Spring Training!

G and I were lucky enough to be invited to Florida for a bit of a reprieve.  We graciously accepted, packed up the road bikes and headed south for some spring training.  The change of scenery was exactly what we both needed. 

We flew out late on a Wednesday night. The following morning we woke up to the sound of palm tree leaves blowing outside our window and the birds already singing their summer repertoire.  Ah...vacation.

After a leisurely breakfast, G started to put the bikes back together so we could go ride and explore our new surroundings.  

G unpacking his bike box. 

He put mine together first- what a guy! 

G had done a bit of research about where the best places to ride would be and the conclusion was A1A was the only place to ride.  It runs up and down the coast so there was plenty of miles for us to pedal.  The road is well traveled but has a bike lane 70% of the time and when it doesn't, the shoulder is wide enough to share.  Oh and no potholes! 

There were signs like this everywhere. 

G navigating on our first day out.

Had to stop for the photo opp. 

We had great weather minus one day and it was perfect timing for a rest day.  Pedaling in Florida is as you would imagine- FLAT!  But the wind made up for the lack of hills.  I have forgotten or maybe I really have never experienced what it is like to pedal for 50+ miles non-stop with no coasting or downhills for recovery.  Did I mention the wind?  It always seemed to be the worst heading home.  We would mostly ride in the mornings after breakfast so we could be back to enjoy our leisurely afternoons. 
 

One afternoon, we borrowed the beach-cruisers to go to the market.

My guy on the low-rider with groceries in tow. 

Evening indulgence..it was vacation after all! 

Some afternoons we would just head to the beach.  I was not one for sunbathing as you could imagine my skin has seen enough "rays" for one year.  I was extra cautious to keep covered and wear lots of sun screen! 

Afternoon stroll on the beach.

Making friends.

Seeking shelter from a short rain storm.  We found this great little cafe for lunch. 

Part of our dinner one night.  It was so  nice to have such fresh local veggies! Cooking in was the way to go. 

For the 6 days that we were there, we mostly rode our bikes, relaxed and ate delicious food.  I realized that this was the first time I had been away from my home, overnight since our weekend to Maine over the July 4th.  It was wonderful to step away from it all, but it always feels good to be home again. 


As far as my overall health is concerned, I feel very fortunate to be able to say that I'm feeling stronger every day.  Over 250 miles of road riding really helped to kick my butt into gear.   There will always be something I can complain about-Like these darn tissue expanders!  I still have my headaches and some residual joint aches but I have decided to just convince myself that the joint aches are not from the chemo but from all my riding! 

Here's to the upcoming weekend.  Thanks for reading. 

S.M.