TIIIIMMMBERRR

Okay. I'll admit it. It finally happened. I fell today. I accidentally completed the cyclists "Rite of Passage," and here is how it happened:

1. Approach intersection
2. Unclip both feet to stop
3. Stop successfully with both feet on the ground
4. Drink Gatorade. Ahhhh, thats the stuff!
5. Clip in left foot
6. Wait for the only car on the road to go through intersection
7. Tip over
8. Start laughing so I can tell myself the driver is laughing with me, not at me
   

And thats about how it happened. I'm still not even sure why I tipped over. I wasn't stopping, and I wasn't even starting yet, but down I went. I didn't get hurt, it was really in super slow motion, but there was nothing I could do to stop it!

Besides that, today was a great ride. Nearly every driver I saw today gave a friendly wave, every dog was completely uninterested in me, and the weather was perfect! I really need to bring my camera along with me one of these times, but I think I'm going to wait until Spring when its really beautiful out there.

I was a little bit slower than Monday, my legs were a little tired and just not feeling it, but here's the stats:

Distance: 21.16
Time: 1:17:06
Speed: 16.5 MPH
Average Heart Rate: 158 bpm
Garmin Data

In other news I taught my First. Class. Ever. tonight! It definitely could have gone better, but it was my first time so I'm not being too critical on myself, just thinking about what I can do for improvement. I covered a huge amount more than I thought I would; 75 minutes is a long time! I also need to slow down and elaborate more. Live and learn, right?

Bill - If you became an ex-runner because of me, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. At worst, get a bike and use cross training to replace your easy days. Do you even have easy days? :)

Marcy - Don't be a big sissy, or I'll steal your lunch money! Also, you really don't want to call me Emeril, that would imply that I didn't screw up a frozen pizza and noodles back to back a few weeks ago!

Running, Biking, and Wind, Oh My!

Today has been a pretty busy day, considering the semester doesn't start until Wednesday!

I woke up around 9 and got out for a run. The weather was pretty nice, around 50 degrees, so I ran in shorts for the first time in a while! I know to some of you, that sounds down-right chilly, but let us non-Floridians enjoy it!

This run was at least a little slower than yesterday, but as you can tell by the splits I stopped paying attention to pace for at least a little while:

7:34
7:23
6:52
7:22
2:30 (0.35 miles)

Average pace: 7:17

My hip felt fine throughout the whole run, maybe I'll even be able to forget about it soon? I've ran almost 10 miles in the past two days, which is a first in a long time!

After lunch and a little bit of reading, I got out on the bike; my first ride with clipless pedals! And surprisingly (magically, miraculously, luckily, ...) I didn't fall, not even once! I started the ride by riding around the parking lot practicing starts and stops over and over until I felt confident enough to get out on the roads. I had a few close calls while practicing, but I managed to keep myself, and my bike, upright.

I'm already loving the clipless pedals. Climbing hills is a breeze since I can generate a lot more power going up. Although its using different muscles, so I wore myself out really quick, then turned into the wind, and the last part of the ride was pretty rough. Over time, though, I'll build up those new muscles and learn not to wear myself out in the first couple miles; thats when the real benefit will come!

Bike stats:

Miles: 9.82
Time: 34:52
Avg Speed: 16.9 MPH

"Easy" Five

I woke up this morning around 9am ready to run. My legs felt fresh after a few days completely off, it was raining, and I was just feeling it. So I went out for what was to be a nice easy 5 1/2 miles; my longest run since October 7th.

The run started and I clocked off the first mile in 7:24, and I decided that was acceptably easy so I stopped paying attention to my Garmin. Then what? Well, here's the splits:

7:24
7:08
7:06
6:52
6:53
3:38 (thats 7:11 pace for 0.51 miles)

Going quick felt amazing and surprisingly effortless. My legs feel the quicker pace a little bit tonight, but not my hip! Its feeling good as new!

After my run I went out to the bike shop to get the death traps for my feet. By that, of course, I mean the clipless pedals for my bike:

The new pedals

The contraption on my shoe that attaches to the pedal

Supposedly, these new gadgets are going to make me able to bike significantly faster. However, they're also going to cause me to fall on my face at some point. I've been practicing getting out of the pedals all night, but I know I'm probably going to topple over when I stop tomorrow! Don't worry, I'll be posting picture of my inevitable injuries!