Come to the Dark Side, we have cookies!!

The 40 year old slacker is in the house. HAHA.

Except it's only been slacking on the blog. In real life I've kept up my training schedule, totally aced (and exceeded) a 29 km long run. I love my Nike band but I am in the process of re-syncing it, since it is now under-reading distances. Oh well. Imperfect technology but does what I need.

On Tuesday, I bought my bike. Yesterday I rode it home - first time I've been on one since my early teen years, after I broke my arm riding when I was 10. You know that expression "like riding a bicycle"? Yeah, WHATEVS!! 

So my new bike is fitted with the clip pedals, and some cute riding shoes. Given my propensity to take diggers at the most awkward of places, I got the mountain bike shoes with a bit of grip, since road shoes have soles designed of jello. I looked at those shoes and got bruises. *shudder*

The folks at Bow Cycle were wonderful. They spent time with me, making sure I understood the way to successfully engage & disengage my shoes as well as making sure I understood how to shift gears. I'm still not 100% on proper gearing, but I had enough to get me home in one piece.

But wow, that ride home.... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Oh sweet mother of pearl. I spent a good 10 minutes behind Bow Cycle propped up against a garbage can, trying to clip myself in and work up the nerve to push the pedals. It's a bit daunting because starting with both feet in is scary as hell, so I finally worked up the nerve to just do it. Didn't fall! I was totally on top of the world, although laughing pretty hard because I was wobbly like a toddler. Straight line, ooh that was tough at first.

It didn't take long before I was feeling pretty fine... until my first dismount - cars were making me uncomfortable and I had to turn, so I played it safe. Getting back on took less time, but was a pretty laughable affair. I also had some challenges finding the right gears for some pretty minor hills, and took a rather public digger just after crossing the Trans Canada. I was only half clipped in, but fell on the clipped side anyways. Good grief!

Anyways, long story long, it was a gong show but fun. When I made it to my stomping grounds, it was weird being on the other side of the bell and dinging the runners. I'm going to need better padding though - my butt still hurts from that seat!! And that was with those giant maxi-pad cycling shorts. Sheesh.

Off to do a 10k - breaking in new shoes again. Went for Nike Vomeros, they are supposed to be nice & cushioned. Apparently I have strengthened my ankles so much that I am now in a neutral shoe - had 2 assessments done because I couldn't believe it. Crazy!!

~Pam

A couple days off

I'm down but not out.  My calves are throwing a temper tantrum because they don't like hill training. I have tried talking nice to them, when that didn't work I moved to drowning them in ice baths, but still the tantrum continues, so they are going to get what they want.  The first demand was a week off, which I'm in the process of doing(4 more days till I return), and the second demand is no more hill training.  I figure I should listen now before my calves move from a mild tanturm to a full blown breaking things type of tanturm that would have me out of running for months not just a week.  Really one Sunday morning of not running drove me insane I can't imagine what more would do.  I can't seem to remember what normal people do on Sunday mornings, when you aren't running for 3hours so I drove myself nuts trying to find things to do.  I almost even cleaned out my car, wait one minute I wasn't that desperate for things to do, but I was almost there.  Hopefully this Sunday I will be out running my very first 29km. 

Sabrina