Indianapolis: Day 4

I feel like a broken record but Wednesday was another busy day!  I’ve never been good at resting on vacation and this vacation turned out to be one of the busiest active-wise!  But it was pretty fun so I’m not complaining.

On Wednesday, Sister and I headed out on a 4 hour bike rental.  She’d gotten some free coupons with her conference so again I lucked out by being her tag-along.  We set out to explore the Broad Ripple area.  It was about 8 miles from where we picked up the bikes which didn’t really give us much exploring time but that ended up being ok because we really just ended up aimlessly wandering again…

If there was fun shopping here, we missed it…

We did stop in a couple of store but the kind of shopping district I was picturing was not quite what met up when we got there.  We did find a couple of dog store to try to find something for our pooch but were not successful in finding something his picky little butt would appreciate…

He probably would have shared this cookie with us…

We also spent about 20 minutes trying to get our bikes locked together and to a bike rack… sounds easier than it ended up being when we just had one solid U-lock to try to use for two bikes + bike rack…

We wandered around a health food store in the area that was pretty cool and reminded me of one we went to in Kauai.  It had floor to ceiling supplement and healthy foods!  We found a few scores – namely peanut butter ginger chews!!! – and a good granola + some cookies and then ventured on to try to find a cupcake place that had gluten free cupcakes, called The Flying Cupcake.  (It sounds like we eat nothing but sweets on vacation and to be honest, that’s kind of the way we like it – lol! Not so healthy but live’s too short!)

Our cupcake after it’s 10+ mile bike ride to our picnic location!

We just took one to split later when we had our picnic lunch, a Maple Pecan.  Then we headed back since we were not sure how long it would take us to bike and we were quite a  ways away and figured we could eat lunch after we’d returned the bikes.

The not as paved part of our journey…

We made the 10ish mile loop back along the trail (the Monon Trail) and realized this trail was not quite as pretty as the downtown Cultural Trial but it was still nice to have a trail to ride along.

Almost back… just wanted to make it at least 20 miles!

We made it back to the Bike Hub, turned in our bikes and then walked the City Market real quick to try to find some drinks!  We ended up with just some Snapples but they tasted so good!

Most beautifully photographed lunch ever!

We ate our little random picnic lunch outside the Bike Hub – lunchmeat turkey, pretzels, sweet potato/carrot chips applesauce + our cupcake/cookie desserts.

Then we made the 1ish mile walk back to the hotel to rest a little and allow sister to shower and get ready for a few hours of working this afternoon.  I typed up a few posts, watched a few episodes of Angel and lazed around for awhile to wait for sister to finish working.

Once she was done, we went out walking again and decided to climb this monument but it closed at 5:30 so that will have to wait for another trip.  So we walked around a little more and then ended up at dinner at Adobo Grill Indianapolis.  They had a specific gluten free menu which initially brought me to their website but the very unique set of offerings convinced us we needed to give it a try!

I

We shared the guacamole to start and then I had pumpkin and black bean enchiladas.  They were really good but I’d eaten so many chips + guac that I could hardly eat any of my main meal… oops!

After dinner we walked around some more and then ventured back to the hotel for an early bedtime.  Sister was beat from working so hard and I was tired from being lazy so it worked for us – lol!

After dinner, we strolled the canal a ways and got to view a beautiful sunset!

Only a small portion more to recap and then it’s back to regular vacation-free posting for awhile

Ride Flashback: 2012 Krankin’ for Kids

Alternate title for this post – The Three Hour Tour

For some reason that kept running through my head this morning while I was riding because I thought that was about how long it was going to take me to finish.  But, to be honest, it was rather annoying to keep having that song pop into my mind.  I don’t think I’ve even ever watched an episode of Gilligan’s Island which makes that even weirder…

But anyways, my morning started bright and early getting everything packed up to head to my bike ride this morning.  It’s harder packing up for a bike ride over a run… you must check your tires, find your helmet, shoes, fuel, water, etc., etc.  And I still managed to forget my garmin which ended up being a really annoying thing later in the morning (think no clue what point you are at in a 3 hour bike ride…).

Nice bike carrier.

