Melody and I had the opportunity to get out on our bikes for the entire day!  She called me up and asked if I wanted to ride Shadow Mountain.  Oh I thought, that is a lot of riding for my first ride up into the mountains, but why not really? We decided to meet at the famous Deer Creek and Wadsworth meeting spot, we each had ridden about 7 miles to get there and were both already giddy about the weather being beautiful.  I begin to tell her that at the top of High Grade I would know if I would be able to conquer the entire Shadow Mountain ride (remember people I haven’t been on my bike but 3 or 4 times this entire winter).  If I don’t think I have it I will just turn off and do City View, which for the first time in the mountains would make me VERY HAPPY!  She looks at me with a very confused look and states she cannot recall High Grade being part of the route and she remembers that we go all the way up Deer Creek and head over to Parmalee Gulch.  It hits me then, that Melody wants to do the Epic Loop today.  This is an 80 mile ride with like 10,000 feet of climbing.  For those of you who know me, well you know that I am pretty flexible and easy to get along with.   I do not obligate people to stay with me on rides or run.  I am slow.  I know this and accept it.  I love riding with people and always tell those I ride with…”Don’t feel like you have to stay with me.  I know our route and I know how to change a flat.”   With this being said, I agreed to ride the Epic Loop with Melody on my first trek into the foothills of Denver.

That was the clean version of my story.  However, there is a dirty version.  This is the version that takes place in my head…here goes:  Melody calls.  She wants to ride Shadow.  I am up for a bike ride, but am unsure of actually making it up the mountain because I haven’t been on my bike seriously at all this winter.  I know I can commit to starting the ride, but I am unsure of being able to finish it.  I give myself an out:  City View or if it is really bad Deer Creek.   In my head I do not ride fast.  Really I want to ride fast and climb well, but I know I don’t and so I stay stuck in my own story.  I don’t get to bed until midnight because I was working on my race website.  So I know I haven’t set myself up for success.  My stuff is not set out for the morning.   I set my alarm for enough time to get up, get stuff together, and eat breakfast.  Alarm goes off.  I don’t wanna get up.  Again, I see myself turning around and not finishing the entire ride.  Maybe I am too advantageous for the first trip up the mountain.  All of a sudden my mind says:  ”:ENOUGH!!  We ( yes there is more than one of me…my physical self and my mind…oh wait… there are three of me because I also love my bike shadow…she is perfect) are stronger than this.  You will visualize yourself riding the way you know you can and the way you want to ride.”  I make the decision that before I get out of bed I must create a visualization in my mind of exactly what I want the ride to look like.  Honestly, it takes me about 15-20 minutes to go through each climb and see myself the way I want.  It was not easy.  After finishing the visualization I get up and get ready.  Mel and I meet at Deer Creek and figure out the loop Mel wants to do is really the Epic loop and not the Shadow loop.  I simply say I am committed to the ride and will finish it.

Off we go up Deer Creek.  Ever since I did this climb at 3 in the morning I love it.  Riding it in the dark gave me a whole new perspective on it.  When I couldn’t see what I was climbing it was way easier.   We plug along and get up the first climb.  The day is gorgeous and I know I am lucky to be spending the day on my bike.  It is funny how those of us who train through the winter think it is gorgeous when it is 40 degrees and there is still snow piled on the side of the road.   It was one of those gorgeous days.  I didn’t add more layers and I didn’t shed layers.   It was a little chilly going down the hill but not so cold that you are shaking to your bones.  One climb down and three more to go.  Mel decides she doesn’t need to get the back side of Shadow in today that doing the 3 climbs would be great.  Fine with me, but now there is a choice on how to get back from Evergreen.  I pick Little Cub instead of going up 74.  There is less traffic and it is prettier.  But, it means that we are climbing Little Cub!  I just created a clean version of my ride while actually being on the ride.  Visualization helped me a ton today.

The coolest part about it was that I never even had to think about it again.  It just was. Deer Creek, Parmalee Gulch, Kerr Gulch, Little Cub, and the back side of Deer Creek.  All exactly how my mind made it out to be.  It is a hard ride.  There is no getting around that.  But I am pretty bad ass.  Really, I just rode about 70 miles with about 60 of that being in the mountains with my bad ass friend Melody.  I am going to continue practicing visualization.  It wasn’t easy.  I found myself starting off the vision positively and without really being aware I would find myself seeing exactly what I was scared of seeing.  Starting over each time I found myself there helped me.  Each time I went through the story I got a little further through before finding myself having fear or versions of the story I was not satisfied with.  Being diligent and honoring my bad ass self got me through the process with enough time to get up and get ready.  Thank you to Melody for a great ride and great company, and thank you to my mind for playing along with me today.