Getting Active

I’m fairly certain that the person who originally made that statement, had not gone 25 plus years without riding a bike; and even if they had, they probably didn’t go from having ridden a regular, everyday kind of bike, to riding one that has brakes and gears!

On Mother’s Day, my husband and I decided to rent bicycles and go for a bike ride. We are attempting to add more movement into our lives, and we figured this would be a really good way to do it. Unfortunately, I haven’t ridden a bike in years, I cannot even remember riding one since I started having children and my youngest is nearly 31. So, it is very possible that I have not ridden a bike, that wasn’t stationary, since I was 13. We won’t talk about how long ago that was, I’ll just leave it at that was a long time ago. Not to mention, I’ve never ridden a 10-speed before, so this was a totally new experience for me!

My patient husband explained the deal with the brakes, and about the gears (there are only 3 on these, so not too complicated). I did a few practice ‘runs’ up and down the sidewalk, and then we were off. I admit it, I wobbled a few times, and changing gears was definitely odd, but I got the hang of it. 

We rode along the river, with about 100 other runners, walkers, marathoners, etc. I’m not sure what was going on, but there is always something on the weekends here, a charity event, a marathon, I know there was some comic con as well. Yeah, it was crowded.  Jason, that’s my husband, gave me a few pointers when we pulled over to take a break. Apparently, I shifted into 3rd gear, because it felt ‘normal’, but I was actually going faster than I really should have been, as this was our first time out. He also explained passing etiquette. No, I didn’t hit anyone, but he just wanted to be sure that I didn’t in the future.

The ride was fun, but short. It would appear that my blood sugars decided to take a dive, and I had to get something into my system quick. I don’t have an appetite in the morning, all I want is a cup of coffee and silence when I first wake up, and I usually have to settle for just the cup of coffee. I force myself to eat breakfast on most mornings, because, well I was told I needed to, but I didn’t on this morning. I also didn’t have a bottle of water with me, or anything to snack on. Yeah, I never said I was brilliant *sigh*.

What I learned

1. When it comes to the bikes of today, compared to what I was used to, something new has been added
2. Do not exercise without having eaten first
3. When exercising outside of the house, carry something healthy to snack on
4. Stay hydrated
5. Look to your side when moving over to pass people who are going slower than yourself, this will help you avoid sideswiping any one who is trying to pass you
6. Humidity sucks*

*I already knew this, but felt it was important to reiterate.