Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Party in O'burg!

This Saturday, I'll be running the O'burg 5K with 3 friends. We're not running as a team or anything, but it will still be fun to be there with friends. I don't have any big goals for this race - just to run with a time comparable to past times.

Another race came up for the following week that I'd like to do: an alumni track meet at my high school. I'd love to revisit the 100 meter dash again, just to see how fast I could run it 10 years later. I am scheduled to work that day, though, and I don't know if I'll be able to take the day off or switch my schedule. If I can't, I may try a 5-mile trail run the night before. That will be tough because I haven't done any trail running, but maybe the hiking my fiancé and I have done will count as some sort of training.

For now, I'm going to rest up my legs. I've been getting out on my bike for some quick rides pretty often lately and even rode to the track for a practice sprint workout last week. It's been great for getting me used to the bike again. A big problem was a smooth front tire that I had gotten last year that made me slip and slide all over the place and made me feel very insecure. Now that I've gotten a new tire with more traction, I can loosen up the white-knuckled grip and feel more comfortable. I've also made a point to ride through and over spaces that I'm afraid of, like narrow gates or rocks and roots. After all of this riding and running, though, my legs need a little recovery time, especially if I want to feel fresh for Saturday.

So, stay tuned for a race report!

Friday, June 1, 2012

Practicing my bunny hop

About 8 years ago, I decided that I wanted to dust off my bicycle and start riding it regularly. A rail trail runs right through my town, which was the perfect spot to go for a spin, and it got to the point where I was riding 10 miles almost every day. On those rides, I'd ride either as fast as I could or I would slow down and practice some necessary skills. It sounds ridiculous, but I had to practice lifting each hand up from the handlebars, and that was tough. No riding with no handlebars for me! I eventually got to the point where I could lift my left hand up enough to wave or to give a stopping or turning hand signal. A few years later, I spent a lot of time trying to learn how to bunny hop over sticks and branches. I never could seem to get the hang of it, and that's how it's been with me and bike skills. 
Today I set aside some time to go for a ride alone and practiced being loose, lifting each hand up, and going through or around things that I was afraid of hitting. I feel like a little kid, but I need so much more experience to feel comfortable. As long as I keep this up, though, I'll start to make some progress and feel more confident.