I Will Survive

It was a day for the books. Chris & I participated in the annual Reach The Beach bike ride from Beaverton to Pacific City, OR. Chris started in Beaverton with his Dad & I met up with them on the route as it passed through here in Newberg & rode the remaining 75 miles out of the 100 they rode to complete the event. We had terrific weather conditions. Cloud cover, dry roads, 55-60 degrees & little wind. Chris' Mom Kathy drove our kids & met us in Sheridan for our lunch break. We can't thank her enough for being our "support vehicle" & patient Grandma. I was doing fine until I hit the mental wall after being on the bike 40+ miles, the most I had ever biked before. I took a time out on the side of the road for a few minutes. Chris & his Dad were VERY patient. As his Dad put it, "It won't be pretty, but you'll get it done." It's strange what kind of mind games start playing when you're beyond a familiar exhaustion point. The next time we stopped after that I asked Chris like 3 times in a row what time it was! I couldn't retain the info coming out if his mouth. And my bike computer was confusing me too. But at the same time, I could process the reasons I wanted to keep going. I spent many miles staring at Chris' back tire thinking about calling my Mom & Dad at the finish line, calling Kristin & getting a high five over the phone from her, blogging my feat, being able to talk about the ride with Chris for years to come because I WAS THERE!!! I'm so glad I finished the ride. The last 15 miles was so nice because it was mostly downhill to the beach. It was also the prettiest part because we rode into the trees & followed a river with covered bridges providing passage over it. I was finally able to experience what Chris has a dozen times before at a century finish line: the cheers & happy faces of my children for not only their Dad & Pa, but for ME too! The beach was beautiful but packed with other riders & tourists. We can't wait to take the kids back & take it all in. Our 15 year anniversary will go down as our bike ride back to the coast we honeymooned as many years before. Priceless.