And so it begins!

After 8 months of physical preparation I sit in the San Francisco airport awaiting my departure to Munich Germany.  After an 11hr flight I will hopefully arrive to find my smiling tour guides, bag and bike all without hassle.  Fingers crossed!  My flight here was pretty uneventful except for the kid screaming like they were possessed. Yikes!

In chatting with some friends about racing a comment was made about how fun it is just to push yourself and see how you can do in a race. The competition aspect is "fun" and not a yardstick to stress yourself out over.  Competition has been hard for me as long as I can remember.  Usually Ive been totally focused on winning.  I would train so hard and put a ton of pressure on myself to hit that one small mark. I rarely if ever enjoyed the journey.  This started in the same way.  I took on a grueling training schedule that made me cranky and irritable.  The trip became a millstone around my neck.  Then I changed my thinking a few months ago, when I was telling a friend what I wanted to do next summer and he said 'why wait? what about this summer?'  Indeed, why wait?  So I let go.  I decided I didnt have to climb every mountain or ride with the big boys on my trip.  I wanted to have fun.  My body has come a long way and Im sure it will do amazing things, but instead of being stressed about performing to a certain expectation Im trying to just focus on enjoying the entire experience.  I knew my body was going to change in the last 8 months. What I didnt expect was how my mind changed as well. As crazy as things have been there has been a settling of sorts around what Im really wanting out of life right now.

Ive brought along several amusements for the flight.  A book my sister gave me, some geek magazines. I also brought my GoPro manual thinking I might actually read it and play with the camera a bit.  And Im making playlists.  I figured these climbs are going to be LONG so I may need some inspiration.  Heres a peak at my "climbing 1" playlist.  haha! a peak! :)

Incubus - Megalomaniac
NIN - Perfect Drug
Pearl Jam - Leash
TVoTR - Red Dress
Linkin Park - Bleed it out
STP - Naked Sunday
Lady Gaga - Scheisse
Ozzy - I dont wanna Stop (my theme song)
Rick Astley - Never gonna give you up
Wang Chung - Everybody Have Fun Tonight

So here I sit at the threshold of my big adventure.  Heading off alone to a foreign land where I have no comprehension of the language or customs, to ride what professional cyclists call the most difficult climbs in the world 3 years after I started cycling. I am at moments excited but right now mostly nervous. My thumbs are in danger of being picked raw.  I have completely overpacked like an obsessive mother with 5 kids. This is going to be awesome, terrifying, upsetting, thrilling, new and exciting... a real bonafide adventure.