I read online that beginner level cyclists should not ride more than 3 times per week at the beginning, and I thought that was probably a good idea. So my plan was to ride on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Monday came along with flooding rains. So no riding Monday. Then I decided to wait and see if the skies cleared up on Tuesday, and they did clear up in the evening. I went to go for a ride on Tuesday and decided I needed to ride to somewhere in particular. I had a package I needed to mail (just about 2 lbs), so I got it packed up and found a back way to the post office. It was going to be a challenge, but I figured I needed to push myself.
It started out well. I got used to using my hand signals, and I followed the advice of the bike safety guidelines I had found during the rain storm. I did well with traffic and tried to just keep pedaling no matter what. The small inclines were difficult. I'm still learning which gears are the most comfortable and how to shift between them more easily. I had to stop part way to get the water bottle I had stowed in my bag. Then I made it to the post office. There was no bike rack there, so I was going to lock my bike up to the fence. As I was untwisting the cable lock, I saw a bunch of these really nasty mean looking fire ants crawling up the fence post and along the edge of the walkway. I was thinking "No thanks. Been there. Done that. Never again." And I decided that it would be best to take the bike inside, since I didn't want to risk the fire ants getting my bike like they had that fence.
A very nice gentleman opened the door for me, and I got the package in the mail. Then my sister called me, so I rested for about 15 minutes. I'm glad she called, 'cause I probably would've gotten right back on the bike to go home otherwise, and I don't know that I would've made it. After we talked, I got my stuff ready to go, and this cute little girl came in with her mom and told me how cool my bike is. That made me smile, and I told her how cool her very pink cowboy boots were. She was so excited about showing me how her boots light up on the sides (like the light up sneakers, except the lights here were in the center of the flowers on the side). She danced and stomped around to show me the lights. It was very cute. I got the bike and got on the road. The inclines going home weren't as bad...mostly downhill, and then minimal incline the rest of the way. I made it home, and even carried the bike up the stairs to my apartment. At that point, my legs were definitely Jello. By the end, I had gone 5.4 miles!
Throughout this training so far, Ryan's been letting me use the iPod shuffle I bought him so I could listen to some music while I ride. It's really nice having songs that make me want to keep pedaling. We went through all my music and came up with a good training mix. I'm always looking for more great songs, so let me know if you have any suggestions anyone.
Last night, I played the Livestrong song, Maybe Tonight Maybe Tomorrow by Wideawake. The song was written by the lead singer to honor his friend who had cancer. Everytime I hear it, it's very emotional, but last night, it made me cry. I was thinking about Gpa and Avia, and everyone else I've ever known who was affected by cancer...thinking why I decided to do this race and why my goal is so high, etc. It's a great song. Go to www.livestrong.org/song to listen to it and read the lyrics & story behind the song, and then buy it from iTunes. All procedes from the sale of the song go to the Lance Armstrong Foundation. All $0.99.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
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3 comments:
Hi Amanda - My friend Lauren and I are training for the LIVESTRONG Challenge too. In which city are you signed up to participate, and how far are you planning to ride? Good luck with your training!
-Jennifer
http://jenandlaurenschallenge.blogspot.com/
I stumbled on to your blog from Jen's and Lauren's. I'm riding the Portland Challenge and doing the 100-mile route. I'm not the most experienced rider in the world, but I've got two pieces of totally unsolicited and arguably worthless advice for you in your training:
First, never ride with headphones in both ears. It's a good idea, for safety's sake, not to ride with headphones at all so you can hear traffic. It might help make you more comfortable on the road to be hearing the cars approaching you without any extraneous noise/music. That said I have been known to ride with my shuffle because sometimes you just need a little music. :-)
Second, buy a water bottle cage and water bottle from your local bike shop. (Big box sporting goods stores tend to sell really cheap wire cages and narrow-mouth, pop-top bottles that are a pain to clean, but I digress.) Find a bottle with a nice wide mouth and soft silicone or rubber tip (easier on the teeth if you happen to be a tooth opener like me), then find a bottle cage to match. It should be easy for you to remove the bottle from the cage, but not easy for the bottle to remove itself. I ride with Tacx Tao bottle cages and love the ease with which I can get a bottle out of them. They are a touch expensive, though. Practice pulling the bottle out and putting it back while riding in an empty parking lot. It's always helpful to practice new skills in the vast space of the parking lot where you don't have to compete with cars for space and have fewer objects to run into if you goof.
Good luck in your training!
I just stumbled on your blog. I am in the process of training for the 40 mile ride in Austin. I walked last year since I just had a baby, but I am hoping I can get going and make this happen! I'm actually buying my bike tomorrow....I hope I get the right one! In the meantime I do spinning classes, etc. I think I can do this! LOL
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