Personal Narrative Essay

“Hey, do you think I can go riding with you guys someday?” I tentatively asked my neighbor. “Yeah dude, you can borrow my extra bike if you want to.” Instantly, I was filled with elation and apprehension. I had not ridden a bike in over a year and now I was going to go mountain biking for the first time in my life. Although this first ride would not go well it marked the beginning of a life changing venture that makes me who I am today. As a thirteen year old on summer vacation, there seemed to be nothing to do and I began to find myself chronically bored. Most of my days were spent reading and playing video games alone in my room. I had nowhere to go and nothing to do. Having a physically handicapped father who was always working and uneasy relationships with my family in general left me with little opportunity to be physically

When first starting to ride I would sometimes find myself blacking out or wanting to throw up because I was not used to pushing myself towards any kind of physical exertion. Climbing hundreds of feet to the top of a trail was quickly exhausting, but it was not without it’s rewards. Rushing down trails at upwards of twenty miles per hour with nothing but my own two feet and gravity controlling my descent was exhilarating. Narrow and sketchy trails became my new home. The rush of adrenaline and the feeling of soaring through the air off of a jump seemed to be rewarding enough at the time. However, over time long term changes became apparent. Throughout my childhood I was always overweight and felt self conscious about it. After becoming dedicated to biking I began to slowly but surely break free of my childhood insecurity. I started that summer close to thirty pounds overweight but by the end of that year, I had lost it all. I quickly became interested in other sports and hobbies and went from sitting around all day to keeping myself busy and