Wasn’t it this time last year, I decided to get in shape by running? It only took a week or two before I felt the difference – stress fracture in my left fibula!
Maybe that’s not the way to go.
This morning, I attached my long neglected bike rack on the back of the car and headed to the trail.
Years ago, a rail line ran through my town, paralleling an abandoned shipping canal. Now, both canal and tracks are mostly gone, but the right-of-way lives on as a linear park. It is a gem.
It is, or so I’ve been told, the town’s most used park. There was a moderately light crowd this morning as I headed out on my 18-speed Huffy.
Do I really need 18 speeds? Wouldn’t three or four be perfectly fine, and less confusing?
I’ve had this bike a long time. It’s always had one ‘feature’ I wish I could fix. The brakes are incredibly noisy and squeaky. You can’t exactly spray a little 3-in-1 on brakes.
Today, the trail featured men and women of every size and body type. There were short squat women walking and at least one tall lean one running. A bunch of people were walking big dogs. One couple pushed a stroller with a bored looking toddler, in sunglasses.
A group of girls from Quinninipiac University passed by, totally engulfed in a cluster conversation.
Next time, I should throw my GPS receiver in the tiny pocket beneath the seat. It would be nice to know how far I’ve gone. My guess to Helaine was 4-5 miles, but it’s only a guess.
My trip took exactly thirty minutes. When I got back to the car, I wasn’t exhausted, but my muscles were twitching a little. That’s good. My butt doesn’t like the seat. That’s bad.
If I can keep this up when the weather is less friendly and the motivation not quite as strong, it will be a good summer.