Myself As Another

Wow, that was amazing. I rode my personal longest ride today: 32.4 miles. My former personal longest was 22.15. I rode that ride just this past Monday. I have to say there’s something really amazing about biking. I think I’ve found my sport. Really. I’ve been search for the past several years for an endurance sport that resonates with me and that I can really respond to. I tried jogging. I really, really tried. After I quit smoking about five years ago, part of my plan to stay quit was to get invested in an exercise regimen that I would have to scrap if I started smoking again. Sort of another incentive to stay quit. Well, I’ve certainly stayed quit. But I’ve just had too much trouble with the jogging plan. I trained to hard early, within a few months getting to the point where I could go on 7-8 mile jogs a few times a week. But then I had a hip injury, and had to take a bunch of time off. Eventually, I got back into it, but I never really got to the point where I actually enjoyed the running. Then I got a pretty bad case of patellar tendinitis in my left knee. I took some time off, and tried swimming instead. That really didn’t last long. Too much hassle to actually get to the natatorium on a regular basis. I tried to get back on streets running again, but after several months of rest, the tendonitis just won’t go away.

So I’m switching to biking. I’ve been a commuter (2.5 miles each way) to school now for more than three years, so I’m not exactly starting from scratch. And two years ago, I upgraded from Specialized Crossroads (a hybrid or cross bike) to Specialized Sirrus (a road bike with flat handle bar). That’s what I’ve got now, and I love it. It’s perfect for a nice, fast, stable and comfortable commute to school/work, and it’s also great for getting out on a nice longer fitness ride around town or into the country.

And today was my first ride out in the country. I parked at a shopping center just on the edge of town, and road out onto the small country roads. It was late afternoon on a holiday weekend, and traffic wasn’t really too bad. I was just amazed at all the smells out there. Horse and cow farms. Food cooking in people’s homes. Standing water. Grass cuttings on the golf course. Also, there are so many bugs! I got a hornet stuck in my helmet. He was going sorta nuts, but he didn’t sting before I got my helmet off, thank goodness.

There were some relatively steep hills, and there were some long climbs. It was surprisingly nice to tackle them. And then coming down those long, winding hills. Wow. That’s the fastest I’ve ever gone on my bike. I think I topped out at about 35 miles per hour. But it didn’t feel totally safe, so I didn’t try to pedal myself faster.

All-in-all, a great bike ride. Of course, I wasn’t ready for it, and now I’m pretty much too tired to move.

With that, I think I’m gonna try to take in a movie in the nice, air-conditioned darkness.

p.s. For any other Louisville cycling enthusiasts who might know their way around the countryside northeast of the city, I’ve included a link of my ride on MapMyRide.com. Enjoy.