I'm Learning to Handle My Bike and it's Not Pretty

Just over a year ago I made the following proclamation:

Thankfully, I gave myself the caveat that I might wait until 2015.  Well, 2015 is here, and it's time to get serious!  So I am seriously working on my swimming, biking, and running skills this year. Sure, I've got a couple of marathons under my belt, but I still have a lot to learn.

The last time I talked about my bike handling skills I may have fibbed a little.

But no more tricks. I have to get much more comfortable on my bike if I'm going to do races that will include long distances and time spent on roads.

I'm nervous about my handling skills, which means I need to avoid work on them.  A couple of weeks ago I went to an empty parking lot and practiced some fancy maneuvers.

First, I rode in wide circles.

I did this in *both* directions, I'll have you know.

Those progressed into figure eights.

For the sake of argument let's just say they really were figure eights and not bloated, disproportionate wiggles. Just go with it.

And, I practiced one-handed riding.

I'm pretty good at taking the left hand off, but not the right.  Apparently people normally steer better with their non-dominant hand so I'm doing the opposite of normal, as I learned from Bruk.

Translation: "You're weird".

Last weekend I took my bike out on the path for my very first solo ride! I practiced 12 miles of hills, curvy trails, and some tight turns.  I also worked on that one-handed business again.  I got my right hand off the bar for a couple of seconds a few times but always felt like I had to catch the bike so I didn't fall.  However, I was able to take my left hand off long enough to scratch my nose!!

Just kidding. I would never close my eyes.

I really did scratch my nose though. It was very exciting.

Yesterday I decided to take my bike out in the neighbourhood.  It was a really foggy day so I considered covering myself in the fancy running lights TriGuy got me, but I would have looked like a one-woman rave.

TriGuy found me some bike lights instead.

I managed 3.5 miles of technical work before the cold made my fingers and toes numb and I could not stop shivering.

Good thing I was so close to home!

I know that the more time I spend on my bike doing these little drills, the better I will feel. I probably just need to wear another layer or two for the next few months to ward off hypothermia.

That should do it.

UPCOMING POSTS: HOW I'M MAKING CHANGES TO TRAINING, SWIMMING, RUNNING




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I Ran a Marathon. Whoopee. (The marathon aftermath)

I ran the Portland Marathon on October 5th.  For the next week I felt the usual post-race letdown.

They say that you are a different person when you finish a marathon than you were when you started it.  I felt that way after my first half marathon, but the marathon just felt like a really long run.  I wasn't feeling particularly successful or proud of myself.

I mean, these days everyone runs marathons, right? My facebook feed is filled with people who run a marathon every weekend--some for FUN--run long-distance relays and triathlons, and barely need a break.

All I did was run one measly marathon that took me over 5 hours to finish.

I had really hoped to break that 5 hour mark, even though my training clearly showed that was highly unlikely.  And that 3 minute PR? That can easily be explained by not needing a bathroom break this year. Remember this?

I was sweating out of pores I didn't know existed.

Nope, no great feelings of success.  In fact, I was feeling so bad that I ended up in the ER with a falsely diagnosed heart attack 2 weeks after the race. (A combination of work and life stress didn't help of course).

Ok,  so the doctor wasn't *quite* so cavalier. It *was* scary though.

I decided it was time for some perspective.  I started looking around online to see if it is still special to run 26.2 miles.  Here's what I found. (Please keep in mind that these are "facts" I found online, so they are 100% true! )

Source DARE, it says.

Source That's still a small percentage.

Here's the thing:  maybe some people have been swimming, biking, and running since they were zygotes. And maybe the average recreational athlete is a good 25-50% faster than me in races.  And maybe some people have had major transformations in their weight, their health, or their looks.

Maybe all that's true.  

But in the end, none of that matters.  You know why? 

Because running makes me happy. 

And that's what makes me a runner. 

Oh, and also a 2 time marathoner.

Whoopee!!!

How do you identify yourself? How long did it take you to own that identity?

UPCOMING POSTS: VOLUNTEERING AT BEAT THE BLERCH, A YEAR IN REVIEW, TRYING SOMETHING NEW AND IMPROVED IN THE NEW YEAR