Personal Challenge: Training For My First Charity Bike Ride – Personal Trainer in Toronto | Body Envy

Over the years, I’ve contributed financially to various charities, but I never actually “put in the time“ per say.  This year, I decided to change that, after talking to a few people who participated in The Becel Heart and Stroke 25K bike-ride up the Don Valley Parkway in Toronto.

Bike-ride, you say? No sweat! That must be an easy ride, right? It’s what most kids do for fun! Everyone grows up knowing how to ride a bike. Well, most kids except me.

Growing up, I had no interest in physical activity as it required the exertion of too much energy and sweat: neither of which I was fond of.

Actually, I only learned how to “somewhat” ride a bike just last summer! So you can imagine what my family and friends thought about my signing up for a 25K ride less than a year later! They thought I was crazy, but they also knew how determined I could be when I set my mind to something!

Considering that the ride was scheduled for the first weekend in June, and that we had colder than usual weather leading up to it, I had approximately 5 weeks to prepare for this odyssey–in addition to my busy personal training schedule.

When I first purchased my bike, I was way too scared to ride it home. I honestly could hardly ride. So instead,  I walked home alongside the bike..

The Bike I walked home with 🙂

–Looking back, I realize how silly the whole situation was.. Go on.. You can laugh too.

The following Sunday morning, I got up early (6AM, in fact) to practice riding my bike without falling. Truth is, I was embarrassed at the thought of anyone seeing me learn how to ride a bike at my age.

I spent about 3 hours in a parking lot that morning just focusing on balancing (and kicking myself for not learning this when I was younger).  I practiced every other day and, slowly but surely, I started to feel comfortable and really enjoy it!

I can still vividly remember that morning of the ride.. I was extremely nervous but, once I hit the road, the nervousness quickly dissipated (and then quickly returned when I had to ride downhill).

Morning of the bike ride

By the end of the ride, I was extremely proud of myself.  I had set a goal, and I accomplished it while raising money for a good cause.

No matter what your goal is or how uncomfortable (or embarrassed!) it might make you feel, you can accomplish it!

Savouring the moment 🙂

Just put your mind to it and envision the end result!

What’s one of your fitness accomplishments that you have achieved and how did you achieve it?