In the spirit of getting triathlon ready and conquering some additional items on my fitness bucket list, I decided to hop on a bike today and head out for a leisurely ride.
I bring you: “Kara’s Thoughts While Bike Riding”. Are you intrigued yet?
Welcome to my brain:
“Hmm…which side is the front of the helmet? This is so not cute.”
“OMG my Garmin has a bike mode!” (BEST THING EVER.)
“Why am I always so nervous about biking? This is fun! Weee!”
“Hey, runner!! I run too! But I’m biking today. Look at this cross training action. Are you jealous? You look really hot, its noon and 362 degrees, how are you running right now? Do you want some Nuun?”
I mean, I guess I have enough to share.
“Am I supposed to say ‘on your right’? Use hand signals? Smoke signals? I should have studied the rules.”
“First mile..that was only a mile?”
“Wow I’ve never seen that split on my watch before.”
“Hey, biker! You look really official with your spandex-y outfit. Don’t judge me for wearing tennis shoes while riding, please.”
“AHHH BUG!”
“Hey, look! A negative split! Another number I’ve never seen on my Garmin. I wonder if cyclists care about negative splitting.”
“Weeee!! I love biking!! I can’t stop smiling!”
“End of bike trail. Hmm. Should I go on the road? I’ll try going on the road. AHHH CARS! Focus. Focus.”
“Don’t hit me. Don’t hit me. Don’t hit me.”
“This hill sucks.”
“Ugh. My butt hurts already. Weak glutes.”
“Do I stop at the stoplight? Eh. No cars around. Too much effort.”
“Why do I always think biking is easy? NOT EASY.”
“What did our TNT cycle coach say? Change the gears while pedaling, or never change the gears while pedaling? Or neither?”
“What is that noise? Crap I shifted wrong.”
“I hear a train coming…I’m going to race it! Weee! Ugh. Train won.”
“I wonder if I’m going to be sore tomorrow. Maybe I shouldn’t have done this the day before a 10K race. Shoot.”
“Can’t wait to blog about this. (NERD ALERT!) People will probably be happy I’m finally writing about something other than my crappy runs lately. Or maybe no one cares. Whatever”.
“I need sunscreen. I need sunscreen. I have to put some on immediately.” (Yes I did put sunscreen on while riding my bike. How’s that for talent??)
“10 miles…I thought 10 miles would take like 10 minutes. So wrong.”
“ANOTHER HUGE HILL?! Sigh. I want a lighter bike.”
“I could get used to this. Maybe I should bike to the train station. I wish I could bike to work. Stupid Holland Tunnel in my way.”
“So sweaty. Taking off my helmet feels glorious. When can I bike again? Or do I call it cycling? Need to study terminology.”
DONE!
“Need to call Dad, he’ll be so proud!”
See Dad? Official cyclist. Way more official than me.
I have no idea if these splits show I’m super slow or super amazing (I’m guessing not the amazing one); I have no frame of reference. All that matters is I LOVED cycling. I couldn’t stop smiling. Except on the hills. I also loved that I could go in the middle of a hot day and still be okay; the breeze and easy access to my water bottle and sunscreen made it simple.
THESE NUMBERS MEAN ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO ME. I wish they were my running splits.
Biking as an actual sport seems so complicated. But overall, it’s all about just getting out there and doing it. I’ve been riding bikes since I was little; my Dad taught me by having me stand on the curb to get up onto my bike because I was so short. I still remember my pink bike with the neon colors and the kick stand that didn’t always work quite right. I’ve ridden with my Dad, my Mom, my friends…ridden to school, to work, to practices and just for fun…but today was different…I went out on a mission. Mission: TRIATHLON.
Now, I’m off to hydrate all day for the Queens 10K tomorrow. If you’re running, let me know!
Do you cycle? Do you have any secret tips? What are cycle workouts even supposed to look like?!
aw man I miss biking, I have’t been in so long
You should go!! Do you have a bike?
A bit of prep information from RAGBRAI– (Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa) This ride is the last week in July and starts on a Sunday and ends the following Saturday. It is typically about 450 miles- each day being from 50 to 80 miles. About 15,000 people ride this each year. In their manual (The leaders have 40 years of experience doing this) they say that before you ride this ride you need to put 500 miles on your legs. Typically, 10-20 mile trips prior to the trip. This also prepares your rump so that you don’t need multiple tubes of Desitin!
The Don- Iowa City
Thanks!! You are a champ!
Haha! I can totally relate to this post! I always feel clueless on my bike, but I love cycling!
Yeah I don’t know what I’m doing, but I know I love it
hahaha this made me laugh so much cause i have thought pretty much all of those things! i still don’t always know what i am doing…drew definitely thinks i’m an idiot most of the time
haha at least we’re out there, right?!