The Pain Part I

So getting back into really good cycling shape is a great reminder of what it's like to be a beginner in the cycling world. Two surgeries, a long winter, and a broken frame kept us off of our bicycles for most of the last year (which, knowing Jesse, is UNHEARD of). Starting over again creates a wealth of empathy for the pains of riding for the first time!

So when I first started riding again the other day, my bike felt so familiar. It's the same one I've had since 2003, when I did my first coast to coast and fell in love with my husband. The components are different, but the frame's the same.  It's weird how attached you get to a bicycle when it's been with you through so many places and memories, I mean...really? It's a hunk of metal with wheels...although I could say that about a car, too. 

Hopping back on it proved to be a challenge, because my brain always thinks my body can do what I last remember it doing on a bicycle, which....as we all know, is never the case and creates a wealth of wake-up calls!  For those of you that have yet to experience this, the first thing you notice is your tush.  That saddle can feel squishy and comfy (a very rare thing) or it can remind you (quite loudly) that you have sit bones down there that don't like carrying all of your weight! In my case, I had the loud reminder...and not surprisingly, it gets louder and louder the longer you sit on it.

Because my brain thinks I am super woman, I decide to embark on a 20 miler for my first time out in...10 months (after surgery, no less!).  I knew it was too long of a ride when I dismounted and my body was stuck in the cycling position!

The second thing I noticed was my aching hands and arms.  When you ride, you're never supposed to lock your elbows, because bumps and cracks can hyper-extend them or at least cause a lot of pain. You also end up transferring all of the jarring from the road right into your neck, which really stinks. So being the biking wimp I currently am, the hands and arms ached loud enough for my neighbors to hear. Following that would be my heart, beating through my forehead, my legs, filling with acid, and my lungs, deciding I was far too demanding on them.  I could hear in my head my mom saying, "Flat! I need Flat, like yesterday! This hill is like a mountain!" Granted, she's from the midwest and an anthill is a mountain, but that first day, every hill was making me talk to myself in Hebrew!

The really fun part was the second, third, and fourth ride, where my sit bones felt slightly tender to the touch, my shoulders already ached, and my hands were not wanting to hold my weight under pressure again. Except the third time, I was determined to go 30 or more miles, instead of the 20.  Needless to say, I was humbled and filled with a wonderful empathy for all of us who inevitably just start out riding again!  I made it all thirty of those miles, but not without a bad attitude at the beginning. I was determined to get back on that bike and work my way towards the shape I used to be in. I am reminded now that a little slower, easing-into-it might not have been a bad idea!

Endorphins helped the bad attitude after 20 miles, and the last 10 seemed a lot more like bliss. There wasn't any sun to burn my skin, there wasn't a head wind to push me back, it was in the low 70s, and we were on the best paved road in Flagstaff, making it easier to ride. Since it was the fourth ride, my sit bones were finally settling into my saddle, and my body was adjusting (growing stronger) to the positions for the bike.  Jesse and I made it back with a smile on our faces, ready to rest and continue at a slower pace to conquering the mountains by bike once again!

All of this is to say, that we are planning to work through a training schedule to post for our future riders, to help them have a guided training plan before launching onto the trips.  As a naturally un-empathetic person, God used these experiences to remind me of the discipline and effort behind getting "back in the saddle again...." !  (And if I can do it, you can, too!)

Kel