I Want to Ride My Bicycle, I Want to Ride it Where I Like

Temperature: 57 degrees; 10 miles; 12.8 average m.p.h.; 46:49

(OK, I confess, I stole my title from Queen's song "Bicycle Race.")

Question: When does 57 degrees on a sunny day not feel warm in Connecticut??
Answer: When you ride a bike instead of running.
Yesterday I went for another bike ride. Ho Hum. I forgot that when you're riding a bike and averaging 13 miles per hour, shorts and a short sleeved t-shirt don't keep you warm enough. That's really the only complaint I have about my 10 mile ride yesterday. Unfortunately I don't have any exciting riding stories such as near death experiences with red trucks. Riding a bike is generally uneventful compared to running, as we all know. I rode on local streets, since I was limited by the fact it was a Weight Watchers work night. I really wanted to go for a long ride from my home to the end of the linear trail and back, which is about 20 miles total. I guess that's what the weekends are for. Pain wise, I'm developing some good pain in my legs, since I'm using different muscles than I normally use. I love to challenge myself with uphill rides, and I find as many hills to conquer as I can. On a positive note, I'm building up my mileage, and shouldn't have any problems in June with the 25 mile ride I'm doing to raise money for MS. My heel doesn't bother me at all when I ride, and it seems to be slowly getting better each day I don't run. I've kind of made a deal with myself that I truly only have one running goal left to achieve: Completing the New York City Marathon. Whether I accomplish that this year remains to be seen. I'll find out in June whether or not I'm accepted for this November's marathon. If not, as I've said in earlier posts, I have automatic entry in 2010. In the meantime, I'll ice my heel, continue to wear my night splint, take ibuprofen, and take advantage of the whirlpool in my bathroom. Every time I see someone running, or read everyone's blogs about what they've accomplished lately with their running, I can't help but feel jealous. But hey, as I like to say, in the big picture of all the things in my life to be worried about, not being able to run right now isn't a big deal. I need to remind myself of that, and stop whining and complaining in my blog about my heel. So everyone out there, please feel free to give me a reality check at times about how fortunate I am to have a loving wife, 2 great kids, a job, a roof over my head, food, and my health.