Back to Basics - Biking

Biking is an enjoyable but challenging form of exercise. As Mike has started his training for the 2 man event for the Island Relay, of course I decided to dig out my bike. This bike is at least 20 years old - green in color with a touch of rust on every inch of the chrome. It's a nice bike, nothing special but has lots of great memories associated to it.
I loaded up the green hornet (the night before my bike ride) into the trunk of my car, packed up my mom's old helmet and thought - now here's another outside activity that I can enjoy with Mike...Bonus!
I woke up on biking day sooo pumped. At 6:50am (40 mins before the alarm was to go off) I awoke feeling like I could burst into song "Good morning, Good morning...". I was surprised at my excitement and enthusiasm for getting back on my old wheels. I headed to the pool for 4.5 hours coaching and at the back of my mind all I was thinking about was biking. Once it was bike time I couldn't contain myself. I know now Mike is sure that I've completely lost my mind as I was fitting/adjusting my helmet and then walking around the house to make sure it was comfortable. I got outside, hopped on and noticed that the seat seemed a little lower than usual. Looking down at the height adjustment mechanism it seemed a little complicated (would need a screw driver) so I just thought - "What the hay, I'll give it a go anyways"... I waited for Mike to suit up as I got my bike legs back (circles in the driveway) and then we were off.......
I had planned out a route before we went - down to Sleepy Hollow around Royalty road and back to our driveway (about 5kms). At about 1/2 way down our street I changed my mind. My thighs/quads were killing me, heart rate was elevating and I was rethinking my wardrobe. I then decided to 'coast' a little to relieve the lactic acid build up and regain my composure. At this point I said "Why don't we take the trail" - mostly as I feared someone would see me struggling. Once we hit the trail I felt a little more at ease - until I realized that it was soft and therefore twice as hard. Needless to say the bike ride didn't last as long as I would have liked. 22mins later I was at Mike's mom's having a glass of water and a cookie, with jello legs, reflecting on the short but tough ride. For the next ride I think I'll raise the seat so that it's a little easier, stick to the road and start off a little slower.

Happy Easter!