Sunday, August 17, 2008

I want to ride my bicyle, I want to ride my biiiiiiiiike

After 2 months of me saying, "We should really get bikes, it would be such a great way for us to exercise AND spend time together," Jordan and I finally bought new Schwinns today. Well, of course we had to break them in! I had the phones, but I hadn't had any calls all day, so we took off on a ride, making sure to pack my phone and notebook in Jordan's pockets (thank goodness for cargo pants!). We were not a half a mile down Walnut before my phone went off! Sigh. So back to the apartment we went, to dispatch a tech. Blah Blah Blah I worked some.

Flash forward to Take Two of our Maiden Voyage. This time, we were off smoothly. The sun was setting, the air was cooling, not a cloud in the sky. What a beautiful night! Our only real hitch was that Jordan can't figure out his gears--they keep changing on him for no apparent reason. We were really enjoying ourselves, talking about how happy we were that we finally bought bikes, making plans to go out again tomorrow. We took Walnut north to Riggin, then cut over west to the Cardinal Greenway. It really was a beautiful night, though we both said that my allergies are probably going to dislike all of the wild flora. We crossed 400 N, considered turning around, but we were having so much fun, we decided to keep going, even though our quad muscles were screaming by this point (we really have done NO exercising since he's been home). However, fate would have it that coming in the opposite direction was a very attractive jogger, in a tight fitting top. After we passed her, Jordan turned to me and made a comment about how he resisted gawking at her as she ran past. Sigh. We laughed and he put his arm out for a high five.

Seems innocent right? Well, if you know me well, you know that I am not so coordinated. And I hadn't been on a bike for YEARS. I went off the trail just a bit, and overcorrected on the gravel shoulder. I ate asphalt. It was inevitable that I crash on our first time out. I'm a Harnish, that's what we do. We fall. Anyway, all I did was scrape up my ankle a bit on the pavement. It stings quite a bit, but not a serious injury. It was more my pride that was hurt. It shook Jordan up though! He thought I was really hurt. He can be sweet on occaision :).

Obviously, that was the end of our ride. We turned back and made our way back to the apartment. My phone only rang about 5 times on the way home. Sigh. On the way home, we talked about what we needed now that we have new bikes. Helmets (since I can't stay upright), lights (since he works so late that we may go out at night on occaision), water bottle and racks (kind of self explanitory). I think I could really get into this. I really enjoyed it, even though my first time out was frustrating. I'm really out of shape. But, if I keep this up and go out on at least a semi-regular basis for the next few months, I may fit back into my wedding dress. Once I get into better shape, I may start riding to class or work, which will help save on gas. It's about a 10 minute car ride to campus, probably 30 on a bike. Not a bad ride for those days when I don't have to wear heels for a presentation. I really do miss being fit. I miss the high I get when I work out, the joy I get from being outside, the thirst I get for more once I get started.

Ok, time for a shower, then at 10, the Bob Saget Roast!

Miles biked: 6.634 in 1 hour

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