Friday July 25, 2008

I have a confession to make�

I have a confession to make�I don�t have a bike. Well, I do but it�s an old mountain bike that used to be my sole means of transportation when I lived in Washington, DC over 15 years ago and hasn�t been used since. It�s really quite sad. So, here I am all signed up and gung ho to do a biathlon when I don�t even own a critical piece of the equipment necessary to participate. It�s kind of like entering a pie-eating contest without a mouth. Ok, not really, but you get my point.


I was lamenting over my predicament when a friend overheard me and offered to loan her bike. She said I could use it to train until I got my own. Great! Or so I thought. After procuring the bike yesterday afternoon (no easy feat with 3 kids already in my van and no bike rack), I got up early this morning to ride. Here�s a little inside scoop: riding with clips in a spin bike and riding with clips on a regular road bike are two totally different things. I was on the bike for all of 30 seconds before I crashed. I started thinking about how I would get my foot out of the clips in time to stop and the next thing I knew I was laying on the side of the road, bike on top of me and my left arm and leg a #OOPS# mess. Fortunately I hadn�t gotten very far, and wasn�t injured too severely. But my pride was definitely bruised.

I�m starting to question my sanity in this whole endeavor.

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Wednesday July 23, 2008

A funny thing happened on the way to gym the other day�

A funny thing happened on the way to gym the other day�I fell in love with running. Again. Years ago I was a big time runner. Ok, truthfully I wasn�t very fast or anything: I mean, I�m only 5�3� with 3-inch heels on. How long could my stride be? But, I used to love running. I would look forward to long, meandering runs, loved the conquering hero feeling of running hills and even enjoyed those gut-wrenching sprint intervals. Then one day I didn�t want to run. I realized my knees hurt, my shins hurt, my feet hurt, even my hair hurt. I wasn�t having fun anymore. So I took a break. That was five years ago.

But I�m back now. I find myself looking forward to my running days. And when I finish I start thinking about my next run. But here�s the kicker, so far it�s all been on the treadmill. I used to look at people running on the treadmill and think �why?� Especially here in Colorado, a state where there are more running trails (paved, packed dirt, grass, you name it they have it) than any other in the United States. And, with breathtaking scenery at every turn, why would one actually choose (and enjoy) running on a treadmill? Perhaps it�s the fact that I can adjust the speed or incline with just a push of a button. Or, maybe it�s the big bright display of how far I�ve gone and how many calories I�ve burned. Or, possibly it�s the predictability of a treadmill: no downed trees, muddy roads or barking dogs on the route. Well, whatever it is, I�m not going to question it too much. I�m just going to run and enjoy myself.