I got to the ride start about 30 minutes before my ride began which was more than enough time.  It was a very, very small ride (or it seemed that way) so it didn’t take much time to get all set up.  But once I got my shirt and goodie bag, I did still have to wrangle my bike out of the trunk, re-check the tires and get helmeted and shoed up.  At about 7:30am, I was off!

SO cold this morning!

The start of the ride was kind of annoying because we all started together and no one really wanted to be the one to take the lead.  I ended up behind some slower riders so I had to suck it up and pass.  I was terrified of riding 36+ miles on the side of a road with traffic and with other riders but I figured it was going to be a long morning if I didn’t just get over it and find my pace instead of just bringing up the rear.

By about 4-5 miles in, I was really not feeling this ride.  My stomach was feeling really sick and the hills were really killing me + it was sooooo windy.  Three things that were really hard for me to ignore and I was definitely not trained for the hills.  If felt like the first 12-13 miles literally took forever but getting off my bike and stretching at that first rest stop ended up helping me a bit.  It also helped I shed my long sleeve t-shirt because despite the wind, I was still pretty toasty most of the time.

 

I kept riding on for awhile and came upon another big hill that I thought would kill me but I ended up making it up just fine, shocking, right?  And made it to rest stop #2.  In hindsight, I should have known this was coming but I got off my bike at this stop and walked to the covered bridge to take a picture… through the mud… If you’ve ever walked with your clip-in shoes through mud, then you know I was in trouble.  I ended up with mud packed into my clips so I had to sit on a rock and dig the dirt and stones out of my clips to try to salvage my ride.  At this point, I really wanted to quit again but I didn’t really have that option so I had to just make it work.

The mud didn’t really come out of my shoes but I got them workable-ish so more biking ensued.  This stretch was kind of painful and I felt really lost the whole time because all of the signs had disappeared at this point!  The first half of the 36 was really well marked with signs but then all of a sudden… nothing.  I hoped that meant “keep straight” but I hated feeling like I was getting lost.  Anyways, I ended up being just fine and stayed on the route.

At probably about 30ish miles, the wind all of a sudden was so strong and directly in my face.  I felt like I was being pushed backwards on my bike… Again, I really, really just wanted to be done with this ride!

Just a few more miles later, I did finally make it to the end and it was so anti-climatic.  I guess I am so conditioned to finish lines and medals that turning the corner to… nothing was kind of depressing.  I just rode by bike back to my car, loaded it up and headed home. The End.

Done, done and done.

So Anti-Climatic!  But I did finish, I am sore and I don’t know if I am as exited to some-day attempt a Century ride… I guess that was one thing I was trying to figure out by doing this ride so we shall see… but I do at least have a new Bike PDR!!  And got to spend almost 3 hours enjoying the beautiful Wisconsin morning.

Happy Saturday Everyone!  Anyone run or ride any other races today?

Four Day Week Friday.

Yikes.  Where has the last week gone.  I can’t completely blame my lack of blog posts on my level of busy-ness but rather because I am pretty lazy + sort of busy!  So to recap the past happenings of this week, here is another edition of random information Friday!

1) On Saturday I did my last long training bike ride before my upcoming 36 miler!  (it’s tomorrow, btw!)  I made it 26-27 miles in a little less than 2 hours and realized the kind of speed necessary to run a marathon in that time… crazy, really.  I can’t even bike that fast, let alone run!  I felt OK for most of the ride and I am pretty sure the ride tomorrow will be fine but towards the end, I started getting a little flare up of back pain.  I think I should be able to help that by taking a couple of breaks along the way and resetting my posture.  I’m hoping that’s all it takes anyways!  Looks like the weather is going to be very fallish which I am not ready for yet on my bike anyways?!  I have summer-y bike things but what about for cooler weather?!?

Pretty view on my 26 miler

2) My “long run” of the week was supposed to happen Sunday with sister.  Now, I am not sure if the utter failure of a run had more to do with the ride on Saturday, not eating enough carbs Sunday or some other outside factor but this run sucked.  Like mega-sucked.  Like I don’t really ever want to run again sucked.  I think I made it 7.5 miles and hated it the whole entire time.  I am clearly in a running funk and nothing seems to be able to help me break out of it!  Yuck.

