I finally managed to get out and ride today. That is significant because it’s the first time I’ve been outside on a bike since August 22, 2008 – the day I ran over a rattlesnake and trashed my knee. So yea for me.
Originally, I wasn’t going to go out and ride. I was going to deal with the trainer yet again. The bike called to me and I remembered that I have a brand new pair of stretchy pants. I’ve been dying to wear my stretchy pants so I pulled the bike from the trainer and left. (They do stitch a scorpion on the side because that helps you feel more manly.)
I went by myself without a phone without id. That is ironic because given my last time on a bike you’d think I’d learn. I didn’t. To hell with safety. I had a great time. In fact that is probably the longest continuous time I’ve spent spent outside since last August. It’s interesting, the real world. The only tweets I heard came from birds. The pain I felt came from my legs instead of my butt which is where it hurts the worst when dealing with software.
I got chased by a dog. Again, remembering that my last encounter with a biological entity resulted in disaster that had me a bit worried. I thought I could out run him. I did, but I am surprised at how fast a dog can move. I’ve been watching a lot of Planet Earth lately. There is this one part where wolves chase down a baby caribou. The commentator says, “the caribou has speed on their side but the wolf has endurance. The wolf only need wear down the animal.” In the last scene the wolf is gulping raw flesh. I wondered how many of those genes made it into this particular mutt. I hit 30mph before I totally dropped him. I still kept looking back just in case he was trying to wear me down.
I rode to the end of Old Hollow Road. I stopped to try to adjust my bike which is as out of tune as I am. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a screw driver so the derailleur had to wait. I filled my pocket with some pretty good sized rocks just in case I didn’t have the energy to out run the four legged demon on the way back.
I’m hurting tonight. In spite of a winter on the trainer, my body always hurts after the first ride of the year. Physically, today was a bad day to ride. I was tired. I don’t feel especially great. Overall, there couldn’t have been a better day to ride. My heart pounded in the 170-180 range, and I did hurt, but I don’t care. A bad bike ride beats a pain in the ass any day.