Collide

it's not just a song by howie day... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTz7rhommHI


So I have a lot to catch up on apparently. This last week has been insanely busy and I am just now getting the opportunity to catch my breath and write. I have put myself on a tight training schedule and have to maintain 8.5 hours a week for the next 13 weeks. After that, it increases quite a bit through the spring & summer. Explanation of this to come in a later posting, but let me just say that with the time change comes darkness and it's very difficult to get out for a run or a ride post work. I am finding those 8.5 hours hard to come by. I've readjusted my schedule slightly and am trying to fit in workouts at lunch when at all possible. Tonight I hit the gym to do weights and tomorrow, I run with Andrea.


Let me now backtrack to what has transpired since my last posting. Last Tuesday I met up with two NEBC'ers for a night ride. I have a teeny light which has an output of about 1 watt. I was told not to be concerned because they would sandwich me between them since each had a super powered headlight strapped to their handlebars. Honestly, it was kind of embarrassing. So we rode and it turns out, my mini light provided enough illumination for me to get by. The ride was good, we did ~22 miles in 90 minutes. The rest of the week was filled with running & gym workouts.


On Saturday, upset by the fact that I didn't get to do a longer distance the weekend before, I decided I would go out and ride 40 miles. That's basically 2 round trips to Bedford and back on the Minuteman. Some (names withheld) have questioned my hesitation to hit the streets solo at this point since I need to get that experience under my belt. Here is my feeble explanation: a) I have NO idea where I am once I pass through Arlington and b) I'd rather have a companion with me in case I get stranded in the middle of nowhere with a flat or (ahem) take a tumble and get injured.

The weather on Saturday was overcast. It had rained the night before and the streets had yet to dry up. In fact, I was afraid I was going to get caught in a downpour since the clouds looked a bit ominous. Not to be deterred for any reason, I jumped in my car and resigned myself to the fact that if it rained, I'd just have to deal with it. I headed out from Alewife and was surprised at how many people were out on the path. There is a point where you have to cross an intersection at Arlington Center (where I'd had my first mishap). Since that incident, I have quickly learned to clip & unclip my shoes and haven't had any major issues since. I crossed the street and noticed a huge pile of leaves that were blocking my way. I steered through them, realizing that they were soggy and quite slippery. Just as I was making a mental note of this, my back tire slid left and knocked me off balance and I went crashing down in front of a handful of bikers and one very concerned runner. I jumped up and picked up my bike and noticed, as a crowd gathered around me, that my chain had fallen off. Crap. I fumbled with it a bit as a man on a bike came toward me and asked if he should hold my bike while I put the chain back on. Nope, I am fine, I told him..not about to admit I really didn't know what I was doing. Once I got the chain on the teeth, I brushed myself off and noticed that my right thigh was throbbing. I hopped back on the saddle, not to be discouraged by a bruised thigh (and ego).

The ride down to Bedford was great. I cruised along heading down & back again, listening to a mix I'd made specifically for long workouts and pedaled my little heart out. Somewhere along the way, I got distracted and drifted a bit off to the right. I immediately tried to correct myself, unaware that I'd ridden off into the dirt. My front tire rubbed against the curb of the asphalt (which was camouflaged by leaves) and I immediately realized I was going down...again.

Let me pause here and mention that this all happened in (excruciatingly) slow motion.

My left thigh was the first to hit the ground, followed by my elbow. I was still attached to my bike by my left shoe as I slid across the pavement. I came to an abrupt stop, unclipped, jumped up and looked behind me to make sure there wasn't an audience watching me. The closest person was hundreds of feet away - too far to have seen anything. I did a quick check of my newest injuries - a huge bruise and scrape marks on my left thigh, as well as a scraped up elbow. I might as well be 8 years old. I quickly diverted my attention to my bike and noticed the shifters were askew and completely scraped up. I readjusted them as best I could and did a check of the rest of the bike, which was fine. With shaky legs, I threw myself back onto the saddle and took my bruised and battered self home.

As I write this, I still can't sleep on my left or right side. I've realized that this kind of thing is bound to happen once in awhile. If anything, it makes for an entertaining story. As Howie puts it so eloquently...even the best fall down sometimes.