36 days

I was just sitting here looking at the stats on my Cyclemeter app that show all my bike riding data.

The first ride I took was on June 14th. I went 2.8 miles, my average speed was 8.08mph and I seriously thought those 2.8 miles were going to kill me, lol.

June 14th was 36 days ago. In those 36 days I've taken 35 bike rides (I've missed some days and taken more than one ride on other days). I've gone a total of 152.94 miles and I've ridden for 16 hours and 2 minutes total.

Today I rode 5.34 miles and my average speed was 10.23mph. Those five miles today at a faster speed were easier than those first 2.8 miles at a slow speed on my first day. When I first started taking daily bike rides I would come home and collapse, gasping for breath and feeling like it was going to kill me. I still come home sweaty and out of breath, but not like before. I don't have to sit down and catch my breath for 10 minutes anymore. I come in the house, get something to drink and run upstairs to take a shower. I've also lost five pounds and I've gone up a gear on my bike, which means my legs are stronger.

10mph is still not really that fast on a bike and five miles a day still isn't really that far, but when I look at where I started 36 days ago I'm proud of myself for the improvements I've made. My asthma is better, my energy level is up, my body is stronger, and (aside from the mini detour I just took with the heart palpitations) I'm much happier. I know I still have a way to go but I'm excited about it. It's fun to watch the improvement in myself.