Progress In More Ways Than One

I discovered something this weekend; I have solid leg muscles. I also discovered that 22 mph wind gusts transform even 140 lbs into a human kite, despite my brave statement that the 30 lbs I have on Aixe would prevent the kite-likelihood. In addition to this, 20 mph headwind SUCKS!!!!!

I only did 80 miles this weekend. 60 miles on Saturday in pouring rain and wind. The rain didn't really bother me, but the wind made me cut the trip short. There were branches in the path everywhere which made the ride feel unsafe.

I decided to bike around Lake Washington, expecting some headwind. The forecast (on my phone) said the wind would come from SW which meant that half of my ride (deduced since I was riding in a circle) probably would suck a little. I didn't expect that the wind would actually move me several inches or threaten to topple me over. It's really scary when the wind comes from the side and blows you into traffic so I probably won't bike again if it's that windy.

I almost got hit by a branch falling off a tree. If I hadn't stopped to get the gels out of my pack, that branch would have landed on my head and not the trail. As I got up on my bike again after having dug up the gel, I heard a huge thump and the ground shook a little. A gigantic branch had fallen off the tree just a few feet ahead of me. Very close call. I wonder if my helmet would have protected me completely.

I made it around the lake almost completely dry - except my feet, but that was my own damn fault for wearing the wrong shoes. I figured I would give cleats a try, problem is the shoes that have cleats aren't waterproof. At all. Lesson learned. I have a feeling there will be plenty of lessons needing learning in the months to come. Oh well, what doesn't kill you make you stronger, right?

The muscle discovery started with trying my skinny jeans and fitting into them for the first time in months. Yeay! But then I discovered that I actually have leg muscles.



tan lines in unexpected places

welcome to the gun show... hahaha

I've biked for five months now and I feel better than I've done in years. But with the biking, I find myself googling the strangest things - like cleats, spokes, spandex, saddle sores - things I never thought would be in my search history.

 

Probably won't have to retort to the above since every search has a valid explanation. In other words, should I commit a crime, my getaway vehicle needs to be a bike. Or the crime itself has to involve chainlinks, lube, and seat posts.

 

Edit: After participating in this thread with Josh Ross, my mind and search history are as dirty as my bike...

 

The commute this morning was a lot rainier than they forecasted on TV. I've made a point of watching the morning news now to feel a little more plugged in and also to get the most recent weather for my ride in - but Nick Allard, you are a liar. So far he's been wrong 9 out of 10 times. I guess a solution for this is to listen to his forecast and then dress for the opposite. It was not supposed to rain on my commute, yet it poured down. One bizzarro thing this morning: There was a huge dead DUCK in the middle of the bike lane. It was a male duck, which explains parts of why it was there, but there aren't any ponds or lakes within waddling distance which leads me to the following question: Do ducks fly? I think they do, and if they do, did this one get shot down on Halloween? Was he a victim of duck rage?

 

I've found the solution to my scary patches - I've started taking the road. Instead of almost getting blasted into the ditch by passing cars, I now take the road, preventing the cars from passing me when they shouldn't. This is a new development and it's made my commute much more enjoyable.