First bike ride of the year!

[magid]

I finally managed to get enough momentum and get myself out on my bike :-). A short ride, a half hour, and it was good to feel the wind around me (I'd brought water bottles, didn't wear the Camelbak). I also managed to find a route that had a minimum of sun in my eyes, not an easy feat half an hour ago, and ride on one street that was newly paved.

What I found out:

I am sorely out of shape. Not a surprise, just a confirmation. By the end of the ride, I was noticing my lower back (which happens sometimes, but usually after a longer ride...), and thinking it might be good to get wrist guards, at least for my left wrist, which was noticing the bumps more. Happily, I had no issues with my left hand other than that :-).

Also, I need to raise the seat of my bike around an inch or so; my legs didn't extend fully during the pedal rotation. Next time I need to remember to wear the old black sneakers, which fit into the toe clips properly, not the newer, jazzier, blue-and-grey ones, which don't, really. I'm hoping that those two fixes will help the left ball of my foot, which was starting to go to sleep, sort of. Oh, and I should probably oil the bike chain.

Still, I did it! After months of not being able to, then not getting myself to, I finally used the bike again!

Comments

[slinkr.livejournal.com]

Yay for biking again!

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

Woohoo!

Next morning

[magid.livejournal.com]

My right lower back is definitely uncomfortable... I hope with more riding (some more short rides, probably), this will at least take longer to happen. If anyone has suggestions for how to avoid this, that would be great (I did do a bit of stretching both before and after, though probably not enough).

I found I can tuck my hair into my helmet, which means I can get a breeze on the back of my neck.

And I definitely slept better from being so physically tired.