You guys are freakin great. Thanks so much for the inspiration and the really good advice.
I went out tonight aaaaand
didn’t make the hill. I got further up then I have yet, but at a little more than ¾ of the way I had to quit. I coasted back down feeling really crappy, and really out of breath. My legs literally felt like they were going to explode. At the risk of sounding overly dramatic, I felt defeated.
I wanted to quit for the night, so I headed home. I took it easy for a while until I got my wind. It was a really pretty night . The streetlight dappled the asphalt with a soft glow through the canopy of maple trees. It was so peaceful, and such a dramatic change from seeing the city through a windshield as I’m so used to. It hit me hard then what a blessed thing this is and how stupid it is to complicate it by setting illusionary goals and allowing myself to be feel bad when I don’t achieve them. I’m still going to go for them, but I’m not going to beat myself up over them. I’m sure it’ll happen.
I biked for two hours after that, and I conquered some less bad ass hills, which was nice.
So yeah, that’s where I’m at.
As far as gearing, hehe, welll, I recently bought a Jamis Sputnik, single speed. Am I crazy?