3) In lieu of said horrible run, I am once again taking an extended break from rigorous exercise.  I just feel so burnt out most of the time lately and I am not sure if it’s just being lazy and out of shape or actually being “overtrained”, etc.  I am only taking walks this week, nothing else.  I’m hoping a little more rest will set me right again in the running department.  If not, I will either just cheer Sister on in the 1/2 marathon in two weeks or attempt to walk/run it also.  I’m planning to play it by ear until the very last minute.  Whatever is going on is so not like me that I can’t really force myself to run because I just loathe it if I do.  But this loathing feeling is now spreading to exercise in general which is REALLY not like me…  Maybe being in a race environment will re-kindle my love for running?  Either that or it’s going to be a long 4 months “training” for the Disney Marathon…

4) Last night was the first time I got to meet my Girls on the Run group!  We start next week with official lessons but this week was a meet and greet and it was so cool to have this opportunity to introduce ourselves as coaches before the actual training starts.  Hopefully all the girls enjoy the program, it seems like a very promising group of girls and the coaches also seem like people I will be able to get along with… although that could always change at a moment’s notice  But in all seriousness, I am very excited for the opportunity to make a positive impact in these girls’ lives and I am hoping I can live up to my intentions.

5) I’m headed out of town next week and I am going to miss this little butt so much!  It would be so much easier to leave him if he didn’t give this incredible guilt trip every time the suitcases come out… Poor bud!  I will miss you!

Irrational love of blankets and the color pink…

6) When did it get to be 1 week into September?  Just when I think the summer went fast, the fall proves it will fly by even faster!!

7) As proof that I am incredibly lazy + this year is going fast, my winter boots are still sitting in my office.  I really did plan to bring them home in like April.  Whoops.

Also envelopes I intended to return about 6+ months ago. #procrastinator

8) I am so, so, so sick of this election bull already… blech.  Still like 2 more months?!?  I am so anti-politics it’s got to be unpatriotic.  But when you are picking between a rock and a hard place… And seriously Mr. Ryan?  How in the heck can you not remember your marathon time by over 1 hour.  Why lie about something SO DUMB!?  Or why even talk about it at all…  But I bet with enough training he could probably pull off a 2:00 marathon, nbd.

9) This is the first year since I graduated college that I had zero sadness about not going back to school now that it’s fall!  And when did all the freshman start looking like small children?  I swear I am not THAT old.  Maybe a little but I still get confused with being a high schooler so apparently it’s just really hard to judge a person’s age?

10) That’s all I’ve got this week!  Hope everyone had a speedy 4-day week if you had Labor Day off and are now ready for another September weekend!  Happy Friday!

Post-Marathon PDR and a Brick.

This past weekend went incredibly fast and I am not really happy about it.  How can the weekdays drag out sooooo much but then once it’s Saturday or Sunday – boom, it’s time for bed.  If only I could find that job that let’s me work two days and have five off, I think my life would be complete.

This past weekend I did manage to get in a few workout type activities.  Sister and I visited a local gym to check out membership options so on Saturday we both checked out the treadmills and weights.  I was planning to tackle 50 minutes on the treadmill with a walk/run technique and did manage to make it.  It was incredibly frustrating to not even make it 5 miles in 50 minutes because my leg would start feeling a little painful if I tried to push it too much but felt perfectly fine if I went slow and took breaks.  Go figure.

My leg also felt tons better when I stopped than it did before I started running so I really can’t figure that one out.  I’m becoming more and more convinced it is totally sciatic nerve related though because that would explain the exercise eventually making it better once I stop.  I guess for now I just do what I can and stop if things seem like they are getting worse!  I’m just crossing my fingers I can shake this at some point before the big marathon in January!?!  So annoying though.  But anyways, I got 4.5 miles done and really didn’t feel like it was as hard as I thought it would having now gone almost 2 months since running more than 2-3 miles at a time!  We shall see if I am singing a different tune when I attempt a 9-10 miler….

I REALLY want to earn this :S

On Sunday I decided to combine a few exercises and attempted to bike to the gym to swim.  I almost died multiple times getting there (or so I imagine) but I did manage to get there and back in one piece  Biking with traffic was terrifying (as I imagined it would be) but also not nearly as bad as I thought.  I am hoping to find a route that allows the avoidance of a left hand turn though because those just plain suck when you are biking on the side of 2-3 lanes of traffic…

The ride to the gym took about 30 minutes and then I attempted to swim/float in the pool for 25 minutes or so.  I realized how badly I will need to practice this skill if I ever want to attempt a triathlon… I maybe swam 200-300 yards with many, many breaks in between.  Most sprint tris include at least a 400 meter swim that you don’t really want to take an extended break during.  Yikes!  I also need to practice putting my head under the water while swimming but I ALWAYS manage to get a nose full of chlorine.  I think I need to invest in a nose plug!

