Here we go!

I am really glad I showed up to race one day. 

Cinderella story...out of nowhere...

Spring 2009, I see an ad for the Trek Wednesday night mountain bike racing in King.  Not sure if this ad had ever been in there before or how long the 'King trails' had been in existence before 2009...but it was like out of nowhere I happened to see it and decided hey that's close to home, I haven't ridden my mountain bike in years...sounds like fun...I'm in.

Never mind that I hadn't ridden a bike in 11 years. Never mind I'm kind of out of shape. Sort of in walking the dog kind of shape. Ok really out of shape.  I'll just do what I can and if I crash at least there will be other people around to get me out of the woods before the coyotes eat me.

When the next Wednesday came and I left my kids crying with Daddy (for the first time...at ages 2 & 4...yikes) and went off for my first ride...oops race. 

So the race started...and I pedalled up the start lane of grass...being left waaaaay behind by everyone else...but I wasn't worried about them...I was there just for me...and to not get run over.  Just to get out and ride.  Do 1 lap.  But first there was all this grass!!!

Oh so evil all this grass.  And it's uphill too.  Holy crap. They really need to cut it shorter.  Where is the trail part?  Maybe I should have come over just to ride first.  I can't breathe. How much grass is in this? What was I thinking?  Will I even make it to the woods part?  Aaaah dirt....

And so it started.......I actually completed a lap.  One very long lap.  Pushing my bike up every hill.  Stopping to catch my breath at the tops.  Clipping out and dabbing most of the corners too.  Every single racer there passed me and very kindly asked if I was ok. Week after week I did my one lap.  Hiking every hill. Every other rider passed me by...I sure got comfortable with being passed...and everyone was so nice about it too.  Gradually I got better.  Rode more corners without dabbing.  And...even made it up a whole hill. (and I still remember which one was my first!)  And...after maybe a month or so...2 laps.  Yesss.

I felt alive and amazing and completely exhausted and mad at myself.  Holy crap I knew I wasn't in great shape but wow. 

And...even better...something else really cool happened on that first Wednesday night...

I made some new friends.  Girls.  Close to my age.  Moms. Who love mountain biking.  I thought it would just be a bunch of guys there racing but nope....there were other girls too!
And the Wednesday night riding habit continued well into the late fall after racing had ended (and into the nights)...and spread into other days too...sneaking off for group rides in the day...some of us calling in sick, scheduling 'appointments'...oh my...so addicting...like skipping school to sneak off and play...in the woods...like when we were kids...

And now it's 2012.  Time flies when you're having fun.
So glad I showed up to race that day!