Two Wheels for Sister Cheryl.

Cheryl's New Bike.

With all of her problems,  Cheryl finally conceded and bought herself a bike.  I have been trying to get her to bike with me for a very long time...  especially whenever she hurts herself.    But she refuses.   I can only imagine it is to punish  me for that one thing I did that I can't remember.  Oh, sure!  She says it is because she does not want the bike to take away from her running.... But I know better.  She just wants to be mean!

Note the civilian pants. 

Past Biking Memories. Ouch! 

But she DID buy the bike.  (A Trek!) And took it for a short spin around the driveway.   The last time she rode a bike was when we went to Alaska almost 17 years ago!  And a that time,  we were riding in the mountains and she was thrown off her bike and cracked her Melon!   So she is now a little gun shy about extreme riding.  

It's a TREK!

She makes it look easy.

But she was having fun and wanted to head to the trail for a little longer of a ride.  How could I refuse?  She jumped on he bike and zipped ahead bragging on how she felt she was not getting a workout.   "It was SOOOO  easy!"  I actually felt a little miffed because I usually don't try to exert myself that much.  Was I really That out of shape?

She looks very motivated.

Whoa!  How far are we going here?

With Cheryl... everything is Extreme! Her maiden voyage was 14 MILES!   Not really a problem for me; but not really a Stroll in the park either!  ...  Neither of us were wearing our biking active wear.  In otherwords:  Civilian casual shoes and clothes.  You simply have no idea how much the biking tights and breathable jackets mean... until you ride 14 MILES without them.  

All the way to WASHINGTON?  Seriously?

The pain and fatigue are catching up. 

We rode to Washington.   For those people who might know the distance...  it is about 7 miles from our usual running spot. But then we had to head back!  The air was really cold, the Sun was setting, and our hands and feet were frozen.  Add in the small technicality of how the saddle of the bike begins to cut into rather sensitive areas of your body.   Cheryl was no longer enjoying her ride. The once "easy" distance suddenly became more difficult.  

Will these pants protect my ass? 

Yes!  Yes they will. 

We survived.   And Cheryl now has a better understanding of how things are on the bike.  ( I hope!)  She was forced to use different muscle groups than she does when she runs.  (That IS the point! After all.) Also,  she now understands the importance  of bike tights... Or as she calls them:  "Ass Pants!"   That little bit of padding helps keep much of that saddle soreness away. Especially after 14 MILES!

Don't be afraid of the Bike....

With a little luck,   Cheryl will get over her phobia of biking and the riding will help her cross train for her runs.   I'm looking forward to taking on longer rides without worrying about running injuries.  Hopefully we will both find something we will enjoy in all of this.