The word of the day is...
...ouch.
That's what happens when you bike 20+ miles when you're as out of shape as I am.
Let's take a moment for that distance to sink in.
...okay then. Approximate route going south is as follows:
Now, I did space that out over about six hours, and I did walk brief sections (specifically that killer hill on Lamar from Barton Springs to about Oltorf), but still guys, come on, I haven't been to the gym in like a year, I'm pretty damn impressed with myself.
So heading out around noon, the ostensible purpose of the trip was to go to Birds Barbershop for a shave and a haircut (go on, you know you want to say it...okay, feel better? Moving on). The north location is a very easy bike ride, but they only do shaves on Tuesdays. So it was the south location, which is easy to get to by bus, but I thought I'd head there by bike and see how far I got. This might be starting to sound familiar to some of you.
First stop, though, was lunch at Thai Noodle House by UT campus. Note to self: don't get the pork. It either needs to be sliced thinner, or not cooked to the point of toughness.
Then I found my way down to Lamar, across the river, then faced with a very tall hill. So I got off and walked. Don't you judge me.
So Birds only does the shaves by appointment. *facepalm* Anyway, I did get the haircut, and I have to say, if you're at Birds South, I would recommend you ask for Jackie. Very understanding, rinsed my head down and sponged me off while getting the cut (there are a small handful of things that I do really well. One of them is sweat), and it's a very nice cut besides.
Anyway. I got out of there, still needed a drink, so I stopped in at Irie Bean Coffee Bar right down the street for an iced coffee, which I can wholeheartedly recommend. Sat. Drank. Did Sudoku.
Anyhoo, from there I worked my way down Oltorf to South 5th Street. Okay, everybody remember that hill that I wasn't about to try on the bike and ended up walking? It was like three paragraphs ago, sure you remember it. Despite what your grandfather might've told you about "back in MY day...", you can't actually go uphill both ways. For every uphill, there's a downhill, and the only time downhill is more fun than skiing is on a bicycle. South 5th doesn't have a lot of cars on it or things like stop signs and stuff, so...well, I'm pretty sure I could've been pulled over for speeding on that stretch. The word for this part of the journey was WHEEEEEEE!
From there, I found myself on the Town Lady Bird Lake Hike and Bike Trail, which I've never really checked out, so I cruised down that for a bit. Aren't you proud, Charles? I took your suggestion. Erm...sorta. It was neat, except for the dog that apparently wanted to get petted by my front tire. He realized what was about to happen when I braked furiously, so no harm done.
Downtown to UT, through campus, up Speedway. Getting tired at that point (hell, I'm getting tired just typing all this out), so I stopped at Fricano's Deli which looked tasty, but I really just needed fluids so I had an iced tea. Looking back, I probably could've used something to eat for energy, a banana or something, but I was just...so...thirsty. I never expected to be out this long, so I didn't have a water bottle or anything.
Speedway is nice. If I ever get to the point where I'm biking to and/or from work, Speedway I think is the way to go. Alas, Speedway does not go on forever, so I found myself at the Triangle, Lamar and Guadalupe, during rush hour. The word for this part of the journey was most definitely not WHEEEEE! But I made it through safely, but this is where I had my one and only mechanical difficulty: the chain jumped the front gears, but I got it back on all by myself, yay me.
Eventually got back to Woodrow, which is another nice bike road with the bike lane and the overall flatness, but I was really starting to hurt. This is where I got off and walked for a bit again. I did NOT, however, give up, especially after getting that far. Which is important to know about me: it takes a good bit of effort to get me started, but once I get some inertia going, I tend to ride it out.
So yes, I did ride all the way there and all the way back, with only my own leg power, gear ratios, a big help from gravity for certain portions, and sheer stubbornness. Let's break down the numbers, more or less:
Distance traveled: 20 miles, give or take a mile
Time taken: 6 hours, noon to 6pm (give or take)
Stops: 4
Pain: better, thanks for asking
Post-ride shower: FANTASTIC
Sweating: almost under control now, some three hours later.
Sunburn: mild (again, wasn't planning to be out that long)
Legs: wobbly
Ass: sore
Mood: elevated
Oh, and I also five-starred the Police's Message in a Bottle on medium in Guitar Hero II. Not that impressive, I know, but I thought that was pretty cool.
