Biking
As someone who’s sidelined from running, it’s getting to the point where it hurts to look at Facebook or blogs or heaven-forbid Daily Mile- especially on Sundays, after everyone’s finished their long run for the week.
It’s only been made worse now that beautiful spring mornings keep popping up. Normally that means it’s time for an early morning run- without bundling up from head to toe.
But this year the warm mornings and chirping birds are just taunting me.
So it’s time to do something about it. Since jumping out of bed and going for a run isn’t exactly going to happen anytime soon, it’s time to pick the lesser of two evils: biking.
Running has always been my first choice- part of the thrill is pushing yourself to cover a longer distance and pumping your legs harder than you think is possible. Biking may not be the same, but it can certainly accomplish both of those things.
Only problem is less-than-stellar equipment.
So after alternately dragging my mom and the husband from bike shop to bike shop and bike again {and again}, I’ve finally picked out a bike. I think. Now it’s just a matter of finding it and getting it. {And learning to ride it…..}
But until then I’ll just keep eyeing the candy in the window…
Ask me about any just-above-entry-level road bike and I can probably tell you something about it. Just don’t ask me to choose one…..
Do you have a bike? What kind do you have? How.did.you.pick.one?!!
bike maintenance
…I didn’t learn in kindergarten.
I’m currently on my bike right now (if all is going well), with just a few hours left to go of 24 Hours of Booty!
I’m not a biker by nature. I was always a runner- until the day I couldn’t run any more. Though I didn’t really want to, I got on my bike for the first time in years and found a new way to get around. While it’ll never be the same as running for me, I’m glad I’ve found an alternative to keep me moving.
I didn’t know much about biking (I mean, I believed the bike shop when they told me a hybrid bike was great for racing…bahhhaha), so I’ve learned a lot along the way.
I thought I’d leave you with a collection of some of my best biking knowledge, whether you race, ride for fun, or are just thinking about picking up a bike for the first time in years:
How to Change a Bike Tire (or a more “correct” version of how to change a tire)
Bike Parts & Basic Maintenance Seriously, bikes have some oddly named parts. I couldn’t tell a sprocket from a derailleur to a cassette and was too embarrassed to ask…
How to Adjust Your Bike so it fits you. I knew exactly how to set up a spin bike at the gym, but I was clueless as how to go about adjusting a “real” bike.
and finally….
Using Clipless Bike Pedals I’m already in love with mine. Let’s hope I don’t have any bike-tastrophes this weekend.
Any tips to add? Any funny bike stories? Don’t be shy 😉
I used to be scared of bikes because:
a) I was riding on the bike of my dad’s bike when I was super little & he crashed- I crashed with the bike and my head bounced on a sewer grate like a ping pong ball. (Wear your helmet!!)
b) I was biking up a hill on a crowded road when I was maybe 10 or so, and the car behind me got annoyed with going slowly and drove into me.
But I’m over it 😉
And don’t forget to enter my hydration giveaway! Ends tonight!
Race
Last November, 9am, I anxiously sat in front of my computer. The day I had been waiting for had finally come: registration opened for the Iron Girl Columbia Triathlon. It sold out the previous year long before I thought of signing up- I was determined to get a spot this year.
Somehow I managed to snag a spot before the triathlon sold out later that day. At the time, I couldn’t imagine anything going wrong- it wasn’t until August, so I had plenty of time to train. I wasn’t just going to do this tri, I was going to kick it’s butt.
Only I never planned on getting injured.
Even now, as I sit amongst a pile of bike gear after a long drive to MD, I can’t fully admit that it’s not going to happen.
I understood that I wasn’t going to be able to do the race- it just never sunk in. I went to packet pick up, along with hundreds of other racers, mumbling thanks as volunteers said ‘good luck’. I could only utter the words “I’m not racing” so many times. It was even smeared across my packet- “Not Racing”- like a giant scarlet “A”.
I proceeded to make it worse on myself as I went to see the course and got caught up in the flurry of athletes setting their bikes up in transition. I started to walk towards the swim start area, but I couldn’t do it. It was like rubbing salt in a wound.
So no, I won’t be racing tomorrow. But I’ll be there, bright & early, with bells on, cheering on all the other Iron Girls, hoping that next time I’ll be running alongside them.
