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May. 9th, 2011 11:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rhiannonstoneThis weekend I went on my first big-girl bike ride! byronium and gayathri picked me up yesterday afternoon, and we met up with our friend V in Danville to go for a ride on the Iron Horse Trail. Which sounds totally badass, but is actually a very pleasant, flat, paved path through the suburban wilds of Contra Costa County.
Between crappy weather, being sick, and being busy, I hadn't taken my bike out in weeks, so I had some twitchiness and trepidation about a) riding with way more experienced people, b) embarrassing myself in front of my friends, c) sharing a path with other cyclists and pedestrians, and d) falling off/falling down/bonking out, but as usual, I was worried over nothing. My friends were patient and supportive, I managed to followed the rules and share the path like a good citizen, and I stayed on the bike and upright. Well, other than getting a little lightheaded and wobbly at the halfway point, but that was nothing that a short break sitting off to the side of the path with some water and Sport Beans couldn't fix. I ended up riding just over 6 miles, which is the longest distance I've covered by far. I feel like I probably could have done more if I'd been more willing to push my limits, but it seemed like a better idea to just nudge up against them a little for my first time out of the gate. And 6 miles is nothing to sneeze at. It's kind of strange to contemplate, actually, since most days I can barely walk a mile without being hobbled for the rest of the day. It's a novel experience for me to engage in physical activity covering a distance of multiple miles and still be functional.
I expected to be in a lot of pain today, but other than being quite saddlesore--OK, I give, it's probably time to get a new seat, or at least have someone show me how to adjust mine properly--and having a constant, keen awareness of my quads, I'm feeling pretty good. And ready to go do it again! That was way more fun than riding around the neighborhood, as pretty as north Berkeley is. Thanks to my favorite Tour de Cure riders for taking me out!
byronium and gayathri picked me up yesterday afternoon, and we met up with our friend V in Danville to go for a ride on the Iron Horse Trail. Which sounds totally badass, but is actually a very pleasant, flat, paved path through the suburban wilds of Contra Costa County. Between crappy weather, being sick, and being busy, I hadn't taken my bike out in weeks, so I had some twitchiness and trepidation about a) riding with way more experienced people, b) embarrassing myself in front of my friends, c) sharing a path with other cyclists and pedestrians, and d) falling off/falling down/bonking out, but as usual, I was worried over nothing. My friends were patient and supportive, I managed to followed the rules and share the path like a good citizen, and I stayed on the bike and upright. Well, other than getting a little lightheaded and wobbly at the halfway point, but that was nothing that a short break sitting off to the side of the path with some water and Sport Beans couldn't fix. I ended up riding just over 6 miles, which is the longest distance I've covered by far. I feel like I probably could have done more if I'd been more willing to push my limits, but it seemed like a better idea to just nudge up against them a little for my first time out of the gate. And 6 miles is nothing to sneeze at. It's kind of strange to contemplate, actually, since most days I can barely walk a mile without being hobbled for the rest of the day. It's a novel experience for me to engage in physical activity covering a distance of multiple miles and still be functional.
I expected to be in a lot of pain today, but other than being quite saddlesore--OK, I give, it's probably time to get a new seat, or at least have someone show me how to adjust mine properly--and having a constant, keen awareness of my quads, I'm feeling pretty good. And ready to go do it again! That was way more fun than riding around the neighborhood, as pretty as north Berkeley is. Thanks to my favorite Tour de Cure riders for taking me out!
