Well, on the weekend I did what I thought was impossible for myself. I completed a 76km bike ride from Onomichi to Imabari. The ride was to raise money for two charities – one an orphanage in Cambodia, and the other to the 2011 Tohoku Tsunami Aid. It involved not only riding 76km, but also climbing and crossing 6 different bridges, all while admiring the beautiful scenery of the Seto inland sea.
It was a challenge I was willing to take. I’ve been doing my squats in my body pump classes and done interval training on the elliptical. I was ready for this next challenge!
Or so I thought.
I was exceeding my expectations of my riding and surprised myself as I excelled during the climbs. However, it was as we journeyed up the hill to climb final bridge that my legs hit the wall. It was as if no matter how hard I tried to quicken my pace, my legs were just unable to move. The lactic acid was built up so strongly, the pain was almost unbearable! But, I knew that if I stopped right there, it would be even harder to start-up again.
I gritted through the pain, biting my tongue and often muttering under my breath. The downhill descent on the other side of the bridge felt like a reward. My legs could finally recover and rest after that grueling climb.
While I was under the belief that the decent was the finish line of this rather difficult bike trail, I was terribly mistaken. It appeared there was still another 5km to complete as we entered Imabari city. Each stop light was torture, as my legs struggled and shook as they tried to support my weight. Where was that finish line?!
In what felt like the longest 5km of my life, we had reached our final destination. As I joined the countless exhausted others, we all congratulated each other on completing the grueling trail. It was at that moment that I was also thankful I had decided to only bike the one-way and not both!
While I awoke the next morning with a slightly stiff back and a sore butt (the bumps were not forgiving on the road bike), my legs actually felt okay. I was relieved, as both my friend and I leave for Cambodia on Wednesday. There would be nothing worse than exploring temples with sore leg muscles!!
The best parts of the bike ride however, was the scenery. There were moments I felt I was no longer in Japan, but somewhere tropical. Some sections even reminded me of Hawaii. A beautiful ride and a challenge I can see myself participating in again next year!
