Better today

So I went 2.5 miles today. An auspicious start to a LOT of training, but anything is better than nothing. I was so focused on the clips & pedals & not dying that I thought I was in the easiest gear trying to go back up the mountain to home that I thought I was more out of shape than I actually am. So I had Randy come get me because the riding uphill with clips was freaking me out. I'll have to relearn both confidence & stamina along with the clips & pedals - but I suspect this will come relatively quickly. I'll keep blogging so anyone interested can stay posted.

Fail

Okay, day 2 on the bike was not what I had hoped/anticipated. The clips are going to take some serious getting used to. I had clipped in on the right side and was working on the left and forgot to pedal (the great thing about clips is you can push AND pull to pedal, making it possible to keep the bike moving while you find the other clip) and the bike stopped and I toppled over because I couldn't get unclipped on the right fast enough to catch myself. I got back up, straightened the brake, and clipped back in on the left (it seems that the right is easier to find, so why not start with the left clipped in first???) and jumped up on the seat, which I hadn't noticed was at a 30 degree angle or so as well. So that wouldn't do. I tried to pound it back into place, but it wouldn't budge. So then I went back to the house to try to adjust it with an alan wrench, but the sole alan wrench in our toolbox was way too big, so I can't adjust the seat until I buy tools. I had planned on a short ride, but that was a touch shorter than I had anticipated - I only made 44 meters. Tomorrow will be better. I'll take a picture of first blood, too - but not the bruise I'll have on my hip in the morning - some things will have to be left to the imagination.

New Beginning

Okay, so I got my new road bike yesterday. For anyone who doesn't know yet, my goal is to ride across the USA (Maine to CA) next year and then from Sicily to Milan in 2012 or 2013. Anyway, I got my new bike and I tested out the clip shoes/pedals this morning. They were a little weird at first, but I am anticipating having a quick adjustment and soon not being able to ride without them. The shoes feel tight at first, but they will break in quickly with the amount I will be riding for training.

I also worked out the training mileage and it should be doable. (increasing not more than 10% per week each week until I'm up to 600 miles per week) It's a lot of time on a bike, but what a goal, right???

Hope all is well with everyone, and y'all are happy. Oh, got a Wireless Bluetooth headset as well so that I can be listening to the Ipod/Iphone while I am riding & able to get calls.