My New Bike!

I bought a bike too! It’s a very lightly used 2011 KHS Flite 300.

I took it for a ride on Saturday and my bum hurt afterwards. I slid too far forward so all my weight was on the wrong place. Today, I went again. It was cold and my hands were freezing, but I don’t hurt as much on my bum. After a couple miles, I came home and moved my seat forward and it felt more comfortable. Overall, I’m getting a little more comfortable riding the bike. Frequent intersections in the neighborhood prevent me from going too fast because I worry about cars and traffic. I’ll eventually have to get a bike rack and then take it to a bike trail.

2nd 5K is Done!

The Turkey Trot is in the books. I ran it in 28:22 (9:09 min/mile) which is almost a minute less than my Pumpkin Run time. That also includes dodging walkers for the first ¾ of a mile, which was annoying. It was sprint, weave, slow down, repeat. I imagine I ran more than 3.1 miles due to that. Oh well, it just means that it’ll be easier to beat that time in the next race. It’s definitely a time which I can hold my head up and be proud about. I’ve come a long way in the last 15 weeks. One of my early efforts including 0.73 mi run at a 11:28 min/mile pace.

Shopping for a Road Bike

I've been doing a lot of research into bike recently. There are so many different brands and options it can be overwhelming at times. Back when I got my bike as a kid, you got what your parents gave you. 

I have visited several bike shops and tried out a few. The first time on a bike was nerve-racking. It had been 17 years since I got on a bike and about 19 years since I rode regularly. Starting and stopping were awkward, but otherwise, the saying is true.  Overall,  I have realized the different bikes are too similar to try to distinguish given my inexperience. So I will get the one on sale.

I got the Turkey Trot on Thursday. I’m not worried about running a 5k distance, it just depends on what my time will be. Granted that I did the 1^st 5k at a rather quick time, so beating it will require a lot of huffing and puffing.

Onward to the next Race

I have found running to be a bit easier and a bit faster in the last week. My pace for 2.5 miles is down about 30 seconds / mile in the last 2-3 weeks, and I don’t have constant thoughts of quitting at the halfway point.

I’m still transitioning into my new shoes. Newton said to expect calf tenderness in the first 2-4 weeks.

Two weeks in and I still have a sore calf. I am getting better at running on my forefoot instead of sometimes running on my forefoot and getting sloppy when I get tired. The result is that I don’t have any shin pain and my joints seem better. The new shoes are designed with cushioning under the forefoot unlike my old shoes which are designed for heal striking.

I have my next 5k in 2.5 weeks but  I perhaps this time I’ll be under 30 minutes again, but this time with less pain.