold, but the blanket on top of me was incredibly warm. So warm that I curled up a bit tighter beneath it. But I had to get up. 40 miles were calling my name and I had to answer, even though I wasn't sure if I could. Just as I was about to hit snooze, I remembered that Dad was riding in the same race. The 101.5-mile route. If he could do that, I could do 40 miles. Right?

Angie joined me and together we tackled all the hills and valleys, and the bumps and bad drivers.

There were two SAG stops along the way, which we stayed at for about ten minutes each. What does "SAG" stand for? We didn't know. But thanks to the Internet, I can report that it stands for "support and gear." Which now makes complete sense, given the finger foods that greeted us.

When you go such great distances on a bike or your own two feet, you can't rely on water alone to fuel your efforts. Your body needs extra support, and in our case that support came in the form of some Gatorade, half a banana and a few bites of a turkey wrap. That might sound like a lot of food, but when you're only taking a few bites here and there across 40 miles, it's really the perfect amount.

In the end, it was a tough ride. We finished in three hours and 30 minutes. Dad finished in five hours and 40 minutes. Lots of hills...and I mean LOTS of hills that we hadn't really planned for. But the views were gorgeous. Every road was out in the country, which gave us glimpses of horses and cows, corn and grass fields. We even heard a rooster. And if you're wondering about that cold air from earlier, it lingered. Think runny noses, frozen fingertips and goosebumps. Really, there's only one thing it could possibly mean—fall weather is upon us. I can't decide if I like that or not. I guess I do in a way, only because it means that pumpkins are growing. And I do love pumpkins in my food and on my porch.

Did I mention that we ate the cutest little cupcakes at the very end of the race?

I wish all cupcakes were this size. They were practically perfect in every way.

In other news, I'm teaching my first Circuit Sculpt and Teen Bootcamp classes today. Should be interesting. I tweaked my Tabata class a bit to cover the plans for Circuit Sculpt, and I planned an introductory strength training course for Teen Bootcamp. I already had a disc of music for Circuit Sculpt, but I had to plan something for the teenyboppers. Now, on my iPod, is a playlist that contains 30 minutes of tunes from the likes of Avril Lavigne, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Taylor Swift and more. They better think I'm cool. They better NOT think I'm old.

Question: What's the furthest you've ever gone on your bike? Do you have padded shorts? (Love 'em, but they make me feel like I'm wearing a diaper. And those days are super long gone.) Also, any suggestions for popular teenybopper music? I could use some help as I'm probably not as cool as I like to think.