Maybe need some fashion sense also. In my defense, it was laundry so most things were dirty…

I’m hoping after a few weeks of getting back acquainted with the water that I will feel less intimidated by it and will hopefully start to like it.  It is a really fun way to workout, minus the chlorine inhalation part, and really makes your muscles work in ways they don’t normally.  I was quite sore on Monday to say the least!

I’m still not really sure what made the weekend go fast but it’s already Tuesday morning so I guess it is really, truly, officially over… but only 4 more days to the next weekend, right?!?

Did you do anything fun over the weekend?

22 on a Bike.

I know it was a long time ago already but I had a really good ride on Sunday and wanted to post a little something about it  I just had too many post-worthy items all happen last weekend.

After a Saturday filled with running and watching runners, it was time for me to hit the trails and go for a ride again!  It had been way too many days since I was on my bike and I was happy to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather we have been having.

I was pleasantly surprised that it didn’t feel as scary or challenging to bike for once!  I could tell I just felt a lot more confident on the ride and I think that made the whole trip a much better one.

By biking 22 miles, I ended up making it into some new bike trail territory but was kind of not as nice as the part I am used to riding and running on  I had great hopes of someday making a really long ride on this trail but now I am not so sure.  Maybe I just hit a rough patch and it would get nicer again!  I did kind of miss a turn at one point and was close to half way so I just decided to circle around town and then head back.

On the way back I pulled into this little bike rest stop to eat a Clif shot and drink some water.  I am not very good at drinking + biking yet!  I also got to overhear the bike conversations going by me for a few minutes which was kind of funny…

Convo #1 (paraphrases, not actual quotations):

Dude #1: Oh, geez, my heart rate’s only like 108, isn’t that cool, I’m hardly working to keep this pace, what’s yours?
Dude #2: I don’t know, I didn’t wear my heart rate monitor but probably like 130…
Dude #1: Oh yeah, that sucks.

Is that the new thing?  How hard can you workout while still having a really low heart rate?  Nice.  Such an accomplishment.

After like a 5 minute break, I headed back home.  The way back always goes so much quicker!  I circled around my neighborhood a little to practice my drinking and biking and then called it a day.  After running Saturday and biking Sunday, my legs were TIRED!

I’m really liking biking more and more!  Now the only thing I need is to find someone to bike with so I am not as scared of being 20+ miles away from home!  Sister really needs to get on that  Or I need to find a biking group to join!  I also need to be less annoyed with the dumb shit people pull on the bike trail.  Exhibit A being the guy and his wife pulled over side-by-side hogging the whole bike trail to look behind them in their bike trailer to check on their childdog.  Seriously folks, I should not have to ask you to MOVE OVER!  And Exhibit B being the idiot on the bike swerving back and forth on the trail and speeding past me when I was stopped at a crossing to re-clip.  Let’s just say I quickly showed him what it’s like to be flown past on a bike.  Nice try, though!

I also may have located a certain swimsuit, swim cap and goggles that I’d purchased many years back… now I officially have no excuse to not train for a triathlon.  Oops!

The suit fits but it sure ain’t pretty

A New Kind of Race.

Yesterday, I signed up for a race.  Not another running race luckily… although I always have to talk myself off of that ledge.  Also, not a triathlon even though I really want to give one of those a try too!  This time though, I signed up for a bike ride!  I guess you probably don’t really call it a race when I am involved but regardless, I am pretty excited!

I signed up for the Krankin’ for Kids ride which is held only a short drive away from my house and I picked to attempt the 36 mile route (a mid-metric century if you will!).  This should be a good distance for me with about a month more of riding.  I’m hoping this weekend I can fit in a 22ish mile ride and try to also get in at least one 25-28 miles ride before the race.  I think that should give me enough butt endurance to sit on a bike that long!

