Last July, I went out and got myself a really cool bike. I rode it quite a bit last year with the hopes of beating the boredom of running on the treadmill all the time.
Today was a gorgeous day - 75 degrees and sunny. And I was hellbound and determined to get the bike out today and ride. Not only that, I was going to teach Monkey Man to ride his bike as well. I must be an idiot. First of all, trying to teach a five-year-old who is totally uninterested in riding his bike how to do it is impossible. When I was his age, I would ride up and down the roads (and a freaking mountain, for pete's sake) all day long. Now I can't even get this kid to ride the bike five feet. Next thing you know, he's going to want to hire one of the kids up the street to ride his bike for him. Kids these days! Anyhow, I pulled my bike out of the garage and discovered that the rear tire was pretty low (and I don't know where the air compressor is) so Monkey Man and I entertained ourselves with a rousing game of basketball until Joey got home. And by the way, Monkey Man cheats at basketball. It's so not fair.
Once Joey got home, I bribed him to pump up my tires and off I went. Cool and confident, bike helmet on and running tights too (ya know so you don't snag the ol' pants leg and tank into the road messing up the dental work your parents paid millions of dollars for), I headed on down the street. I was looking forward to having a great ride just like the ones that I did last year.
What I didn't remember from last year was that it appears that our neighborhood goes uphill. There is no downhill here. And how that is physically possible is beyond me.
Thirty minutes later, I finally pulled back into the driveway with my head pounding so hard that I thought my brains were going to come shooting out of my eyeballs and my arms are still shaking. What in the hell my arms have to do with riding a bike (other than holding the handlebars) I have no clue.
And here I sit. Head pounding, coughing my lungs up, and jonesing for a Girl Scout cookie. Or twenty.
8 comments:
I'm right there with you. My bike makes its spring appearance tomorrow.
I want a bike!!!! What kind did you get? Other than the fact it makes you want to throw up, do you like it?!
The secret to teaching Abby to ride her bike--cool kids in the neighborhood that she wanted to hang with. It took a week of running her up and down the sidewalk and she had the hang of it.
Good luck with MM and feeling better!
that is one advantage to mayberry--it's flat. ridiculously flat. i can tool around on my ancient beach cruiser ("The Beast") and not even break a sweat. oh, and did i mention the abundance of sidewalks?
Green with envy on sidewalks, Mitzi. It was a huge adjustment for me when I moved to OK that they do not seem to appreciate a nice sidewalk - or any sidewalk.
The arms - well, they do support your body, right? I noticed the same thing at the tail end of the marathon - my hands were numb! WTH?
Good job, though. Next time will seem easier.
Glad you got out on your bike. Sorry your head and arms hurt, but wait until tomorrow when your "taint" and surrounding area will make the pain in your arms seem mild. :)
And it taint good to pedal with a glowstick.
My bike makes my butt hurt.
LOL! Any bike I ride has 2 ways of going: Straight and in the dirt. Okay, sometimes it veers into prickly bushes.
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