So be sure when you step. You step with care and great tact and remember that Life's a Great Balancing Act.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Update on my Leg

Hopefully no one has lost any sleep over this - I assure you guys that my leg is OK.

I did an easy test run yesterday, 6 miles at around an 8:10 pace. There was no pain, but there was significant tightness. I made the decision to take the rest of the week off.

Being injured is my biggest fear - I rather rest now and feel great next week than push it now and be injured next week! It's a bit hard because my leg is a lot looser today. I can jump and skip with glee...but, the pain during the race was very real, so I want to remain very careful.

There is smart. And there is silly.

In life, I tend to be silly. For example, the other day I took my daughter grocery shopping dressed like this:
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Mommy Tip #285: When taking your toddler out in public, dress your child so ridiculous that the only conclusion is that your child dressed themself. This way, no matter how much they run
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or how loud they yell
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they wont get a single dirty look. Even the bitter old lady wont have the heart to do so.

But anyway, it comes to training, I dont want to be silly. I want to be smart. Since I dont have any races right now, it only makes sense to take a few days off...even if I think I feel fine.

So, I put Mr.Coach on hold for two weeks. That gives me this week to recover, and next week to vacation.

Since Mr.Coach is on hold, I decided to go to Mr.Bike Man. I am a relatively new cyclist. Not that long ago, I didnt even consider myself a real cyclist. In the past few months, I have gotten much faster and now not only am I a "real" cyclist, I am an arrogant and cocky cyclist.

One of my favorite things to do is play the game: Find a Man on a Fancy Bike and Pass Him. The more they resist, the more fun the game is. Sometimes I even play Find the Group of Men on Fancy Bikes and Pass them All. I never lose, and I return home feeling like I have done a service to women everywhere by proving that skinny girls in pink bike shorts can kick ass.

However, I keep hearing from my friends that I can be an entire mile per hour faster with aerobars. One of my friend even gives me aerobars. They say "Ironman" on them and this makes them cool. I figured, If I put them on my bike, I will be cool too!

So, hence my visit to Mr.Bike Man.
Unfortunately, he did not think they were cool. They were on his "unacceptable parts" list. However, he said he could "make it work."

He also did not seem convinced that I was ready for aerobars.
Mr. Bike Man is very wise - he knows there is more to being a good cyclist than going 22+ mph. There is skill.

To prove his point, and rightfully knock me off my pedestal, he made me put my bike on rollers:
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Based on this single experience, I have concluded that rollers are stupid.

In order to balance on the rollers you have to use your hips - which is the same concept of aerobars. I lasted a whopping two minutes.

Regardless, I know I have aerobars on my bike.
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This means that I am either now a force to reckon with,
or a disaster waiting to happen.

I'll let you know!

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