One thing that I am excited about for bike races is the whole rest stop phenomena!  In running, you only stop in the worst case scenario but in biking, it’s really no big deal to stop and stretch, drink some water, eat a little something and go back on your way!  This should be good for me to practice taking things easy and not making every single thing I do a stressful event.  Also should help with the stress of training for it as I always have the option to take a break!

I only have two main goals for this race:

1) Don’t embarrass myself; and
2) Get used to riding near other bikers.

Going to try not to crash!!!

I should be able to get a little experience with both of these without much training.  I will be practicing the whole clipping/unclipping at stops thing though… or #1 might be more of a concern that I can’t avoid.  I also should probably try to determine what I should wear that won’t make me look like a clown on a tricycle.  I seem to be very good at combining workout clothes combos to really set a new element of style for the fitness world  I should probably also practice riding up hills… so many little things to work on now!

I am mentally prepared for my upcoming half/full marathon(s) to not quite go as I would secretly like so maybe this biking thing will be a good diversion?  Since not all my eggs will be in one basket with determining what makes me feel like I am being active/setting new distance records for myself.

The race is in one month so I guess I should go hit the trails for a ride!

What kind of race/what particular race would you like to sign up for if there was nothing limiting your ability to do so?  (either physical, time for training or financial).  I would have to say a Half Ironman, as crazy as that sounds… I did say there would be nothing limiting me!

It’s like learning to ride a bike.

Ever heard that totally cliche saying that normally refers to something relatively easy to learn?  Well, it’s bullshit.  Or the genius who started this saying never rode a road bike with clipless/clipin pedals around people with a wish to kill bikers with their cars (especially those who fall into the “Sunday Drivers” category).

When I first bought my new bike, I was ridiculously terrified of trying to learn something new at my ripe old age of 9626.  But darnit, I was bound and determined to not let some stupid pedals win me over.  It took me a few weeks of practice but I feel like I am finally getting to a place where I am not a hazard on the road when biking.  At least not the whole time I am out anyways…

However, I am now finding there are certain things about biking that I never knew before and no one ever warned me about.  Here are a few rules of the road I have learned in the last 3ish weeks:

1) Road rash hurts SO much worse when you fall a height of 5′+ rather than falling when you are five and probably more like 3′+ tall.  Way more than a little princess band-aid can fix up.

2) Road bikes actually go FAST!  Making said falls so much more painful if they happen at any kind of speed.

3) Cars will inevitably be annoyed you are on their road.  Last I checked I had as much of a right as you to be on the road in your car.  The most dangerous drivers are those I would describe as Sunday Drivers.  I think you know what I mean.  For some reason, a large target appears on my back when said drivers are near…

4) In my opinion, the rule of yielding at intersections/crossing should be as follows: runner/walkers always have the right of way, then real bikers (aka, those who pedal and are on two wheels), then sitting bikers (ESPECIALLY those with powered bicycles?!?)and finally cars.  Just because you have more power does not mean you can bud ahead and take out a walker/biker with your car/powered go-kart/bicycle thingy.

5) Helmets are not optional.  Stupid looking and total hair-do ruiners, yes, but optional, no.

6) It’s not OK to go topless on a bike.  Unless you have rock-hard abs of steel.  Then yes, there is a double standard.  But if your belly flops on the handlebars?  Yeah, that’s gross…

7) Drinking while riding a bike is even more challenging than clipping in pedals.  For this reason, always leave your water bottle in the open position.  It’s 200x harder to both open the bottle and drink while riding without falling on your face.

open before leaving…

8) You will get hit by bugs/stung by bees while riding.  This will hurt and cause you to fall off your bike.

9) You don’t have to be nice to people when you pass them going the opposite direction on the bike.  (something I often feel compelled to do when running) In other words, it’s fine to keep that scowl on your face as long as you want!  Especially when said powered bicycle riders try to run you off the road.

10) You heart rate will not get as high as it does when running so it’s not a substitute.  A compliment to running, yes, but it’s (so far for me anyways) endorphin high free.  Unless you count the adrenaline rush you get when you start to fall but just barely catch yourself – that DOES indeed make your heart rate accelerate.

