Prepping to dash

Since I was already sweaty from my commute yesterday evening, I decided to get even sweatier and changed into my running shoes for a brisk walk around the neighborhood. I'd mapped out a three and a half mile route when I walked regularly in 2010 and 2011 and that's the route that I used yesterday to get back into non-bikey exercise.

I shambled along the first mile feeling like my feet were cement blocks. It sucked and I wanted to turn around and take my road bike out instead. But I persevered and as I entered the second mile, my pace increased and I felt lighter. I jogged a TINY bit -- and I do mean TINY -- but I didn't feel like I would die when I slowed down. Walking and running really do use different muscles than biking. Weird.

One of my current goals is to reduce my flabby belly so I can fit into all the cute shorts, skirts, and capris I bought for last summer. I've also got an adorable jersey and sweet exercise skirts which are a little too tight for my pride. The regular biking has firmed up my legs and booty, but my belly and arms are in a sad shape. Crunches, push-ups, and strength training are part of my renewed exercise regimen as well.

My other goal is participating in the Maryland edition of the Warrior Dash in May. Scott ran the Dash in Charles County, VA, last October and had so much fun he's going to run it again. I thought it looked fun enough for me to give it a go in 2012. I need endurance and strength to get through the course.

Of course, there's bike training to be done as well. I'm aiming to ride the metric century (~65 miles) in this year's Backroads Century (ride date is 23 September; registration opens 1 May). I can comfortably ride Circe for fifteen miles or so and I've got to get in more time on the saddle to ride that additional fifty on the road bike.

Rawr

Every now and then I talk the hubster into meeting me along the trail as I ride home from work. On Wednesday he decided he didn't want to deal with the gym and said he'd meet me for the ride home. I warned him that I needed to do a little shopping as well, but those stops would be mostly surgical strikes.

I wound up leaving the office later than planned thanks to a last minute IM from the bossman and met Scott just before the blind curve on Smiths Switch. He turned around and fell in line behind me before a FedEx truck rumbled up behind us and then passed us with a WIDE berth. Heh heh heh.

Shopping and banking happened. The test run of my Avenir Softside shopping pannier happened (successfully). Not running down pedestrians happened. Seeing another cyclist in the shopping center happened ("He just left Eastern Mountain Sports so that doesn't count," said Scott). We headed for home and something new and exciting-to-me happened.

We rode up the blasted incline to the Route 28 overpass and I stayed in front of Scott the entire freaking time. I not only stayed ahead of him, I pulled away from him. Dude! Plus, I was loaded down with shopping bags, a tote, and my purse. I didn't need to gear down: I was in my middle gears the whole way up. I was breathing heavily when we got to the bridge, but I wasn't wheezing nor jelly-legged.

This morning's commute was pretty amazing. As rough as I felt on Wednesday morning, it was a complete 180 to this morning. I flew along the trail and street in my upper gears (even on the uphills) and beat my average speed of 12mph by almost 2mph. It. Was. Amazing.