things i learned while cycling

I had grand plans to actually take photos on my bike ride tonight, but it totally slipped my mind until I was in the shower after I got home. Oops. So this post will contain flash back photos from 2007 and 2008. Don't pay attention to the man behind the curtain, etc, etc.Things I learned:

• cyclists in this area aren't just asshats to pedestrians and drivers. Oh, no. They are also asshats to other cyclists. Ones who might not be speeding along like they are trying to win the Tour de France (but are STILL going a reasonable pace!) They will also get pissed off at you if you a) obey traffic regulations b) stop at stop lights c) not cut off cars in an intersection and d) walk your bike across a really busy intersection near a highway. Good to know they are well-rounded asshats though.
• parents with babies in SUV-sized strollers love to take up BOTH sides of bike paths, not move out of the way when you say "excuse me" (I didn't have a little bell to ring at them like the ticked off cyclists did for me as I was biking too slow) and then get mad at you when you end up going AROUND them ON THE GRASS because you're "going to fast!" (but I am not going too fast for the cyclists dressed like Lance Armstrong)
• I need to remember to not forget my water bottle the next time I go out. I was ready to drink from the St Lawrence I was so thirsty. Oops.
• the bike path near me is extremely uninteresting and dull. I wish I had a better place to bike AND run. Sigh.
• cycling 8.84km in 40 minutes only burns 259 calories. Drat.
• my knees hurt while peddling. They don't hurt when I run, but when I ride my bike they do. What's up with that?
• my back hurt the most and my bike has me sit pretty upright. I guess I have muscles I never thought about before that are going to be mad at me in a couple of days. When did biking become hard on the back? Isn't it supposed to work my legs?
• I still sweat pink, only now it's not running down my neck. This time it turned the inside of my helmet pink. heh

So tonight I finally took my lovely bike out for a ride. It's been way too long - almost 2 years? Since I have ridden it anywhere and after a rough year it spent outdoors, I needed to re-oil everything. I did THAT a year ago and never even brought the thing out of the basement. Ugh. I have the best of intentions, but ultimately, it's too much of an ordeal to get that bike in and out of my house. Also, I tend to fear the outdoors and would much rather hide in the safety of my house. I definitely think I need to get my daughter a bike, as it will push me to go cycling with her. After her showing me bikes she likes, I always read the bike review to check they're suitable, but who's to know if they're good or not?! hopefully we'll find a relatively good one for an okay price!The only issue we've had recently is that it's been way too humid to train for my jogging adventures, but I decided the other night that the temperature should not keep me from being active. After all, I'm missing 90 minutes of Aqua fit a week until it starts back up again in September and I am really missing that extra activity. I am sluggish (not just from the heat), my body hurts (except when I run) and I fall into the pattern of NOT WANTING to DO ANYTHING really quickly. It's so much easier to waste hours of my life sitting on the couch, playing on the internet.  So the last two nights I went on 45+ minute walks. Last night actually had a break in the humidity and I COULD have gone out running, but I was hit with one of my major migraines while at work that afternoon (I get kaleidoscope vision that totally robs me of any clear sight, and normally it lasts about 10 minutes, but this one was over half an hour before I could open my eyes at work) and then the pain hit with a KABLOOEY! I was still in pain and nauseous by the time we went outside so I opted for the smart choice of walking, but we walked a lot. :PTonight was just too hot and humid. After dinner it was still 38?C  (100.4?F) and there was no way I was going to try and run. So I decided to take my bike out. Odd choice maybe, but it's easier to breathe when the air comes woooshing at you when you go fast. Like having the windows open in a car. Trust me! It works!I would have gone farther along the path had it not abruptly ended due to construction (of ironically, a bike path) and I didn't feel like braving the traffic to go further forward. Instead, I checked my runkeeper stats and saw that I'd been out 20 minutes and so I knew it would take me at least that to get home. Halfway back I was starting to feel tired and could feel myself slowing down. The heat and my thirst were factors aside from the fact that I hadn't actually ridden my bike since 2010 (if that..it might have been 2009!) I came home, gulped down a ton of water (which I will now regret as I head off to bed) and then took a shower.My goal right now is to get at least 30 minutes of activity in a night. Even in the rain. I'll walk in the rain, and if it's not wicked hot or humid I'll do my c25k training. I don't have to wait to run to go out. I can do something walk, bike, run...every night for at least 30 minutes and I know I will feel better because I DID something.This weekend I finally realized what my label is for this year. I have had the Year of Doing Things and the Year of Going Places and I didn't know what to call this year. But I know now.But that's for another post. ;)Meanwhile, I just wanted to remind you all of my super awesomely cute bike helmet. (So, really, who cares if all those expensive-cycling clothed people think I bike to slow. I look ADORABLE!)