Ah - Spring is Here (choo!)

Wednesday I ran.  Probably too hard, since, after only 36 minutes, my face was beet red.  But the warm weather doesn't take as much out of your lungs as cold weather does, so I've noticed I tend to run faster, thus suffering from malfeasances other than the shortness of breath that normally ensues. Such offenses include cramps, red face, moving too fast, and, worst of all, having to run further in the same time-frame (when I'm ready to turn back..... I know I've gotten to a point that usually takes 10 minutes to reach, and see that only 6 or 7 minutes have passed, very disappointing - now I've got to run even further!!!).....

Today, Sunday, I rode the new bike for the second time.  It's like my new Mini - great traction, tight turns, fun to ride, but not much shock absorption.  By the end of the ride, when I was beat and leaning too much on my arms, I missed avoiding a pothole and and felt the impact through my wrists to my shoulders.  Ouch.  Not too grand for riding on the great lumpy streets of DC.  The streets are getting better, but have a long way to go to be acceptable for the capital of our nation. Quite a long way.  The ride was a good one, though, overall, but the hour I spent didn't quite match up to the tri distance, so I've got to find a longer course.  Once I get the bike rack squared away on the Mini , I'll consider joining the team on their Sunday rides...  In the meantime, I've gotten better clicking in the new shoes - didn't fall, but it isn't second nature just yet.... Only had to stop a couple of times during the ride, so didn't get much practice.  That's the joy of getting up early, though, to avoid the traffic - works like a charm!

I pretty much ran myself ragged, and wanted to end the ride by charging up the hill of the Capitol.  Here's a difference I then noticed between road and mountain bikes - there are only two cogs in the front derailleur - you don't have the tiny little cog to make it easier to climb uphill.  I kept trying to get in a lower gear until I looked down and counted - I was in the lowest gear!!!  Yet another disappointment.... However, I made it up the hill, and, in fact, rode up an average of 9 mph, which is far greater than on the mountain bike, and didn't feel I had to stand up on the bike to keep from faltering.  Quite impressive, (hey, I'm trying to keep encouraging my consciousness - every little bit helps.....)

As an aside, this week at work I had to squat/lean over to look at someone's laptop screen, placing my hands on my thighs for support.  First thing I noticed was the strength in my thighs... wow, muscle has returned - amazing!  After that I had to keep finding reasons to squat to confirm the thighs were still hard - that it wasn't some sort of weird reaction to a vaccine received as an infant or anything (like mebbe thighs swell up once every twenty years, then recede.....)  It's kind of like a sore tooth or invisible bruise - you have to keep poking it to see if it's still there..... definitely something I'm probably going to have to add to the morning checklist - brush teeth? Check.  Wallet?  Check.  Keys?  Check.  Thighs hard? Check.....