Ah, cycling. Love it, love it, love it. π Sunday I went out with the team on our first “real” ride out on the roads. I’d only done the circle with the team; my other rides have been out with friends. Anyway, it was great, because our route was similar to the one from last Wednesday, so I knew what to expect in terms of difficulty or encountering traffic. Actually, there was less traffic Sunday than on Wed. mid-morning.
Jeff and I are the new “clipless pedal” kids on the team. We demonstrated our new clipping in/out abilities to Susan (coach) in the parking lot at the Y and she taught us how if you clip out with one foot, hold it level with the other and coast to a stop, before which you get off the seat and lean forward a bit, the stopping is much smoother than my “eek, eek, eeking” that I had before. That was a lovely “aha” moment. π
A couple of team members have mountain bikes and a mountain bike/road bike hybrid, so Jeff and I spent a lot of time up front with Susan simply because our bikes are made for the road. I learned a lot riding behind Susan because I saw when she changed gears and I could learn more about the hand signals. All went well on the ride until we were going up a relatively huge hill and Jeff yelled out from behind me, and then wasn’t there anymore. Another teammate said to stop for Jeff because he’d dropped his chain, and I passed the message up to Susan, who said, “Never stop in the middle of a hill,” to which I didn’t have time to react, as I’d already stopped and clipped out. Hmmm. So, without thinking (should’ve put my bike in a lower gear), I tried to clip back in and continue…*crunch*. Yeah, that was me in the ditch again. This time I contacted the ground with my shoulder, too, and got pretty dirty!
Live and learn. At least I’m consistent in my falls–my seat hit the former bruise on my thigh and did I mention my derriere bruise? The big, heart-shaped bruise is much bigger now. I wish it weren’t on my butt so I could show it to people…it’s like a battle scar of which I’m proud. But most people would object to me dropping my britches, even if I have dropped about eight pounds in the past two months. π I’m not timid about falling anymore, that’s for sure. And from what Treacy, Susan, and another triathlete friend, John, tell me, it’s rare that I will have to stop in the middle of going uphill in a triathlon. That’s good news. π
However, one thing I’ve failed to mention is I love my shoes and pedals! My pedaling feels so much more efficient. I do not regret the upgrade one bit. Maybe it’ll be arrowbars next. Nah, I’d better get my balance more fine-tuned before I do anything like that.
Monday: After sleeping in (yaaay, Nyquil, some relief for that throat thing), I hiked at the Red River Gorge for three hours and change with my brother, Travis, and his girlfriend, Jenny. Tons of fun, even though it was super hot out that day. Parts of the hike were the same as my last hike out in April, and it felt good to power up some of those inclines that had me winded last time.
Tuesday, July 4: Completed the Bluegrass 10K with Jenny and Travis. Learned my lesson–don’t attempt a 10K when you feel like crap. The adrenaline of the situation captured me and I wanted to prove to myself I could do the distance, so I was stubborn and ran/walked it. Travis hung with us until mile 5, and he ran ahead. I was happy with my 1:14:09 finish, considering my condition.
Here is a slideshow of the race and the 4th in Lexington (Props to my friend Johnny for the logo he designed that was painted on the street and appears on our shirts!): http://www.heraldleaderphoto.com/multimedia/2006fourthof/july.html
This brings us to today–I’ve been (unhappily) diagnosed with sinusitus and possible allergy-induced bronchitis. Fun, fun. I’m on antibiotics and will be laying low for a few days.