Running Chick

I took a nice 22.5 mile ride after work today.

I finally figured out how to properly operate my shifters and trim but I keep on forgetting which ones make the gears easier and which ones make them harder. So, most of the time I spend correcting my shifting errors. Gah. I was able to maintain an overall pace of 13mph on the entire ride and I think my maximum speed was 31.5 or something.

Anyway, first ride, good ride.

Behold the 50cm Trek 1.5. Ain't it purdy?




It's going to take some time getting used to the shifters, they are unlike anything I've used on a bike before, and it'll probably take a bit more tweaking on the seat to get it just right. I took it for an 8 mile spin last night and I was able to cruise along at 14 mph without much effort. I had to really crank on my mountain bike to maintain that speed. I think the 15 lb. difference between the two might have something to do with it.

I also bought a new helmet. I'd been using Josh's helmet so I figured it was time to invest in one that actually fit me.




Besides getting repair-related equipment, I think my next purchase will be the shoes and pedals to be able to go clipless.

I also think it was fate that I bought the bike, because I was leaving my house to go on my ride and I rolled my left ankle coming down the back stairs. That's the same ankle I rolled on my 10-mile run last summer. I landed on the same knee and wrist that I did last summer, too. My ankle is slightly swollen and bruised and my knee has a lovely scrape on it which will add to the collection of scars from last summer. My ankle doesn't hurt like it did last summer, but it is a bit tender. So, I'm skipping my runs for the rest of the week and attempt to become one with my bike in the meantime. No biggie, this was a cutback week anyway.

Up until yesterday, I'd never come close to throwing up during a run, no matter how hard I push myself. Yesterday, I almost broke that streak. I came seriously close to losing my cookies about 3 miles into my run. I stopped at the pavilion next to the Super 8 motel for a drink of water and took off again only to be overcome by a serious bout of nausea. I kept on running because when I slowed down, the nausea got worse. I finished up my run and sat down on a picnic bench for a few minutes until the worst of it passed. I met up with Josh as the KBC and felt better once I had some pop. So, I'm thinking that maybe I had low blood sugar (which I'm prone to) or was dehydrated.

Anyway, my time for the four miles wasn't all that bad despite feeling so awful.

Hopefully my Thursday run will turn out better.