Training has only been okay. I've been pretty slow and feeling kind of weak. I know that I haven't been doing the strength training that I've done in the past so there is definitely a reason for it. A reasonable person would just do more strength training. I'm not quite to the point of being "reasonable" yet.
There have been some highly entertaining highlights to my training thus far, most of them related to my bike. First, there was the ride where I, rather publicly, let it be known that I didn't know how to air up my tires. It's hard to recover from that. Then there was the ride where both of my tires were flat. Rather than try changing both tires, I decided it was time to take it to the shop. And yes, they recommended I get two new tires. There was also the ride where the front brake was rubbing against the front tire, making a horrible noise in the process and I had to have someone show me how to adjust it. Finally, there was the time I fell off of my bike, which I probably need to expand on a bit.
As I previously mentioned, I am clumsy. For that reason, I have not ventured into the world of clipless pedals, as seen below.
Yes, I understand that my energy would be more efficiently used by going clipless, but the part that I can't get over is that my foot would be attached to the freaking pedal!!
I use the totally-not-respected-in-the-cycling-world toe clip, shown below. It's like 3/4 of a cage for your foot. (I should also clarify on terms. Even though the previous pedal is called "clipless" attaching your shoe to the pedal is called "clipping in." So in summation, you clip into clipless pedals, but not toe clips. Clear?)
In theory, it should be much easier for a beginner like myself to get my foot out of the 3/4 cage and onto the ground should I need to stop. Well, I've managed to prove that theory wrong. See, when I have to make a quick stop for animals, small children, cars, etc., sometimes I panic. In panic mode, basic thoughts to not develop in my mind...well, really at all. (It's for that reason, that I could never be an emergency responder. Yes, I am responsible and make an excellent emergency contact for anyone who is looking, but plop me in a vehicle moving at high speeds with lights and sirens, I am not likely to be able to string together enough reasonable thoughts to save any lives.)
On the day of my most recent fall, I was biking on a trail that crosses a divided highway. As I pulled to a stop, I removed my left foot from it's quasi-cage so it was available to land on the ground. Well, balance wasn't my strong suit that day either and rather than lean to the left and my available foot, I leaned to the right, where my right foot was still safely in it's cage. When my mind realized that my body was going in a direction that I had no support, my mind went into panic mode. (Think: BRIGHT LIGHTS! LOUD NOISES! CONFUSING TECHNO MUSIC!) So rather than simply pulling my right foot back and out of the toe clip, I tried yanking it up. Clearly, this did not go well and down, down I fell.
The damage to my body wasn't too bad, but my ego did not do so well. I ended up with scraped and bruised knees and palms. A few other bikers saw me go down and checked on my well-being, but luckily, no one from my group witnessed the event. If they had, the damage to my ego would have been much, much worse.
I expect since I'm actually training now, I'll have more amusing events to share and hence, will be posting more often. Look forward to it.
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