trying new things

it is beautiful here. the weather has been fantastic and the kids and i have spent a lot of time outside reading or doing science experiments. i realize that i ask my students to do new things all the time. sometimes that can be scary.

so i have made a concerted effort to try new things myself. sometimes in my adult life i get too comfortable with what i have always done before. there is a thrill in doing something new and different.

for a few years a few colleagues and friends have been going mountain biking. justino and i recently bought a mountain bike (mostly for him but i must admit that i wanted to get one i could ride too.) so last night we headed out to some trails nearby and i experienced my first trip mountain biking.

let me take you through my thought process...

okay, this is not too bad. a little different than riding on the road or in spin class but pretty cool.

uh okay, we are going up a rocky hill. i can do this. not a huge problem. it will take a little getting used to.

oh crap, i am supposed to go down that hill? what about those tree limbs and big rocks?

aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh uh oh uh ahhhh.

breathing rest stop.

That is pretty much the cycle of yesterdays ride.

After I got through the main shock of it all. My friends began giving me some tips. Like keep your feet at nine and three. Push your weight towards the back of your seat. I wouldn't say that I became great at it. Far from great. But, I had a great time and didn't fall off the bike.

I really had a great time and surprised myself by actually going down what looked pretty scary. I felt great at the end because I actually did it. I actually went mountain biking!

Today when I woke up, I was worried that I would be very sore. Actually, I feel pretty great! I even rode to my professional development meeting today.

I'll keep you posted on any new experiences!