That's what happens when you bike 20+ miles when you're as out of shape as I am.
Let's take a moment for that distance to sink in.
...okay then. Approximate route going south is as follows:
Now, I did space that out over about six hours, and I did walk brief sections (specifically that killer hill on Lamar from Barton Springs to about Oltorf), but still guys, come on, I haven't been to the gym in like a year, I'm pretty damn impressed with myself.
So heading out around noon, the ostensible purpose of the trip was to go to Birds Barbershop for a shave and a haircut (go on, you know you want to say it...okay, feel better? Moving on). The north location is a very easy bike ride, but they only do shaves on Tuesdays. So it was the south location, which is easy to get to by bus, but I thought I'd head there by bike and see how far I got. This might be starting to sound familiar to some of you.
First stop, though, was lunch at Thai Noodle House by UT campus. Note to self: don't get the pork. It either needs to be sliced thinner, or not cooked to the point of toughness.
Then I found my way down to Lamar, across the river, then faced with a very tall hill. So I got off and walked. Don't you judge me.
So Birds only does the shaves by appointment. *facepalm* Anyway, I did get the haircut, and I have to say, if you're at Birds South, I would recommend you ask for Jackie. Very understanding, rinsed my head down and sponged me off while getting the cut (there are a small handful of things that I do really well. One of them is sweat), and it's a very nice cut besides.
Anyway. I got out of there, still needed a drink, so I stopped in at Irie Bean Coffee Bar right down the street for an iced coffee, which I can wholeheartedly recommend. Sat. Drank. Did Sudoku.
Anyhoo, from there I worked my way down Oltorf to South 5th Street. Okay, everybody remember that hill that I wasn't about to try on the bike and ended up walking? It was like three paragraphs ago, sure you remember it. Despite what your grandfather might've told you about "back in MY day...", you can't actually go uphill both ways. For every uphill, there's a downhill, and the only time downhill is more fun than skiing is on a bicycle. South 5th doesn't have a lot of cars on it or things like stop signs and stuff, so...well, I'm pretty sure I could've been pulled over for speeding on that stretch. The word for this part of the journey was WHEEEEEEE!
From there, I found myself on the Town Lady Bird Lake Hike and Bike Trail, which I've never really checked out, so I cruised down that for a bit. Aren't you proud, Charles? I took your suggestion. Erm...sorta. It was neat, except for the dog that apparently wanted to get petted by my front tire. He realized what was about to happen when I braked furiously, so no harm done.
Downtown to UT, through campus, up Speedway. Getting tired at that point (hell, I'm getting tired just typing all this out), so I stopped at Fricano's Deli which looked tasty, but I really just needed fluids so I had an iced tea. Looking back, I probably could've used something to eat for energy, a banana or something, but I was just...so...thirsty. I never expected to be out this long, so I didn't have a water bottle or anything.
Speedway is nice. If I ever get to the point where I'm biking to and/or from work, Speedway I think is the way to go. Alas, Speedway does not go on forever, so I found myself at the Triangle, Lamar and Guadalupe, during rush hour. The word for this part of the journey was most definitely not WHEEEEE! But I made it through safely, but this is where I had my one and only mechanical difficulty: the chain jumped the front gears, but I got it back on all by myself, yay me.
Eventually got back to Woodrow, which is another nice bike road with the bike lane and the overall flatness, but I was really starting to hurt. This is where I got off and walked for a bit again. I did NOT, however, give up, especially after getting that far. Which is important to know about me: it takes a good bit of effort to get me started, but once I get some inertia going, I tend to ride it out.
So yes, I did ride all the way there and all the way back, with only my own leg power, gear ratios, a big help from gravity for certain portions, and sheer stubbornness. Let's break down the numbers, more or less:
Distance traveled: 20 miles, give or take a mile
Time taken: 6 hours, noon to 6pm (give or take)
Stops: 4
Pain: better, thanks for asking
Post-ride shower: FANTASTIC
Sweating: almost under control now, some three hours later.
Sunburn: mild (again, wasn't planning to be out that long)
Legs: wobbly
Ass: sore
Mood: elevated
Oh, and I also five-starred the Police's Message in a Bottle on medium in Guitar Hero II. Not that impressive, I know, but I thought that was pretty cool.