The number of things I lost count of during my bike ride:

The number of things I lost count of during my bike ride:

• Marshmallow treats eaten
• Oaky blows over my shoulder
• How often my knee hurt
• How many times I stood up and hammered on the peddles
a) The sheer joy of moving my legs
b) So I didn’t fall over up the hills
c) Because “other” areas were screaming in protest
• Rain drops on the inside of my glasses
• How often I enjoyed the smell of fresh rain on the breeze
• Number of people over 65 who passed me
• The young fit men I passed
• Potholes
• The wind gusts that made me think bad thoughts on the way up the canyon
• The wind gusts that helped push me back home
• Lung butter coughs
• Time I spent climbing at less than 6 miles per hour
• The speed coming back down
• Amount of clouds that rolled by
• Times I took my rain jacket on and off
• The number of gorgeous red rock plateaus with snow capped mountain vistas I saw
• Times I had to adjust in my seat
• Chaffing
• Clumps of fresh spring grass I saw sprouting up
• Pace lines I got dropped from
• Songs I listened to on my I pod in 6 hours
• How often I laughed out loud because the song I was listening too
perfectly matched my mood
Pain while climbing the wall past sand hollow
We’ll sing hallelujah came on just as I was finishing
• Yellow arrows desperately searched for on the road side
• Times I was worried Ana would lap me. She didn’t 
• How often I had to tell myself to relax and just peddle
• How often I smiled and thought “THIS IS FANTASTIC!”