New Bike

After last weekend’s nearly disastrous run, I laid low this weekend and skipped running altogether.

However, the weekend wasn’t a total loss because on Sunday I purchased a new bike and here it is:





It is a Cannondale Quick 4 and is supposed to be a good bike for riders who want to use it for both commuting, quick rides to run errands as well as some fitness riding and this is exactly how I want to use this bike. I’ve been saying for over a year now that I’d like to start biking to/from work but I had two excuses that have prevented me from actually doing it. One, I didn’t have a “good” bike and two, I am very nervous about riding on the roads in DC.

Well, I’ve eliminated the first excuse and the only way to get over the anxiety about riding in DC is to just do it.

Last night, Mike and I went for a ride and it really was a great deal of fun. I am looking forward to my future bike adventures!

Daily Dozen:
5 miles w/ ¼ mile intervals and ¼ mile rest – piriformis is acting up, bring on the tennis ball J

Back on the Bike

The weather forecast for today was Sunny with a high of 55 degrees, in other words it was a perfect, crisp autumn day.

Taking full advantage of the day, I hopped on my bike (and hopping on my bike entailed spending 10 minutes pumping air into both tires since I haven't ridden my bike since last spring) and headed out. I picked up the Martha Custis Bike Trail just off N. Quincy Street and headed west until I hit the junction with the Mount Vernon Trail and stopped off at Roosevelt Island.

I parked my bike and took off on the trails, which were blanketed in yellow leaves; the visual effect was stunning. As I walked the 1.5 mile perimeter, I savored the experience of being outdoors and finally being able to do something active after a month of non-running. I'll admit I had to fight the urge to take off ,to hear the crunch of the leaves under foot and to feel the cool air in my lungs.

I will also admit that I took my time on the trail, going so far as to even stop to say "hi" to Giant Teddy, because the bike trail heading back home has some monster uphills. My legs started out this morning a little sore from the lower body strength training yesterday and my muscles were really feeling it on the ride home!

All in all, I ended up doing 8.8 miles round trip - 1.5 walking and 6.3 biking. It felt good to get out the bike again and I loved the walk around Roosevelt Island. Even if I didn't do anything else for the rest of the day, the day wasn't wasted.