Friday, March 23, 2012

My Morning Adventure on Two-Wheels..

I named my bike cupid awhile back - it was in hopes that she would make me fall in love with cycling. To say it's a work in progress would be an understatement.



Since being injured, I have logged a lot of saddle time; however it was all in the comfort of my own living room. No cars to deal with, bumpy roads to navigate, or worries about cranking my head off a curb. And I could simply reach onto the shelf next to me to grab my water bottle.

Today I decided to take cupid outside for the first time since I did my 70.3 in September. Alone. Scary stuff my friends, scary stuff.

Below is a glimpse into my head during this morning's 2 hour adventure:

- why does bike attire have to be so damn tight; I look ridiculous. And no, the ridiculousness has nothing to do with my hot pink compression socks. 




- what number is my bike pump supposed to read when I put air in the tires? I 60? 90? Gah, I don't have to worry about this when I run! 
- hmmmm.. I hope I remembered to change the Garmin to cycling instead of running. Otherwise my watch will think I turned Kenyan overnight. 
- I should have come up with a more solid plan for a route.. I guess I'll  just stay on this road until it ends, and make a decision at that point..
- shhhhhhhhhhhhiiiitttt I hate cracks in the road.. although the way I white-knuckle my handlebars is borderline impressive..
- I want to throw my bike cleat at that happy runner girl across the street. She looks significantly less frightened than I feel right now. And she's singing. If I try singing, I'll tip over because I'll lose focus. 
- Another hill? What is that searing pain in my.. Oh right, those would be my quads. For big muscles, they sure do bitch a lot. 
- no - not a school bus.. nononononono! I cannot remember to unclip and stop and NOT fall over every 50 yards the bus decides to pick up more kids. 
- how on earth do real cyclists have the confidence to reach down and drink from a water bottle? I've just spent the last 10 minutes working up the confidence to remove my white knuckles from the handlebars and reach down to retrieve said bottle. Nevermind putting it back. Without ending up in some guys front lawn. 
- are those ClifBloks in my bike box? Have those been there since September? I'm so disgusting. 
- okay, a long flat stretch of road. just get comfortable, take a breath, and OH SHIT! A squirrel!!!! Those little rats should look both ways before crossing. 
- that would be the third flying bug I've consumed today. I wonder if vegetarians spit out the bugs..
- was that my Garmin just alerting me that I've gone 20 miles? What town am I even IN? I should probably start heading back home soon. 
- legs, if you get me home, I will feed you lots of oatmeal. And neck, if you don't seize up in the next hour, I promise to not torture you again for the rest of the day. 
- yay - I know this road!!! I'm getting close to home.. I MIGHT actually survive!!! 

I made it back home in one piece. My first ride out this year was a hilly, 35 mile route. Cupid was good to me - she didn't kick me off at any point mid-ride, responded well to my commands, and kept my nether regions in one piece.

Cycling and I are still very much a work in progress; I have serious confidence issues out on the roads, I have a lot of work to do on my bike handling skills, and we won't even begin to talk about my fear of riding in big groups. I'm well aware that if I ever want to tackle an Ironman, this is the discipline that needs the most time devoted to it. The upside is that given my "stats" of todays ride, I know the bike fitness is there. It's about logging the saddle time, and figuring out how to make riding fun.

During Pumpkinman - not the look of fear/focus on my face. 

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to map out a route for my next ride.

Happy Training!



23 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thanks Jen!!! I can learn so much from you :)

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  2. Way to face your fears and get it done!

    I'm so frightened of it I cancelled my "date" with my brother to just get MEASURED for a bike. Eeps.

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  3. baby steps Meaghan... nice ride! It took me more than a few rides to get the 'reach down for the water bottle while moving' trick down. I think it just comes with confidence. Until then I was drinking up at every stop! It gets easier and you get over feeling ridiculous in the super tight gear (well sort of...)

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    1. Thanks K.. Agreed on the confidence - currently I have none :)I'm going to go back and read some of your older posts of when you were training for B2B.. To get some inspiration!

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  4. Damn girl - you consistently impress the hell outta me! for real! you were scared sh*tless to get this bike thing done but yet you covered 35 miles?? I would've given up after one mile I think. I'd be too afraid LOL!! You are my idol!!!

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    1. Kinda sorta not by choice when you don't plan well, but thank you!!! And you guys ROCKED this morning, nice work !

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  5. OMG this post cracked me up!! Fear of getting your water bottle! So true!! You are fierce and determined and killed those 35 miles. that's freaking impressive!!! I wish we could ride together, maybe one day soon, though my bike is sort of a gay one, not really a cycling bike at all! you are awesome. XOXO!

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    1. Thanks J.. We'll get out together.. It could very well be a spectacle, but hilarious all at the same time!

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  6. Way to channel your inner Lance :) And make the best of your current running state. Go you!

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    1. Thanks L!! I rode right through your town on my adventure!!! I blew a kiss to Bellz!

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  7. LOL. I love this post! I think more than half of those thoughts go through my head as well while out cycling.

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  8. Haha I love the voices in your head!!!

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    1. You can have them live if we can coordinate a ride!!

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  9. those damn squirrels!! :P

    Loved your thoughts. I'm heading out for a ride in a few and I'm sure I'll think a lot of the same.

    I apparently didn't clean my bike after my last ride in the summer and I also apparently had spilled gatorade all over it and so when I went to get my bike our for it's first ride of the season it had actually grown furry mold all over the frame. Nice.

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    1. Oh thats so awesome.. And something I would TOTALLY not put past myself.. Hilarious.

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  10. Thats great you got outside to ride. I love biking but never motivate to do it. I have crazy ridiculous thoughts when I run and bike too. But, that is one of the reasons I love it so much!

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  11. I've been making my bike workouts bearable by making them ALL interval or tempo efforts. I figure, why not, and I have to do something to hang on to my aerobic base while I can't run. Granted, these are all done indoors (my one foray out for a long ride ended with my back clamped up like a vise)--but if you can get a good open route, this strategy may help you enjoy it more too.

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  12. Bwah! I'm the same way about the clips and non stop starting stopping - biking with my daughter can be a real chore.
    And you are not alone, I can't reach for my water bottle either!

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