Trying Out Clipless Pedals

I had a great time in DC this past weekend. We didn't get huge amounts of workout time in, but I was given the opportunity to try out S's Fuji road bike and clipless pedal shoes (I forget what brand).

First I needed S's husband J to adjust the seat for me. Then he hooked the bike up to his trainer so I could get a quick and dirty lesson on using the toepicks clipless pedals. He also instructed me on shifting gears, since it's a much different system from my current bike.

Finally we got the kids in the bike trailer and off we went! We biked on a few rails-to-trails paths, particularly the Capital Crescent Trail from Silver Spring to Bethesda. Unlike the bicycle path I use at Valley Forge, the rails-to-trails paths are not yet paved and instead are covered in gravel. This made the ride quite interesting, since S's bike has very skinny tires. I did just fine, although I didn't use the shifters much since I was concentrating on staying on the bike so I wouldn't fall over and break my neck. I managed to clip and unclip at the traffic lights without incident.

We did the same trip last year, only I think I used my own bike. There is a slight but steady incline from their house to Bethesda; last year I didn't think I could make it, but this time when we reached our destination I felt great! How much of that is from training vs the better bike I don't know, especially since I haven't worked out much lately.

Felled By The Flu

Well, possibly by the cold. It's hard to know when you've got only about half the symptoms of each ailment.

As you can guess I missed my Sunday workout. I'm sad, because those are the only ones I've been even slightly managing to do.

As for getting back on track... Well, I still need to get a new gym card. Yes, my name is Slacker, why do you ask? Also, it's Spring Break this week so the gym has limited hours.

I would like to remedy the card issue on Thursday, so I may be able to get the Thursday workout done. Also, I'm going to visit my friends in the DC region so I should be able to get a swim and bike/run in! Hopefully S will help coach me again.

To Do List:

1. Email the 2 students who offered to be my swim coach
2. Get new gym card

I should be able to do that, right?

Six Mile Run

My gym card is missing; I fear it may be lost. On the plus side, I really disliked that picture and won't be sad to take a new one. I am irritated about replacing it though. It's been missing all week, so I never did get to the gym for my workouts. Second week in a row... I know that isn't good.

The plan had this past week as a "recovery" week with very light workouts per sport. I guess you could say I took that to extreme. I did want to get a good workout in today as a make-up. The plan called for a 20 minute easy run. I chose to do 6 miles instead. I tried to calibrate my Nike+, but the first time I pulled the chip out right before I reached .5 mile, the second time didn't seem to actually be correct, so I'm hoping the third time is the charm.