Sunday, 28 March 2004

Jackie and I lifted weights this morning. After that, I went for a bike ride.

I've always thought of myself as a cyclist, more than as a runner. For me, running is a sort of a compromise. I like running because it can still be fun to run when it's too cold or too windy or too wet to want to go on a bike ride. I like running because I don't need to pay much attention to keeping the intensity up: if I'm running (rather than walking) then the intensity is fine. I like running because it doesn't need all the gear a cyclist needs--all it takes is a pair of shoes.

Despite all that, I really prefer cycling. After running for an hour, I feel like I've been pretty well beaten up. After cycling for an hour, I'm just getting going. It's not unusual for me to go for rides of four hours or more. I doubt if I'll ever go for a run of even two hours.

This ride, my first of the year, was a short one--only 40 minutes. I went 6.28 miles at an average speed of 9.3 mph. My average heart rate was just 101 bpm.

As a first, shake-down ride, it went about as well as can be expected. The front tire on the mountain bike was flat when I pumped it up, so I took the road bike instead. It did fine, but the rear tire went flat just as I got home. So, I have two tires to change.

Still, it was a good ride. Certainly much better than if the tire had gone flat 20 minutes earlier.

It was windy--a strong wind from the south, as there so often is when it's warm enough to ride in the early spring. I headed south, took the Roby trail to Mattis, then on south again. The wind wasn't bad until I crossed Windsor. After that I slowed down a lot. Riding home was easy, almost effortless.

No writing, but I did get a new idea for a story. (Or, rather, remembered an old idea.) It's not a story yet, but I think it could be.