So that is what I have learned thus far.  If you are contemplating getting a bike/riding the one you have, my advice is stock up on first aid gear, buy a helmet and have fun*!  Eventually you will start to feel more in control of the situation and really, really enjoy it.  Or at least I do!  Maybe that’s my need for speed finally getting a little action?!  Clearly that never happens with running…

*I am not trained to tell you this so please don’t take my word for it.  You may be much more graceful than me and not require band-aids.  If so, more power to you.

Starting to Click.

Figuratively and literally!  This morning’s bike ride went SO much better in the clip pedal department!  I didn’t really struggle once.  Instead of stopping right at the stop sign or light, I would slow down a long time in advance so I had plenty of time to collect my barrings and make a safe and semi-graceful stop.  It really seemed to help me a lot.  Also, I found it easier taking both feet out of the pedals and starting fresh each time instead of just one.  I am sure this is totally inefficient but it helped me feel more in control and less nervous about the whole thing.  It’s not really surprising to me that the more calm, cool and collected I am about something, the easier time I have trying to figure it out.  Duh, Kinley…

I set out for an hour ride and ended up making it 65 minutes because I was SOCLOSE to hitting 15 miles.  Compare that with running where I would cover a whopping 6 miles maybe!  It was kind of neat getting to ride further on the bike trail than I normally get to run, gave me a whole new perspective on that part of the area.  Something else I need to get used to is passing almost everyone on the trail… even other people on bikes seem to be on more of a leisurely ride and therefore I have to safely pass them.  I’ve been saying “Coming up on your left” when I go past people but I am not really sure if this is polite or rude.  I just fear them making some kind of freak out motion to the left when they hear me coming up behind them.  I guess maybe I am just being excessively paranoid but I know I don’t have flawless control over my bike so I feel better safe than sorry?  Maybe I am wrong but I think I will keep it up for awhile.

That’s me, the superhero on the left

I’d like to say my bootay is getting more used to riding but um… that’s not quite the case yet… It’s much better on the bike path where the pavement is nice and smooth but when it comes to riding on the road?  Oh good lord that hurts!  And one particular road is exceptionally ridged and I think I may have gotten some whiplash from that portion of my ride!  Not gonna lie, this part is going to take some getting used to!

These shorts really help but…

One thing that is really nice about biking that you don’t really have when running is a super convenient place to put your water!  My arms might get tired from holding the handle bars but at least not from the added weight from water

Plus it’s just cute

I kind of thought about this when I bought by bike but I reflected on it quite a bit more this morning.  When I bought my bike, I got fitted, bought proper clothes and socks and other accessories that I need to have the best experience possible.  When I started running I literally had a $50 pair of shoes and just ran… I wonder what would happen if I put as much energy and thought into having proper running shoes and running clothes if I wouldn’t feel a little better prepared?!  (Who am I kidding, I am probably just trying to justify buying myself some lululemon clothes for running – someday!)  But seriously, if you feel like you are struggling with running, think about getting a few more items that could help.  Better clothes, shoes, etc.

I’m glad I am back to being excited for biking rather than terrified.  Another week of this and I think I will be feeling even more comfortable!  And hopefully in another week, I can start adding short, slow runs to my week!  I finally broke down and went to the doctor yesterday and she thought what I have been fighting is a sciatica type issue so that makes me feel less inclined to continue rest since this type of issue actually could get worse with rest.  I’m also very hopeful about the book I’ve been reading that I talked about yesterday too.  I’m only about 20% into it but so far it sounds like this book was written about me.  I’ll do a further post on this in the future when I finish it (it’s on Kindle!!).

I’m off for a walk with sister and then a fun dinner out tonight at a new to me restaurant!  May have to bring my camera because it sounds like an awesome place!

What are you up to this weekend?

A New Hobby.

So remember how I bought a new bike on Sunday?  Well, I kind of really like it.  But I am also still slightly terrified of actually riding it…

I apparently have a thing for purple bikes… not intentionally but I am pretty sure all my bikes have been purple.

I was too busy on Sunday to actually go for a real ride so all of Monday I was super anxious to get out there and ride!  It was insanely hot here though, like 100 degrees, so I was a little worried about exercising in that heat.  Just the thought of running in 80+ degree temps makes my stomach hurt but surprisingly, when you are moving slightly faster than a slow crawl, you actually get to benefit from a little breeze while you are working out and it was not half bad.  I only planned to head out for about 30 minutes and brought water – I think anything longer would have been a struggle though.

