Noticed a change in topic? You aren’t going crazy. It is still me and I still work on the farm. But like I have mentioned before, the new position is mostly in front of a computer, on a phone or doing face-to-face marketing for the farm. I still try to make excuses to get out to help on the farm or at least walk around. With so much going on and changing seasonally I do need to keep myself informed. And I am always eager to help stack hay bales or be on call for birthing or help with a pig auction. But unfortunately those can’t make up 95% of my job.
Because of the inactivity and inability to participate on the farm (which in a way had become a portion of my identity) I actually found myself in a lull of depression toward the end of last Winter and beginning of Spring. It was affecting me, my relationships and I was heading toward a place I thought I had permanently escaped.
And then I rediscovered cycling.
A few years prior, while I worked in a world of cubicles, I had used my tax refund and sales commission to purchase a carbon bike. A Specialized Ruby Elite. I have never been the most creative so the bike was quickly named Ruby. I guess I could claim it was after my favorite Rancid song, Ruby Soho. Sure, we’ll go with that.
But I never fully appreciated Ruby. At the time I was still riding horses, hanging on to a dream I claimed to have hung up. And so Ruby was a space filler. When I took a job on the farm (which I consider myself lucky to have found and very grateful to Bossman for hiring me) Ruby was put away in storage. Afterall, work wasn’t the easiest and I was staying in great shape just by working on the farm.
When I lost that (well, I was promoted to a new position and again I am thankful to have the opportunity) I slipped into inactivity and mentally began to slip downward. So slowly I didn’t even realize what had happened. Then Spring came. After some coaxing I took Ruby (who had been put up for sale) out for a spin. I remembered why I had purchased the bike. Ruby is fast and agile and when I was first getting used to riding Ruby there was a bit of unpredictability that I enjoyed. Really, I loved to go fast. Never having been a great runner, the speed I could achieve was a freedom. Dare I say a way to escape the black hole I had been heading toward. A curtain was beginning to lift.
Without making an already long post even longer I spent many hours of 2011 riding my bike. In late Fall I signed up to join a group of friends (well, most I haven’t met!) to do my first big ride. 150 miles big. Go big or go home right? It isn’t until the first weekend in June. Like all my passions, I am excited to share and so I revived this blog. I’m still a Farmgirl at heart. Just now I’ll be pedaling forward. I hope you enjoy my journey … whomever might be reading this. (Even if it is just myself!)
____Today’s Training____
6.5 mile hike around a portion of Manassas Battlefield. 2.5 hours, 35 degrees.
Notes: Today I did a hike at a high enough pace to feel my heart rate elevate. I would have done some work on the trainer but in my endorphin high after my session yesterday I signed up for a 5k on New Years Day. I have to mention that I haven’t done much running since before Thanksgiving. The last time I ran 5k was September 11 for a Memorial Run in Arlington – and I started running once a week last Summer. To quote a chapter from “You Are An Ironman” my mantra for Sunday will be Right, Left, Repeat. I figure it is good to cross train a bit. 🙂 And yeah, I am a bit impulsive when the endorphins are rushing.
155 days to go. I can do this.
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