Back in the Saddle Again...

Woo hoo!  I'm able to ride again!  After 2+ months of no riding, I've missed it terribly.  I finally got outside on the bike on Saturday.  It was a beautiful day to ride out of Kelso, with the sun shining, a light breeze and just me on my fabulous Guru...

I was trying out a new compact crank that I had installed a couple of weeks ago, thinking that I may need the extra low gearing for a bit as I continue to rehab the groin injury... I wasn't far off the mark, so I'm glad that I opted for the change but I feel a bit like a hamster!  LOL!  Spin-spin-spin...

All was glorious until I fell - clipped in - and landed on a big pile of sharp, jagged rocks at the side of the beautifully pristine and newly paved road... SLAM!  Wow - that one really hurt!  My entire right side is covered with lacerations and bruises from shoulder to thigh.  What a spaz, eh?  LOL!

A nice man in a truck stopped to make sure I was okay, as I was picking small rocks out of my arm, barefoot, on the side of the road... luckily, I had a fresh pedicure so while I was covered in dust and grime, at least my bare feet looked good - ha!

I knew, of course, that I would fall - it would be inevitable that as soon as I made it outside to the open road, I would have at least one spaz cleat-related fall.  It's just a really good thing that I didn't attempt this too soon - like, say, a couple of weeks ago... when a fall like that could have set me back in my rehab.

So, words to the wise:  Speedplay cleats, although extremely similar to engage/disengage from pedals as Shimano, require the foot to be shot outwards to the side immediately once released - any attempt to disengage and lift the foot upwards will be futile... it doesn't release!  It's probably supposed to be a safety feature or something... ;)

My second ride the following day was much less dramatic and I found a nice, quiet spot close to home where a Sunday morning short training ride can be pleasurable and empty of road traffic:  an industrial area :)

Happy Trails!!

Fun Times at the Pool

I hope that all of you got out there to enjoy the sun and beautiful warm temperatures we enjoyed on the long weekend.

Once again, I missed the Pride Parade (for years, I've wanted to go down and photograph... but something always seems to keep me in the west end of the city) - this year it was to enjoy an outdoor swim in Milton.

Rotary Park in Milton is a lovely outdoor 25m pool.  I always manage to make friends when I'm there (or anywhere else for that matter... LOL) and yesterday was no exception.

As I finished off my swim workout, I made friends with a little girl named Julia (7 years old) - who was there with her daddy (Klaus).  This little girl was amazing to watch.  Her swimming still looked more like paddling and she couldn't do a whole length but she was determined to try!  She was practicing flip turns.  Now, personally I can't do them and have only tried a couple of times but (after much reading up on the subject) I was able to help her time her somersault in order to get the wall push-off and glide. 

This little girl practiced and practiced and whenever I managed to suggest a tidbit that might help her, within 3 tries she would get it - and execute!  According to a coaching source, kids are notorious for this.  I still think she is a superstar.  I gave her a HUGE high-5 after that :)  If only I could pick things up that quickly - LOL!!

I figured she'd be tired but no - she wanted to RACE!  It was SO much fun to just play with her in the water and 'race' various things like - kicking on the back with no hands - kicking on the front with no hands - breaststroke... (ok, so I waited for her and slowed myself down so she had a chance to win...) but she was such a joy to behold!

I hope that I see my new little friend again when I am at Rotary Park.  It's great for us adults to remember to play in the water :)

Life is short - enjoy every moment!