Lizzie Borden (my bike) and me
I fiddled with my bike seat again and now it's better for my back but murder on my ass. I guess I'll give it some time and see if I get used to it.
My dad and I went riding in the hills today. I don't know if he's concerned about my level of physical decay or if he likes the company but I appreciate the prodding to get out of the house and don't have enough confidence to ride in the hills alone. I'm sure we look like an odd pair, him on his Bianchi road bike in his fluorescent bike gear and me toiling behind him on my rusty old mountain bike in jeans and my old pumas. We went farther this time than we did the time before. My dad is trying to work both of us up to a relatively grueling route. He set the pace this time so I didn't burn myself out. He used my breathing and level of flush to gauge how far we went before turning back. I feel like I could have gone a little farther than we did but I was really touched by his consideration of my well-being. I'm very touched that he acknowledges and seems to respect my limitations and flaws. The attitude is in such sharp contrast to the relationship I had with my dad when I was younger that it makes me appreciate him that much more because I can value his growth as a person completely extraneous to our interaction.
When When my dad decided that I had been worked enough, we turned around for the glorious rush down the hill. My bike at speeds around 30mph is a sort of thrilling ride. With the crazy tread on Lizzie's serious off-road tires, the bike rapidly serpentines at high speeds, making it difficult to control. I perch with my feet level on the pedals, the right leg in back for support and the left in front for balance -- this overworks the right leg but the left knee is only good enough for a rudder. Bent double over the handlebars, hovering over the seat, my elbows and knees dampen Lizzie's wobbling as we hurtle down hill. We were eventually foiled by a stop sign but not before the wind has whisked the beads of sweat from my face which were running down my nose and clinging pendulously to the edges of my nostrils in a way that disturbed the ladylike facade I try to maintain, even under adverse conditions.
The plan is to go farther tomorrow but we'll see if my legs disagree.
The rest of the day was wasted watching movies. Favorite movie quotes so far:
"Did you go to school for that?" "Oh no, I got kicked out of school for that."
"It's better to be on the edge of a party don't you think?" (I liked that because I agree)
"It's like Gone With the Wind on mescaline" -- description of Savannah, GA
My dad and I went riding in the hills today. I don't know if he's concerned about my level of physical decay or if he likes the company but I appreciate the prodding to get out of the house and don't have enough confidence to ride in the hills alone. I'm sure we look like an odd pair, him on his Bianchi road bike in his fluorescent bike gear and me toiling behind him on my rusty old mountain bike in jeans and my old pumas. We went farther this time than we did the time before. My dad is trying to work both of us up to a relatively grueling route. He set the pace this time so I didn't burn myself out. He used my breathing and level of flush to gauge how far we went before turning back. I feel like I could have gone a little farther than we did but I was really touched by his consideration of my well-being. I'm very touched that he acknowledges and seems to respect my limitations and flaws. The attitude is in such sharp contrast to the relationship I had with my dad when I was younger that it makes me appreciate him that much more because I can value his growth as a person completely extraneous to our interaction.
When When my dad decided that I had been worked enough, we turned around for the glorious rush down the hill. My bike at speeds around 30mph is a sort of thrilling ride. With the crazy tread on Lizzie's serious off-road tires, the bike rapidly serpentines at high speeds, making it difficult to control. I perch with my feet level on the pedals, the right leg in back for support and the left in front for balance -- this overworks the right leg but the left knee is only good enough for a rudder. Bent double over the handlebars, hovering over the seat, my elbows and knees dampen Lizzie's wobbling as we hurtle down hill. We were eventually foiled by a stop sign but not before the wind has whisked the beads of sweat from my face which were running down my nose and clinging pendulously to the edges of my nostrils in a way that disturbed the ladylike facade I try to maintain, even under adverse conditions.
The plan is to go farther tomorrow but we'll see if my legs disagree.
The rest of the day was wasted watching movies. Favorite movie quotes so far:
"Did you go to school for that?" "Oh no, I got kicked out of school for that."
"It's better to be on the edge of a party don't you think?" (I liked that because I agree)
"It's like Gone With the Wind on mescaline" -- description of Savannah, GA