No exercise for me!

Ahhhh what a crazy busy fun weekend!   It started on Friday afternoon when I got off work at 2.  Todd and I planned to go play tennis.  However, the plans fell through due to unforeseen circumstances.  I wasn't too upset as it was really supposed to be my day of rest.  :-)   We instead enjoyed a nice drive a good dinner out and we got our grocery shopping done.

Saturday dawned and I headed out for my morning run.  My first mile was rough, my breathing was all out of whack.  I figured it out though.  One glance at my heart rate monitor cleared it straight up!  I was pushing the total absolute max heart rate.  My time for my first mile was my best ever.  However, I had to drop down to intervals after that first mile because my heart rate was just totally jumping really high.  Intervals are good though.  :-)

I got home from running and did a few things around the house and started making lunch.  While I was making lunch Todd asked me what I bought because FedEx was making a delivery.  I couldn't think of anything....until I remembered that I won a box of goodies on My journey to fit's blog   I was so super excited that I just ripped that box open.  Nice handwritten letter on top but more to come as I dug into the box!

Super excited about my goodies I finished lunch.  We had picked up some fresh foods; zucchini and corn on the cob and watermelon.  It is not yet in season here so I was skeptical about the taste but it was scrumptious and healthy!  :-)    After cleaning up from lunch I put my new bike on top of my car and headed to town.  I visited with my family a bit and then my brother and I got down to business.  He checked out my new bike and we headed to the bike shop to purchase me shoes.  If I'm doing it, I may as well do it right even though that concept of being actually clipped in an 'part' of the bike petrified me.  So I bought the bike shoes and we got the correct cleats/clips whatever you call them to correspond with my pedals.  We went back to his house and he fixed my bike up and then we went outside.  I'm not going to lie.  I was absolutely terrified at the thought of clicking into the pedals and heading down the road chained to my bike (ok, maybe chained is being a bit melodramatic.....anklecuffed to the bike????....ok ok ok, attached to the bike).  I  KNEW that my fear was irrational, lots of bikers do it so I pushed through my fear and did it anyway.   It wasn't too bad.  We rode up and down a road a few times, stopping and letting me practice with the shoe pedal combination.  He also gave me some pointers on the basics of the bike.  I will admit, I almost knocked us both down at one stop sign.  You see, I got my one foot off the pedal and wasn't thinking so I flung my other foot to the side and well, I was still attached to the bike.  My brother was quick and grabbed my arm and HE was smart enough disengage from his bike pedals.  I still was clipped in and well...almost took us both down one more time before I actually disengaged and had both feet firmly on the ground.  I would definitely have gone down had he not caught me.  Oops.  :-)  (and yes, I'm afraid of falling....but you know what.......that's another fear that I just have to deal will.  This is not about being comfortable.  This is about me making me the best version of MF that is possible!

After we got my bike squared away my brother and I walked to the fair grounds with his kids and watched a bit of the BMX races.  Afterwards we all went to dinner.  I got home about 8 happy and tired. 

Saturday morning I woke up early but relaxed.  I had decided to forgo the 6AM run and do it later.  I wanted to check out my new road bike and I wanted my legs as fresh as possible.  SOOOO I simply walked with Sherry at our normal walking hour.  It was a great walk...and great talk!  I went home and once again did a few things at the house (precious few) and prepared an early lunch. (turkey burgers on the grill...YUM!).  Todd left and I sat down to relax a bit and let my food settle before I bit the bullet and headed out on my bike.   Whadya know?  I fell asleep.  So I didn't get out until around 2. 

Soo my first road bike road ride was today. (not counting the check it out and teaching ride yesterday).  Wow...my nether regions are sore and achy.  I did have the foresight to wear a pair of padded bike shorts but still...yikes!   It wasn't an easy ride.  Can I say BRU-TAL???   Yes, it was rough.  TERRIBLY rough.  But I pushed through and knocked out 10 miles!   My body was sore and achy.  I'm not being in that position so my arms were sore, my back was sore and well....it was just rough! My legs are not used to hilly terrain so they were burrrrning!   I passed by the studio where Todd was working and I had a momentary thought of stopping and asking him to take me home (or just taking his car and picking him up later...ha ha ha) but that is cheating.  I didn't even take the short way home...I kept on.  It wasn't pretty and I was so thankful to get off that bike but  I've had my base ride......it only gets better from here!  (and I'm sure I'll soon feel my nether regions again!)   My brother asked me later if I had to walk any hills.  I honestly said that I did NOT walk any hill.  I pushed through them all...I was slow as molasses (wow, isn't this slow thing becoming a common theme) but I pushed up any hill I encountered.  And best of all?????   I didn't fall off my bike by forgetting that I was clipped in!  I didn't die.......see my fears were irrational!

I had barely arrived in my driveway (I was actually talking to a neighbor who was checking out my bike...he's also a biker and was double checking my brothers work in helping me find my bike and getting it set up for my size and all that stuff....he whole heartedly approved) when my brother called me.  They were going to be in my general neck of the wood and wanted to know if I would like to join them on the canal with my bike for a ride.  Now mind you I was never so happy to see my drive way just minutes earlier but of course I said yes!    I carted my litespeed into the house and came out mere minutes later with my trek.  I popped that sucker on the car and off I went.  8.32 miles on the canal, a little shopping in Shepherdstown and a quick stop at the studio and I was finally home at 7. 

I seriously thought about going out for a run.  I WANTED to.  SOOO Bad.  But I realized that three house of activity was probably where I needed to end it.  I instead headed to the kitchen.  I baked some zucchini chips, cooked off some carrots for my upcoming work lunches and made todd some pistachio biscotti.  I crazily enough wasn't hungry.  I did snack on fruit throughout the day.  I was a bit worried about it and wondered if I was just pulling a "I'm not hungry for what I have planned to eat' mood.  So I switched it up and thought about would I want to eat if it were going to be an ice cream sandwich or a piece of cake.  My answer was no.  I wouldn't want it even if it were that.  SOOOO I knew I wasn't hungry and I didn't force myself to eat just because that what was planned. 

So it's now 10PM.  My weekend is just about over.  BOOOOOOOO   IT was fun.  It was neat.  And crazily enough, I don't FEEL as if I exercised at all.  I just had fun! (well....my nether regions are telling me that I exercised on a small road bike seat!)  Yup, there was no exercise for me.....it was just all plain and simple fun!!!

And one last shot of the river that I took during the ride on the canal!