Riding a Bike Really is Just Like Riding a Bike

The hardest part was remembering to stay on the right hand side of the road. All the miles of running have conditioned me to go against traffic.

After the hip flexor stress in March the doc said cross training is more necessary than ever. He specifically suggested bike riding. So I dug my bike out of the garage. It's not like I've never ridden before. In fact as a child I would spend hours and hours on my bike. Being the social klutz that I was bike riding was a great activity for me. In fact, when my family moved from Havertown to Bala Cynwyd just after 6th Grade I spent many days that summer riding from Bala Cynwyd back to Havertown to visit family and friends because these were people I already knew. (yeah I AM a dork).

I continued to ride through my early adult years. In fact, to give you an idea of how old my bike is I'll tell you that Emma rode this bike with me when she was an infant and toddler. She is now 22. In fact she's ridden the bike as a passive child seat rider and as the moving force rider. :) Stuff happens in life and my focus changed. I kept the bike though. It's been through at least three moves.

Emma works in a bike shop how and graciously offered to have it checked out and tuned up. I picked it up yesterday. She and the bike store owner both expressed concern that the bike frame is too big for me but adjusted the seat and handlebars as best they could for me.


On the advice of Emma and my running friend Lyn I decided that my goal was ten miles this morning. I was going to go out to the Schuylkill River Trail but the weather map showed rain over that area and none here in Media so I stayed here. Media is much hillier than the SRT but having run around town here so much I knew were not to go. I managed a few long slow climbs just fine but stayed away from the shorter steeper ones like 8th street!

I felt great the whole way. Felt like a kid in fact. :) That alone is reason to keep going. I have a weird pain just above my right knee - never had that running. Hopefully just old muscles being forced into action.

The only other issue today was misplacing my Road ID. I can't find it anwyhere and I just had it yesterday. :( I substituted my drivers license in a waist pouch instead.

So yesterday I jokingly said to Emma that maybe next year she and I can do the ACS ride together.
The 2012 ride is today. That's a year away? .... It's a goal worth thinking about.

Miles this week - 32.5
17.5 running
11 biking
4 walking