Starting Off On The Right Pedal!

I woke up excited to take my first ride of the year.  Jared and I had been planning a Sunday ride all week, and with my new 192-mile commitment, I couldn't wait.  Jared was tired, so it took some coaxing to get him to get my bike ready for its first trip of the season.  In fairness, he had already had quite the PMC-full weekend.  On Friday we went to the Heavy Hitter dinner.  On Saturday Jared put in 40 miles riding a loop from Somerville to Andover and back.  Then he went to a fundraiser for one of his teammates.  Luckily, Jared is as excited about my 192-mile commitment as I am, and after a brief morning nap, he set up the bike computer he got me for Christmas, so that I could track my mileage.

I was excited as I got ready for our ride.  I picked out my moisture-wicking exercise capris, a sports bra, ankle socks, sneakers, a cotton t-shirt, a lightweight sweater, Jared's old bike gloves, and my awesome purple helmet.  As I was getting ready, Jared said, "I'll wear my jeans and I need to find my glasses."  That statement spoke volumes about the different bike rides we were each about to embark on despite the fact that we were going together on the same route.  See, when Jared goes on a bike ride by himself or with his PMC buddies he dons a tight bike jersey, those cute spandex shorts with the cushion in the butt, his contact lenses and sporty sunglasses, bike gloves, and special shoes that clip to his road bike.  When he goes biking with me, he wears jeans, a t-shirt, sneakers, and glasses.  Also, he takes his hybrid, not his road bike when he's riding with me.  I, on the other hand, wear the closest thing to a bike uniform I own, because any ride is a tough ride for me.  Look how cute Jared is in his bike outfit!

Riding with me is barely a warm up for Jared, but he knows how hard it is for me, so he is a great coach, cheerleader, and companion.  He even walked his bike with me down the sidewalk because we live right off a main road that I'm afraid to ride on right now.  No complaints, he just did it.  Once we got to the bike path I was comfortable and we were off.  About 2 miles in it started sprinkling, then pouring.  Uh oh!  Nevertheless, we kept going.  We biked through the rain until we got to Trader Joe's.  We stopped and picked up a few groceries and headed back.  By this time we were both water logged and freezing and decided to forgo the smoothie stop we planned to make.

While we were out we realized that I had forgotten how to stop properly, so next time we are out, and it isn't raining, Jared will give me another lesson.  I was also having trouble getting my bike into the lower gears for the hills, so Jared is going to take a look at it.  It should probably get its first tune up soon.  Though I had originally hoped to find a girlier bike in my size and price range, I love my silver and blue Trek bike.

The last few miles home from Trader Joe's were tough.  My inner thighs were screaming.  My quads were burning.  And, I had some leftover hamstring soreness from Saturday's yoga glass.  I was cold, wet, and covered in muddy debris.  Jared kept reminding me to keep pedaling.  I have a tendency to stop pedaling when I get tired. I'm not great at keeping my balance yet, so Jared reminds me that pedaling actually helps me stay upright!  I was proud of myself and my body for making it over 9 miles!  I'm pretty sure the longest ride we took last year was around 7 miles, so I was pretty impressed with myself.  I was happy to get home and heat up some leftover homemade pizza for our late lunch.  We decided that the rest of our Sunday would be a lazy one!  We deserve it!  I love my cycling coach.  He's the best!

Please be the first to donate to Jared through my PMC fundraising page by clicking on this link http://www.pmc.org/profile/HC0047