As soon as I could get my stupid shoes clipped in, I felt totally in control and like I have been riding a bike all my life (ok, so I guess I kind of have but this is different…).  It was so weird for me to go out to exercise and really not want the 30 minutes to end.  I can’t honestly say there has been a time in my whole running “career” where I have not desperately counted down the minutes or miles until I could call it a day.  With cycling, it is so totally different!  I wanted to stay out there longer and didn’t really want to come home even though I knew I should.  This NEVER happens when I am running.  Maybe it’s just because biking is “new” compared to running which I’ve had my fill of lately but it was so, so nice to really, truly enjoy a workout again!

Another nice thing I noticed about biking is it does not aggravate the aches in my legs and feet I have been feeling lately.  My back I am still not 100% sure about but I think I should be able to find a posture that for sure keeps it feeling fine.  It’s a whole different sensation holding your body up on your arms while you are riding versus when you ride a regular bike and just sit there and balance.  In some ways it feels much better on my back but I think at the same time activates my core more and therefore fatigues my back quicker, maybe?  Who knows.  Hopefully practice helps make this better!

The only really annoying thing about my ride was getting my pedals clipped in when a car was near by… The added pressure of having someone “watching” me fumble with the pedal clip was too much.  Kind of like the first time I tried to drive my stick sift car up a steep hill when I was 16 and could not get it started.  Hopefully with more practice this will become second nature but right now it’s terrifying  That and the thought of having to stop suddenly…

So I’m pretty sure biking is here to stay as an exercise in my rotation which is good because bikes are ridiculously expensive.  I still do miss running and maybe this break from running will be what I need to actually enjoy it again?!  I really hope so but at least for now, I can don my gorgeous bike shorts and helmet and feel my heart rate increase and the breeze in my face!  I’ll also be interested to see if this helps keep my cardiovascular endurance up – that is what I am most worried about losing during this extended break from strenuous exercise.

different kind of bike??

I guess this post really had no point but in summary, biking is fun although I still miss running and I can’t wait to ride later today! I’m shooting for 10 miles!

Double Digits.

This morning I made my return to double digits.  But, um… not running.  I decided it was about time to get over my fear of riding a bike and just go for it.  I set out on my bike but within a mile could tell the tire was rapidly flattening and I could not change gears.  Oops!  I ended up turning around the block and stopping back home to switch over to my sister’s twin bike that actually had air in it’s tires.  After I finally got on my way, I covered 10 miles in about 48 minutes.  I have no idea what “good” versus “bad” paces are for bike riding so I’m not really going to think too much about this currently!  While on my ride this morning, I realized a few things about biking…

1) If I want to give myself a chance to actually LIKE biking, I am going to need to bike bite the bullet and actually buy a cheap end, but decent bike.  There is no possible way I will ever really like biking on my $99 special from Wal-mart and the year 2000.  Not to mention the leaky tire, lack of gear shifting abilities and very uncomfortable seat.  So I think tomorrow I am going to do some shopping around for a reasonably priced riding bike.  Not sure if I should go road bike or hybrid but I guess I’ll see what draws me in tomorrow.

Probably this one.  It’s very much in my price range, your know about $500,000.

2) I LOVE that I can bike twice as fast as I can run.  The sad thing is, people can still run faster than I can bike.  Enough said.

3) Getting hit by bugs when you are biking actually hurts compared to having them “hit” you when you are running.

4) Biking is really hard.  I was trying to get my heart rate up since you know, I have not been able to get it up running any time in the recent past and it was surprisingly hard to push and not just give up.  I feel like this is very similar to how I felt when I started running.  Fighting the urge to quite is the hardest battle at first.

5) I don’t really know much about the rules of the road in relation to biking.  Must research this.  Luckily, there is a relatively decent bike path near my house that I can use for the majority of my rides but some road riding is required to get there.

6) I think this is something I could really end up liking.  It also would be a really good cross-train option for running.  Or so I imagine anyways!

When I got back from my bike ride, I also did a 40 minute weight circuit that I made up and between the two, I feel wiped!  And very, very hungry!  I have not really been as hungry lately but man, add a little exercise and I’m STARVING!

I am excited to see where my interest in biking leads me.  Maybe I will get bored in a week or maybe it will become a tied love with running?  Who knows!