Our ride went better than I had expected. I was a little nervous about the shoes and pedals. It has been years since I used clipless pedals and that was only briefly before I became "with child." Plus my old SPD pedals were really low-end and never worked very well. They didn't engage well and were tough to adjust...hence one fall when I was completely stopped and couldn't get my shoes to unclip. Today I clipped and unclipped with no issue. Last night I adjusted the pedals to their loosest setting, but they still held my cleats well...just not TOO well.
Running has really made me aerobically fit, too. My quads are going to take time to strengthen (so the speed is not quite there, yet), but our 17 miles was probably 5-10 less than I would have been comfortable doing today. We were crunched for time and I have a 10 mile run on the agenda for tomorrow, so 17 was just right, considering. In 2 days DH and I are planning to ride again (weather forecast continues to look fabulous!), so then maybe we can do 20-25. As long as my butt doesn't complain too much I am game. My right foot was much happier today without my Superfeet insoles, so they were probably overkill in the arch support department.
This cycling thing is way too fun. It's nice to have some variety in my workouts. I don't see myself ever completely ditching running, though. There are few things more fun than racing to really test fitness and it's still a far more efficient workout than cycling in terms of the time requirement. And trail racing...I have no interest in mountain biking (trees come at ya' WAY too fast), but give me a run in the woods on a trail...ahhh...heaven. Plus it's something I can enjoy with my closest friends who don't enjoy cycling. It's a good excuse to get out of the house and then enjoy post run/race beers. Don't forget those trail relays that take all day and end with a smelly, dirty, happy team of 6 runners in a big SUV and nearly 80 miles logged on-foot. I wouldn't give that up for anything.

In addition to the bar tape I had a Garmin candence/speed sensor installed and a mounting bracket. The cadence/speed sensor is the awesomest thing ever. It allows me to use my Garmin Forerunner 305 as effectively as a cycling tool as it has been for running since I first got it 2 years ago. It makes a cycling computer obsolete. It will track and display speed, distance, cadence, HR, maps, elevations profiles...way more than a typical cycling computer.

I think the reason winter apparel is all black and navy is because winter is when we usually put on a few extra pounds and these darker colors hide the extra weight (or at least, I think it hides those extra pounds...) As you say, it's both physiological and psychological :-)
ReplyDeleteHa, yes, black is slimming!
ReplyDeletenice ride :) and being brightly colored is key, ESP on a bike !
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