Adventures in Bicycling

For weeks I have been overdoing the training. I was so happy for nice weather and doing a bunch of races, so I overdid it. People have also been telling me this for weeks, but I ignored them thinking my body would get used to it and the pain would go away. But it didn't. It got worse.

After a run with the Independence Running Club (if you're local, you should join!) I decided I needed a break before I started my new program. I could barely complete the run. I just didn't have it in me. So I decided to skip my weekend runs and get back out on Tuesday. I think I expected my legs to know that I hadn't run 13 miles when I wanted to and therefore be perfectly rested. On Tuesday I set out to run and made it about half a mile. I was still hurting. Honestly, I couldn't even walk without pain. I decided I need more time.

Enter bicycle. There is no way I'm going a week or more without some kind of exercise. I can't. I posted on Facebook asking if anyone had a bike I could borrow for a few days and my lovely sister in law let me borrow hers. Thanks Marci!

Wednesday morning I rode the bike for the first time. Keep in mind, I am not a complete stranger to bikes. I rode them everywhere when I was a kid and a teenager. Have ridden as an adult. In fact, I had an epic wreck that I should blog about sometime. Anyway, I thought it would be easy. It wasn't. I rode 5 miles and was almost crying at the end. It was sooo hard! I posted on the C25K forum about how hard it was and got some advice. I know, it's a running forum, but people there are always happy to give advice about anything, whether they know anything about it or not (ahem, stephanie and someoldman). They mentioned tire inflation. I thought maybe they needed more air, but also thought it might have something to do with my fat body being on the bike.

This morning I went outside to ride and aired up the tires better. While my husband watched I might add :). Holy difference, Batman!! Today was soooo much easier! Still not easy, but easier. I really enjoyed today! I'm still not going to become a bicycler (bicyclist?), but it was tolerable. The only issue now is that shifting gears isn't working well. I took it to my father in law this morning and asked him to look at it and see if he could make it work better (Marci, if you're reading, I hope you don't mind!). He said just leave it and he would fix it. I just have to say, I love my father in law. Not just for this. He's just a really great guy. In fact, he's one of my favorite people in the whole world. I feel so lucky to have him in my life, and more importantly, have him in my kids lives.

Some things I've learned so far:
Air up your tires!
It's much colder when you ride a bike than when you run. Dress appropriately
Your butt is going to hurt after riding. And during riding. Hell, maybe even before riding just thinking about it.

I was walking home after dropping off the bike and my toes were frozen. They hurt so bad! One of my uncles asked what I was doing out in this freezing weather and I told him. He laughed at me. Then I shamelessly begged him for a ride home. Less than two blocks! But my toes were frozen and it hurt to walk. I'm pretty sure he's still laughing at me. He did give me a ride though. I love living in my tiny town surrounded by family.

Anyway, I hope to be back to running very very soon! I am upset and frustrated that I had to take a break before starting my training. It makes me feel like a failure and like I really might not be able to complete this run I have planned. I just know I need to be smarter about my training and not overdo it.

Hopefully I will be back to talking about running soon!

Happy Biking??

~Mel