Sunday August 17, 2008

I finally got one�again!

I finally got one�again! Yesterday, after getting the green light from my husband, I went out and got another bike. It�s a little nicer than my other one. (I was successfully able to parlay some guilt points into an increased price point.) It actually didn�t cost that much more than my other, because this time I stumbled upon a clearance sale at a local bike store. It rides noticeably smoother than the other bike. Granted, I only rode the other one for about 15 minutes before it was stolen but still, I noticed a difference.

So I get home all excited to take the bike out for a nice long ride but as I pulled up to my house, the skies darkened and thunder rumbled off in the distance. Groan. Of course, a thunderstorm is brewing right when I actually get a chance to ride my new bike. I�m convinced the bike gods are against me. But, making sure my bike was safely tucked away in the (closed) garage I waited out the storm.


A few hours later the skies cleared up and I was able to go for a ride. It felt amazing. I do just love biking: that exhilarating feeling of the wind on your face as you careen down a hill or the heart pumping success of struggling to the top of a hard incline or even the ease of riding on a flat.

So now that I actually have a bike (again) I�m feeling fairly confident about the ride part of my run/bike/run. This weekend Amy and I are going to go for a long ride with a run after, we�ll see if I�m still feeling confident after that.

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Thursday August 14, 2008

No follow through

After my great triumph of completing a successful (by my standards) outdoor run I haven�t had a chance to repeat. While still basking in the glory of my accomplishment my husband left for a business trip and he�s still gone! Normally I would just call up a friend and ask to him/her to watch the kids for an hour or so while I workout, but my usual child-swap friends are all unavailable: out of town, sick, entertaining visitors or otherwise occupied. I guess I could get a babysitter, but the reality is I loathe the idea of paying for someone to watch the kids while I workout when I can just go to the gym and the kids are taken care of for free. So here I am 6 weeks out from the race without any �real� training.

Now, don�t get my wrong, I have been logging some serious mileage on the treadmill and stationary bike at the gym. I�ve cut my time to a sub 9-minute mile. I know, not too impressive, but you have to remember, I�m only 5 feet � my stride is tiny. (At least that�s my story and I�m sticking to it!) And I�ve also improved my transition abilities. I can now move from a run to a ride and back to run with ease. And of course I use the term �ease� loosely: I�m not puking. But will that effort translate? Various people have assured me it will, but I�m not so sure.

I�m getting a little nervous. No, I�m getting a lot nervous.