Working on and up the hills

This weekend's ride is called the Medina Meander. I missed this ride last year. I hear it is not fun...because the hills are sickening.

Let me say this about that. I am not good at doing hills. Something about the gearing. Something about trying to muscle through them. something also about getting psyched out by them.

So this week is all about the hills. Mind you, it is also about regaining some aerobic fitness. I hadn't ridden in 16 days. Monday was rough. Had flown in on the red eye that am. Must, must, must ride on Tuesday or get slaughtered this weekend. Did a short 5 miles including one hill. We'll call it Storey Road hill. I had to stop half way up as I tried to pop it into granny gear and my chain balked at the idea.

Readjust, start up again, cannot get left foot into pedal cage. Can't get it into granny gear. Crank a few more times, get it into granny gear. Spin the rest of the way up the hill and die at the top.

Forward to today. We had gone farther to warm up. We did a big uphill having cranked it up to speed on a pretty steep downhill. Then a few more miles of warm up. A quick pop over what was last year's nemesis hill, the Sneaky Hill. No problems there. Then a quick stop to stretch out before Storey Road hill.

Today was better. Way better. I popped it into middle chain ring to start with. I somehow couldn't get it into granny gear, again. So I did the entire hill in 2nd gear and avoided granny gear. It really hurt, but I did it. I didn't stop. woo hoo. I finally did it.

One or two more days to hill train so Sunday does not actually kill me. I must get better at this or Tucson will kill me