Hooray for average!

There is a nifty infographic circulating on Facebook that compares speeds of certain Olympians (Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt) with speeds of other things, such as a human walking or bicycling, or a cheetah running. You can see it here.

The chart lists the speed of an "average" biker as 10mph. I looked at that and thought, that's my speed!  After 24 miles of biking today, that's exactly where my average speed hit.

This is exciting for me because it means that I can finally consider myself a person who can ride a bike. This was a long time in coming. I didn't start to learn until I was well into my 30s. Every summer I would practice a little more, and every summer I seemed to hit new milestones.

One year, it was going down a hill that scared me. Another it was being able to make a turn. I still am not good with sharp turns, but I can turn onto another street without completing riding into the path of oncoming traffic.

I love this kind of thing. 

This summer I have found that, after only three rides, I am far less nervous every time I push off to start, I can slow waaaaay down, almost to a stop (to look for cross traffic) and not have to completely dismount to pick speed back up again and continue on. I still can't let go of the handlebars and ride at the same time, but I have gotten used to going over bumps without decreasing speed. There are many tree roots popping through on the path I have ridden on the last two rides, and I navigating them all, without stress.

After the turtle crossing sign,
I was treated to this. Turtles
know how to live. 

Today, there was a plastic water bottle on the ground, right in my way. I saw it at the last second and knew better than to swerve. I hit that thing right on, and I didn't fall! This is huge progress.

A little later on, sadly, I encountered a dead chipmunk, right in the middle of the path. Again, swerving was not an option. I really didn't want to hit the poor creature, but man, did I. Two times, one with the front tire, and one with the back. I am so sorry, little chipmunk. I know you were already deceased, but I still did not wish to dishonor you that way.

The Nashua-Ayer rail trail is
beautiful. 

The upside is that my chipmunk post-mortem experience has helped me realize just how far I have come. There was a time when I would swerved and probably taken a dive, but now I know better.

You live, you go places, you learn new things, mostly about yourself.