I have some work to do, my friends.
I decided to take my bike out on the road for the first time this year, so I pulled out my biking shorts with the gel inserts in the crotchal area and guess what? They didn't fit. I couldn't button the damn shorts. My shirt was a little snug, too. It was a big fat reality check right there at 8:30 AM.
I gained weight last year - nearly 20 pounds, since I'm confessing. There's no one to blame but myself, of course. I took the weight off and I just as surely put some right back on. My clothes are tight and my face is round and I jiggle where I had lost the jiggle before. I've seen the numbers on the scale. I've watched the numbers grow from month to month. But for some reason, none of those things had the impact that not being able to button my bike shorts had on me.
I pulled on a regular pair of shorts and a tank top and went for a ride anyway, vowing to go to REI to get some new shorts and a top for cycling.
It felt so good to be out on my bike again! I was smiling like an idiot as I was riding along until a bug hit my teeth and went in my mouth. I was a little more subdued after that.
Since it was my first road ride of the year, I wanted to take it easy. Plus I didn't have my gel-seat shorts on and I knew my bum would be sore. My goal was to go out about five miles and then come back for a round trip ride of 10 miles. At mile marker five, I felt good. I kept going. I rode out about seven and a half miles. I felt good. My knee felt good, my bum felt ok, I felt like I had good form - my back was straight, my arms were strong, my abs were tucked in, my legs felt good and my heart rate was excellent. It took me about 26 minutes to go 7.5 miles. I even thought that I wouldn't bother getting new biking shorts. Everything was just fine! I didn't need no stinking gel-seat shorts!
I turned around to ride the 7.5 miles back. I was now facing a slight head-wind as I pedaled back to the south. It's fire season here in Utah and the sky was (is) filled with hazy smoke. It was hot. I was going up a hill that I certainly don't remember gliding down on the way out. And worst of all, my hoo-hoo was numb. I'm not kidding. It was numb. It's pretty hard to concentrate on anything else when there is no feeling in your hoo-hoo.
The first three miles or so back were ok. The fourth mile, I was starting to stand up and coast a little bit more frequently than is good for you. The last three miles were sheer torture. It took every last bit of will-power I had to keep pedaling. My knee was hurting, I was starting to curve my back, my arms were sore, I couldn't get any power in my pedal strokes; in fact, I geared down to make the pedaling as easy as I could and still cover some ground. My heart rate was high like I was really pushing myself. And of course, my girl parts were numb (hence the standing). I thought about stopping, but the number of field mice carcasses that littered the road told me to keep going. I've never been so happy to see my vehicle. It took me 37 minutes to ride back to the car.
When I got off my bike, it took a few minutes for the feeling to return to the affected area. It is just now, hours later, that I feel the effects of the hard bike seat on my butt bones. You know, I take spinning classes at the gym at least twice a week, and I don't wear gel-seat shorts there. I don't use a gel-filled seat there. I don't have the crotchal area problems there. What happened today?!
MT wanted to work on the sprinklers in our yard. He was going to pay T to help him, but I offered to help him if he'd buy me some new gel-seat shorts. I didn't really have to do anything except hang out with him and admire his sprinkler-fixing skills. He's really pretty smart about that stuff! I also had to run around and look at some potential new rental properties with him, but it wasn't so bad. I did get new biking shorts AND a new top. (The top is important because it wicks away the moisture from the body. My tank top that I was wearing during the ride was sweaty and nasty at the end of the ride. The new shirt will be sweaty and nasty at the end of the ride, too, but it won't stick to me.)
So that's my story for today. Happy July, everyone!
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