Back on the Horse

Beautiful Nebraska between Lincoln and Nebraska City on Hwy 2

It is SO hard to get back on the bike after you crash.

The first time.

Then after that you realize that hitting the ground - or a tree as the case may be - is a possibility each and every time and you just pedal and try to get over that nagging sensation that it might happen again.

Right After Impact
And it might.

Just like many undesirable things in life - crashing a bicycle isn't usually a one time deal.  Life tends to give me varying degrees of suckiness, as it does all of us.  The level of suck usually depends on one thing.

My reaction.

When I crashed into a tree on Saturday I wasn't going very fast.  I'll bet I wasn't going over 10 mph and really I bumped the tree and fell off my bike.  It was a thud-twump kind of deal.  I laid there in the grass for a minute with the rain falling down on me, trying to catch my breath and I shouted "I hate freaking RAIN!"  After determining that I was pretty much okay, I checked out  my bike, adjusted a break pad and rolled on home.  



The main thing I was worried about was my upcoming swim in the State Games of America Triathlon on Sunday.  I'm part of a team and I really want to do my best in the swim to give our team a good lead.  So - I haven't swam at all this week.  My ride this morning made my shoulder pretty sore so I'm sort of up in the air about even swimming tonight.  I don't want to make things worse and be all lame on Sunday.

My ride this morning was a bit timid anyway.  I had a hard ride on the schedule, but instead did a solid even effort on the safest bike path I could think of.  An out and back, even, because I didn't want to cross any busy streets.  My son was hit on his bike in a crosswalk last week and I didn't want a repeat.

Two Days Later
I can't help but replay peoples ignorant comments from this week when I go out for a ride.  First of all - I've been asked many times why cyclists ride on the roads - they are so slow and I have to go around, gee!  Then you have people who chime in and say that bikes don't belong on the sidewalks.  My husband has been honked at, yelled at and given the finger for riding in the street.  I have acquaintances who have been overtly bullied by vehicles on the road.

So I guess what usually is a source of peace and solace for me, has turned into a catalyst to lament on people's ignorance and I'm also scared to death!  My son was hit while riding across the street in a crosswalk.  Due to a city ordinance, we are liable for the damage to the vehicle because he failed to walk his bike through the intersection.  People chime in and say that it's for 'everyone's safety' that we have those laws on the books.  It's usually people who've never ridden more than a few blocks and don't have any idea what they are even talking about.  

I just feel so betrayed by people, right now!

Digressing...

On a happier note, the training for Last Blast is clicking right along.  I started a later shift at work and that extra hour in the morning has been like a gift from heaven.  Instead of getting up at 4:45 for workouts, I am lazing about in bed until 5:45.  The trails are busier and I feel safer on the run.  However, the roads are busier and I feel less safe on the bike.  My long bike rides on Saturdays followed by long runs on Sundays are getting easier and my legs are barely fatigued at the start of the run.

Soon, we will sprinkle in some two-a-day runs to prep for Market to Market Relay. Yay!!

Tonight I'm going to work on my garage gym.  My gym space downstairs is to disruptive to my sleeping teen in the mornings, so I moved a few things out to the garage.  Our garage is tiny and our car would never fit in it, so we use it for storage.   A few weeks ago, my husband moved some weights and a mat out there so I could do my strength training routine before my run or bike.  It's worked out pretty well, and I even drug the bike trainer out there one day when it rained out my ride.  Next week I have to go in early to cover for the Receptionist who is on vacation - so I think I'm going to ride in the safety of the garage while it's dark.

Whatever gets it done, that's the main thing!  Or, as Carrie Tollefson would say "Get after it!"

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