Getting back on the bike

I used to cycle a lot. By "a lot" I mean that for almost 2 years I would average over 40 miles a week on my bike. The last 4 months were quite busy so my cycling dwindled to almost nothing. It was beautiful outside on Sunday so I thought it would be the perfect time to get back on the bike.

I threw on my gear, grabbed my bike off the rack and proceeded to do the routine inspection that everyone should do before they ride (especially after such a layoff).

1. Brakes
2. Wheels securely connected (funny to say, not funny to experience)
3. Handlebars straight and secure
4. Tire pressure
5. Roadside kit intact

My bike failed on #4 which is not at all suprising and in fact is quite expected. I pulled out the pump and had the tire pressure back to 120 PSI in no time.

I started to discuss the afternoon with Jamie. Then I heard a wine and a quick "wooosh" of air. At first I figured I didn't clamp the presta valve properply. However quick experimentation proved that it was not the case and there was definately a leak in the tube.

Part of me was excited about this. After my first disaster with replacing a tube on a road bike a year ago(quite different that a normal/mountain bike) I am quite good at replacing tires. This had the added difficulty of being my back tire but it was a great chance to hone up on my skills. After all where would you rather change your first tire of the year; in your home or on the side of the street?

My skills did not fade in the year since I replaced a tire. In <>

As I reached down I noticed the tire bulging around the valve (terrible sign). I quickly threw my hand down to deflate the tube but I was too late. 120 PSI of pressure exploded in front of my face. Luckily nothing hit me but it sounded like someone shot a gun next to my head. However I am now down 2 tubes in one day.

Jamie advised me to give up for the day. I think this is proof she married me uninformed.

A quick inspection showed the tube was dry and hence exploded as a result of rot. I grabbed yet another tube and had it in the tire. I pumped up the tube (from a safe distance) and had a new tire on 10 minutes later. This one worked and I enjoyed a nice 14 mile ride around lake Washington.

The 5K Run

Jamie's work sponsered a 5K run for fun this weekend which she helped host. You were allowed to run it with your dogs so I got up, pulled the dogs out of bed and headed over for the 9:00AM start. The dogs were reluctant to exit the bed at first but happily joined me once they realized the destination involved a run of sorts. They can tell that by the shoes I put on.

The good news is the run. It was fun, the dogs behaved and we had a great time. I finished 23rd overall with a time of 23:40 and we finished 3rd in the people running with dogs category. A great finish considering we started at the very back of the pack and it took over 30 seconds just to hit the starting line once the race began.

The bad side is the finish. Mira loves to sprint at the end of a long run. So for the last few hundred feet I picked up the pace and we were at full speed when we hit the finish line where Jamie was waiting.

And therein lies the problem. Jamie chose to stand next to the finish line (5 yards to the left) instead of 5 yards past the finish line. As I hit the finish line, I saw Mira dart for her out of the corner of my eye.

Given that it's raining, I'm tired from the run, have another dog in my other hand and I'm off balance from stopping my stride; my mind resigned itself to the fall it knew was coming. I hit the ground in spectacular fashion at which point Mira's leash hit it's limit and between our combined weight holding the ends of the leash taut, we managed to destroy the left side of the finish line stand.

Spectucular. The race was great though and all of Jamie's coworkers know me now