OMG! I can't believe I did THIS! LOL!!

I fell off my bike. On the road. Yes, I'm an idiot.

I didn't forget I was clipped in. I unclipped my right foot to come to a stop on the curb, but I was going too slowly and couldn't get my balance on my right side...so I tipped over on my left side and skinned the shit out of my left knee. It really hurts.

How funny is it that this is the first time I've ever fallen off my bike? On a road ride of all places...not on the trail.

I feel really tired and sluggish this morning. I only did 2.5 miles today. I started out feeling tired, which is normal. But I usually shake it off by the end of the first mile. I didn't today. I wonder if it's from the harder-than-usual dirt ride I took on Saturday. I think I overdid it...it was really hot, and the dirt/sand combo I was riding on made pedaling somewhat more difficult than my legs are used to...I came in the house shaking and nauseated.

I need to figure out what to eat before these morning rides. I know I'm not doing a 20, or even 10, mile ride, but as fat as I am and as out of shape as I am, these rides are definitely exercise for me. My problem is that I don't want to eat too much and then not get the calorie benefit from riding. And really it's not just in the morning - it's all day...I get hungrier when I ride (obviously) because I'm expending more calories. I just don't know how many calories I should add to my daily routine so that I'm still benefiting from riding, but not extremely hungry all day too...

I hope that makes sense.

Guess I should go wash the blood off my knee.

Nifty biking stickers

Check 'em out here.

Mother's Day

It was a nice Mother's Day...I got to sleep in until 10:30 this morning. I've been sleeping A LOT since we got back from vacation. Guess my internal clock is all screwy or something.

Took a shower and the four of us went to TGI Friday's for lunch. I was STUFFED. They gave all moms a free half brownie/ice cream or cupcake. I had the brownie and it was GOOD. I think brownie/ice cream has to be one of my favorite desserts.

Then we went to the bike shop in Apex...The Bicycle Chain...so hubs could try out a Gary Fisher bike (and I scored some black spoke nipples!). We're debating whether to get him a mountain bike. Right now he has my Dad's 20 year old Diamondback...and for what he uses it for, it's fine. But the geometry is all wrong for him. He can ride my GT Avalanche, and likes it, so we went to Performance last week and tried out the 09 model. He likes it a lot - and the price is right...a little over $400. The components aren't top notch, obviously, but it's not like he's gonna be out there catching air, hitting rocks, etc. If he gets to that point, we can upgrade. But I told him that he HAD to try other bikes before he decided on the GT, because you never know if you don't try. So like I said, today he tried out the GF..can't remember what model..and said it didn't feel much different from the GT. Then we went to Cycling Spoken Here and had a great time talking to Lucas. Hubs tried out a Trek 4300 and a GF Wahoo. He liked both. I was surprised that he liked them because they ride way more upright than my GT...when I was trying bikes out, I specifically remember trying out the Trek and thinking it felt like a cruiser. I like the feeling of leaning over my bike and having it under me as opposed to having my arms extended so far and my back straighter. But as with everything, it's totally personal preference. I do remember the GF wasn't as tall feeling as the Trek.

The kids started getting squirrely, so we came home after that. I decided I was going to take a bike ride - a longer one than usual. Just felt like it. So I got out and did the first 3 miles that are always the hardest. After that I just kept pedaling wherever I felt like going...and ended up having the most wonderful ride on a gorgeous day - smelling the honeysuckle and feeling the sun on my face. I logged 13.1 miles in a about 87 minutes - that's an average of 9 mph - way faster than usual. So I'm willing to entertain the idea of leaving the increased pressure in my tires from when hubs rode my bike and didn't release all the pressure the other day.

It's been a pretty nice day.

My Big Fat Fun Ride

I met a girl a couple weeks ago by the name of Katherine. I had stopped at REI to exchange a broken air pump and the people in the back sent me to the bike shop to have them check out the pump. Camye and Hormis were talking to her, I believe, and me and my big mouth joked about something with them. I got my stuff, and as I was walking out the door, Katherine was coming back after a test drive on an awesome pink Marin. She and I started talking, ended up exchanging info and saying that we'd get together sometime soon for a ride, once she got her bike and gear.

Fast forward to earlier this week and an email from Katherine asking me to ride. Hell yes I want to ride! We decided to go to the Tobacco Trail so she could get acquainted with her bike. So we met this morning there...and rode and talked for 1 1/2 hours...a little over 11 miles. This was my longest ride to date and it was wonderful!

And it is such a small world - the place she works was recently merged with a company I used to work for (about 8 years ago) and she knows a couple people that I know! Weird, huh?

Anyway, I'm amazed that I was able to ride that far. I feel great! The last mile was hard, but I refused to stop pedaling.

It was a good ride. Thanks Katherine! :)

Gustav before the ride:

Went out and rode again....

...and wow am I beat! But in a good way. The kind of tired where you feel satisfied with yourself for having done something. I'm not sure how far I rode - probably only a couple miles since it was a short 20 min ride. What was funny to me is that it took me 11 minutes to get from my house to the stop sign where I had decided I was going to turn around and took me 4 minutes to get back to my neighborhood street. Downhill was fun, uphill was a challenge during which I went into total Granny gear (blushes with embarrassment). But I did it and I'm proud of myself for doing it. Oh! I also rode a little bit in my neighborhood...downhill into the neighborhood behind mine and back up that bitch of a hill to get to my house. So maybe a total of 3 miles today.

Now I need to find something to do to keep myself occupied. I find that when my mind is left to its own devices, I tend to get a little sad or anxious. So I think I'm going to clean my closet out or do a behavior plan for my kids. I also need to do tons of work on my websites...photos, layouts, etc.

Go me!

I rode 4 hard, hilly miles at the gym today. Could have gone further, but...didn't. Mental shit.

I'm happy to go see my shrinky-dink tomorrow to report in that my (yay!) pills aren't so yay...they don't seem to be keeping the sad cycles at bay so much. I can deal with manic cycles, it's the sad ones that I have a really hard time with. We'll see what she says tomorrow. Maybe it's time for the mighty Zoloft to come back out of the cabinet. Oy...not even going there tonight.

Day After Thanksgiving Ride

I couldn't stand it...I HAD to get out of the damn house, so I went on a ride right before sunset on Friday afternoon. This time I used my Mom's cruiser/comfort bike and rode around their neighborhood on it.

The bike itself was really comfortable - after the initial shock of not having ridden that type of bike. I couldn't believe how DIFFERENT it felt from my mountain bike. If not for the seat with shocks, it would have been a great ride. The seat was crazy bouncy - too different from my normal seat for comfort for me. And I had to jack the damn seat post up as high as I could...I was having nightmares of the seat shearing off. Oy.

Anyway...here are some pics from where I rode in Greenville, NC:

Happy Turkey Day!!

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Turkey Day. I also hope you get lots of riding in today! I'm going for a short ride just around my parents' neighborhood in a few minutes...just feeling the need to stretch the old legs out before dinner/supper/turkey time (3pm ET).

Hey! Don't forget! Fat Chick Biker LOVES comments - so leave me some, k?

Love y'all!
Jodey