After getting the bike tuned up the other day, I was very excited to head out on the trail today for my workout. I hadn't been spending much time at all outside (or at all) so this was going to be a first. I wanted to make sure I felt comfortable with the bike and my riding skills since it's totally different than being inside on a spinning or stationary bike. Since I'm absolutely terrified of riding my bike on the main road near my house, I drove it over to the trail head and got suited up and ready to go. My plan was to ride down the Pikes Peak Greenway trail (follows the main highway in town) and then ride the mile or so through downtown until I got to Brian and Diana's house for dinner. I hesitantly hopped on the bike and started my workout! Along my 8 mile ride downtown, I learned some very valuable lessons:
- I need to start wearing sunglasses when I ride. There's absolutely nothing worse than getting bugs in the eyes while running! I also need to learn to breathe through my nose and not through an open mouth. Bugs in the mouth are almost as bad as in the eyes! The trail was very buggy tonight since there's actually water in the stream that goes along the trail. I swear, if I had a windshield on my bike, it would have looked like this
- While I have the strength to pedal for the entire time, I'm not quite ready to handle the speed that comes along with that! I've always been a very cautious person and it's no different when I'm on the bike. I don't like to go too fast in fear that I'll lose control and fall. I can't tell you how many times I stopped pedalling and coasted so I could slow down my speed. I also learned that turning corners and going over bumps still make me nervous. I need to get out on the bike more so that I don't look like this girl on race day!
- Having a large water bottle that doesn't fit into my holster is annoying. It kept wobbling all over the place and hitting my legs. I need to find a smaller bottle that doesn't do that for race day. I also realized that my bike has two bottle holders which should be great to have both water and Gatorade with me on race day!
- I LOVE riding my bike outside! Yes, I may have been nervous since it was my first time out since I can remember but the feeling of riding down the trail and feeling the wind in my face felt great! I'm definitely looking forward to saving some money so I can get an even better bike after the race so I can continue my outdoor riding!
While my pace was much slower than normal tonight since I was trying to get adjusted, I made it downtown to Brian's house in 40 minutes, even after riding through the streets of downtown (eek!). It was great to know I had dinner and friends waiting for me once I got there. However, I was less than pleased when my front tire exploded on me as I was trying to put the bike in the back of Brian's truck. I know that I needed new tires at some point but didn't think it was going to be now. Guess it's a good thing this happened now instead of on race day. The only problem is that I have to special order the tire and I'm going to guess it's not going to arrive for a week. I may have to borrow someone else's bike in the mean time because I definitely want to get out and ride more over the next few weeks!
Daily Biking Miles: 8
Total Biking Miles: 225
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