Comfortably pedaling outside the comfort zone

On Sunday, I did a 70+ mile ride with a group of people I'd never ridden with. They were an energetic bunch, considering that I think most of them were hung over - as I had secretly hoped they would be, once I saw their very nice bikes and very non-grey hair. We rode at a faster clip than I normally ride, which was a nice challenge and fun, and they all were really nice people. I really needed a day of biking and no obligations.

Post-ride stop at East Lake Brewing and Taco Cat

It sounds like I might cross paths with one of these nice riders at the Ironman ride next weekend (just a cycling event that had that name before the Ironman you're thinking of), a few of them at the Fulton Gran Fondo Ride in a a few weeks, and a few others at the MS150. I'm excited to have additional people to ride with occasionally, assuming I get invited back. (They have uninvited people to ride with them, I hear, but I think those were super intense riders, which I am not.)

Now that I have that ride under my belt, despite not wearing a belt, and have more miles in than I did last year at this time, I'm feeling a bit better about the Ironman (where I'll do a minimum of 67 and up to 100+ miles if things are going well) and the more hilly and intense-feeling 100-mile Gran Fondo. I certainly am on track for both the MS150 and MS TRAM rides, in terms of the cycling parts! Now that fundraising business...

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MS150Maggie2016