I'm certainly no cyclist. I never have been. I was a skater growing up, and while applying grip tape could be a messy task to take on from time to time, a board with wheels is definitely a whole hell of a lot simpler to deal with than the moving mechanisms of a bicycle. I stated earlier in the week that cycling was somewhere in my future plans for effective cross training, but with the state of disrepair my bicycle was in, I wasn't considering taking it on anytime soon. However, in the full spirit of the marathon, I wanted to broaden my cross training options, so I dutifully went and got a new tire and a portable pump for my Schwinny Cooper.
While changing the back tire, I felt around the inside rim and found the culprit behind my flat. A sliver of metal so slim that it would shame an average staple into an abysmal obesity complex. After pumping up the new tire, I took it for a quick spin, and was satisfied with things appearing OK for the time being. I did have visions of the wheel that I just screwed back on coming off, and me breaking my face and legs in an over the handlebars dive due strictly to my mechanical incompetence. But hopefully the vision is the closest that this scenario comes to a reality. This fear is founded on the fact my bicycle is a crap trap of frustrating defects. I got burnt on craigslist because the guy selling it knew a lot, and I knew not nearly enough above nothing to realize how much work it really needed. I literally have electrical tape keeping the straps on my pedals in place. Seriously, how safe can that be?
I plotted a 10 mile course around the neighborhood using Google maps. I use this same method for scoping out runs ahead of time too; I highly recommend it. In my mind, 10 miles on a bicycle didn't seem far at all, but I wanted to take it easy my first day out as to avoid any chance of overexertion this early in my training schedule. As much as it would suck to get an injury anytime during this process, I think it would be the most frustrating on a cross training day, because I'm not even running. I threw on a pair of running shorts, despite knowing beforehand how chilly it was outside, but the only pants I have are loose legged, and therefore run the risk of getting snagged on the chain. This shorts call was a bad one. They weren't cycling shorts at all. Just plan shorts I wear running; I won't even go so far to call them running shorts, since I'm not even sure they were meant to do even that. Unfortunately, they are far removed from sufficient cycling shorts since they rode up high along my thighs as the biting bitter cold wind invited itself along for the ride. 10 miles quickly became what seemed like FOREVER. I'm not even sure how long I was gone. It felt like Luke before Han stuffed him into the Tauntaun. Unfortunately my bicycle has no belly to keep me warm, so if I fell out here, Hoth be damned, I was going to freeze.
My chain has a tendency to pop off at the most inconvenient times; I know, what constitutes a convenient time for this? I can only reply, when I'm not on it? For this ride, it happened while struggling up a steep hill, with drafty winds nipping at my nethers, that runs alongside a golf course. Many times I've entertained the danger of being beamed by a golf ball in this scenario, either out of accident or spite, ever since the day I was running alongside another golf course, and the parked van about 15 feet ahead of me got pinged by ball. I have no reason to believe the golfers were aiming at me, but one never knows...
Anyway, I made it home, cold, sweaty, and tired from what I figured was going to be an easy day of cross training. I was wrong on all accounts. I think next week I shall incorporate cross-cross training into the mix, until I develop more cycling strength, which will consist of me biking 4 miles to a park, walking a few miles while there, then biking the 4 miles home. This seems along the lines of a bikers version of The Art of Amateur Fartleking, that I spoke of for running.
No comments:
Post a Comment