I had some of that yummy tuna noodle casserole I made for lunch today. It was definitely filling so I had it for dinner too!
Tonight I went to the gym for the first time in a long time. I haven't been since winter time, after my knee surgery. And boy could I tell that my knee isn't much better. I walked on the treadmill for about 40 minutes at a slow pace; I still have steri-strips on my incisions and could feel the incisions stretching with each big step so I took it easy. I ended up walking 1.3 miles (I said a slow pace!) and had to come home and put a little ice on my knee. So tomorrow I'll be calling my dear Dr. Jay Rapley, orthopedic extraordinaire, to get some shots to help.
I bought this great bicycle a few months ago and am excited to take it out on the road, but I'm nervous. I need my incisions totally healed and no pain on my belly before I go hitting the open road. When I bought the bike, I asked Mark Pace at Pace Bicycle Haven to put it together and teach me how to ride it. He was so great...he put the bike together, suggested a few parts to be replaced (including the seat), showed me how to work it and then rode around with me in a parking lot giving me pointers.
So until I feel comfortable getting out on the road, I'm going to join the Snap Fitness that's just a few miles down the road. I just need Dr. Rapley to get my knee in line!
Hello Sarah-
ReplyDeleteThanks for the honorable mention on your blog! I am happy to see that it sounds like so far you are doing well, about as you expected, and taking good care of yourself. I hope and believe you will find yourself (just like the Unitarians used to say) "getting better and better, every day in every way."
Also I wanted to share this little essay, which I think is pretty good:
How to Ride a Bike Forever
by Grant Petersen
Ride when you like
Don't ride out of guilt over last night's meal. Don't be a slave to your bike, or else you'll resent it, and feel guilty whenever you think about it or look at it. Soon you'll be avoiding it altogether. If all your rides are like a swimmer's workout, you'll burn out on bikes as fast as swimmers burn out on laps. Ride when you want to ride.
Go slowly
Don't push yourself too hard, physically or mentally. Don't ride with racers or obsessive aerobicizers. (If you're a racer, don't race with riders; let them be.) Learn to relax on your bike. Of course your bike can be a tremendous tool to built cardiovascular fitness, but why let that get in the way?
Go short
A ten-minute ride is always worth it, even though it won't elevate your heartrate to its 'target training level' and keep it there for 12 minutes. (Or is it supposed to be 11? Or 14?)
Don't keep track
If you never use an onboard computer or a heartrate monitor, you can ride with me anytime. Avoid 'logs'. Forget the graphs and the home computer programs. Keep your bicycle free of extraneous wires and leads. You don't need them.
Learn how to fix your bike
Learn to fix a flat. Learn how to install a wheel. Learn how to adjust derailleurs. It's all easy, and you'll never feel at ease on a bike if you're at its mercy. Being able to fix your bike will give you an enormous confidence and satisfaction, not to mention self-sufficiency.
Don't chase technology
You will never catch it, and if you pursue it year after year it will break your wallet in half. Some wonderful things have happened to bicycles in the last 15 years, but so have a lot of dumb things. You don't need a fancy machine with the latest equipment to enjoy something that is so joyous and simple. A simple, reliable bike will do.
Get the best bike you can afford, and grow old with it
Things we keep a long time grow in value to us, and enrich our lives every time we use them. The first objects you'd grab if your house caught fire are probably the old ones, because they can't be replaced. Grow old with the best bike you can afford.
Thanks for sharing the essay Mark! I will take all of that to heart as I start riding in the next month. And thanks for checking in!
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