Pondering Biking

All kinds of thoughts go through my head when I ride my bike, more-so perhaps today since I actually rode it instead of the stationary bike at the gym.  In no order, here they are:

No wonder bikers wear sunglasses.  I spent the last two miles or so with a gnat crawling around in my lower eyelid.  Felt lovely.  I need to dig out some lenses from a dark corner.  No doubt they'll be covered in scratches.  (I hate wearing anything "extra".)

I imagine what I would do if I was hit from behind on a car.  Crumple into a ball?  Fillet my body open as I skid across the pavement?  Snap my spinal column?  I very much feel my vulnerability as I wobble along on that skinny frame of a bike.

And how about a dog?  Thankfully they were behind fences or totally disinterested in a 39-year-old slow-poke, but what if a dog flew at my bike, blasting full-force into it?  It's woman versus dog, and I don't like that.

How do people manage to drink anything while biking?  My gears are between my legs, and changing those gears is enough to land me in trouble, let alone getting out that water bottle for some rehydration!

What's with the toe and foot cramps?  First it was my left 4th toe, and it crawled up into my foot.  I had no choice but to ride it out.  Awhile later, it was my right foot's toe.  I guess this is all about learning how to perform with any kind of "glitch".  (I feel like I've had my fair share in the few times I've ridden, so I consider myself well-prepared if not in shape.)

It's a lot windier on the road than on the bike at the gym!

My sis says I have runner's legs, not biker's.  She's right.  Ha!

. . .

Today's ride went better than I expected in some ways.  We rode the same route as when my tire exploded, and I felt SO much better today than I did on that first ride!  And we went 10 miles further today, which really felt good!  My time wasn't as good as it is when I ride at the gym, but we were dealing with some good hills.  I am not comfortable with all the gear shifting yet, so when we went down hills, I ended up coasting rather than yanking the gears around.  But I felt like I could have continued on indefinitely.  Yes, my legs got tired on some of the long hills, but I didn't feel like I was going to die.  So, today for the first time, I'm starting to think I might actually survive the biking portion of the triathlon.  Yay!

Sis

Tonight I caught a ride over to my sis's house.  She invited me to stay for supper, but I really wanted (really, I did) to get out and take a run before supper.  On a whim, I invited her to come along with me. Totally surprising me, she agreed, and volunteered her kids to come along as well!  Unprepared to run right then, I borrowed Sis's exercise clothes, down to the shoes and socks, and we headed out.

We last ran together on our high school's track team in the late '80's.  Whoa.  As we started out together tonight, I commented about not being what we used to be.  Sis was the #1 girl on the team, and after she graduated, I took her place.  My mile pace record was 7:10, as I recall; her's was 7:11.  I didn't realize this till tonight.  Sis, however, had a mean long-distance pace that I could never maintain back then.

The evening was beautiful.  We headed out to a nearby park, where the road was relatively flat and deserted, and ran, strung out along the perimeter of the park, Sis's daughter riding her scooter between us all and happily chatting away till we'd drag her out of the road when a car happened along.  It was a lovely time.

So glad I have a sis I can run with again, all these years later.

He Still Thinks I Look Good

Me:  What time do you think you will be @ wellness ctr to get me?
Husband:  R u hoping for earlier or later?
Me:  Doesn't matter.  Just want to know if I should bother or not.
Husband:  Please bother!  I'll come join you in my Pathfinder clothes if I have to.
Me:  Deal.

Ten sweaty, painfully spun miles later, with Husband by my side in his dress shoes, dress pants, and undershirt, I climbed off the bike.  Clearly, I was taxed.  Clearly, it was not as easy as it used to be.

"It's strange," he said.  Without a word, I knew we were both pondering the memory of me doing the entire triathlon (with apparent ease) seventeen  years ago.  "You look just the same."  He seemed puzzled by this.

Thanks, Babe.  You made my night.

And thanks for helping me endure.

I am hopeful that someday I might honestly enjoy this.  Right now I honestly enjoy the idea of the good I know I am doing for my body and that's about it.

Runnin' in the Rain

A run in the rain today.  It felt good.

The driveway did not feel good at the end.  (But it sure makes a fun sledding luge in the winter, so I really shouldn't complain.)

Tragic Comedy

Yes, it was one of "those" workouts.  Likely it will never happen again, which is a good thing.

This afternoon was my first time on a road bike in a long time.  Husband and I planned to ride for an hour.  Knowing he is so much faster than me, and in better shape than me, I took off at a decent (for me) pace.  Read: never be able to maintain for an hour.  Not to fear.  I wouldn't have to.

Heading down our road, I was very aware of my thigh muscles within less than half a mile from the start.  They didn't feel good, you know?  We turned onto a slightly less busy side road.  Husband warned me to slow down.  But I didn't want to slow HIM down, so I panted through the slight rise in the hill.

We turned right onto another road.  A hill loomed.  I cranked down my gears.  The hill grew as I climbed it.  I desperately reached down to change to the lowest gear only to discover I was already in it.  Ach!  I muscled my way to the top while husband said, "See you at the top" or some such thing and effortlessly flew on past.  Totally out of breath by the time I crested the hill, I allowed myself to coast a bit.

Repeat the last paragraph several times.

Turn right at the next road.

Down a slight hill, I raised my gear and took off.  Rounding a nice corner, I suddenly heard and felt a loud explosion somewhere right by me.  It made me jump, which didn't help me steer my newly-acquired flat-tired bike very well.  I had instant visions of filleting one side of my body open on the road as I clung to the handle bars for all I was worth.  I had no clue which tire was flat, but somehow had the presence of mind to not slam on the brakes (Thanks, Driver's Ed class.  Does this apply to bikes as well as cars?).   Holding that bike on the road till I finally slowed down enough to hop off was not fun.  But when I did stop, I was more than relieved to realize I hadn't crashed, and had survived my first flat tire!

We pulled the bikes off the road.  Husband opened his supply bag that was supposed to hold a spare tube, and discovered there was none.  We were nearly five miles from home.  After weighing our options, Husband escorted me to a nearby church yard, where I spent the next nearly hour wandering through an old cemetery reading tombstone dates and getting eaten by mosquitoes.  It was interesting and at least my thighs were not screaming at me.

Meanwhile, Husband was having a bit of trouble on the home front.  He had taken a key with him, but discovered it was not the key to the house.  Read:  grave frustration.

Suffice it to say that he did make it back to me, and I did get a lovely car ride home, and I did not have to ride my bike up the 50% grade driveway that we have.  (That last part of the sentence was especially nice, although mildly exaggerated.)

Next time, we will ride with a spare tire and the correct house key.  Lesson learned.

* * *

I am doing only the bike portion of the triathlon.  Feel free to send encouraging thoughts.

* * *

I've talked my nephew into swimming, and another friend is running.  Yay for friends and family!