While 2009 might be the year of my first marathon, 2010 could see yours truly delve into another facet of fitness: endurance sports.Well, I suppose the marathon falls under there, but I was thinking more of something I haven't been able to do before - a duathlon.
I got my first bicycle earlier this week. I've actually owned bicycles before but that was in the mid-80s, and I don't think those really count now. I got a hand-me-down bicycle from my father-in-law, who upgraded and wanted to get rid of his old bike. It's actually perfect for me. It retails around $150-200, which is what I had thought it would cost me to get going. I'm not going to upgrade to a $600 bicycle like my FIL anytime soon so his old one is perfect for me.
It's actually in great condition and I've ridden it a couple of times already. I'll take a picture of it soon enough so you can see what I'm dealing with. (UPDATE: Picture is up!)
Of course, I haven't had the bicycle for more than a few days, haven't really gone anywhere on it, have no idea how long it will take me to bike 5, 10, 15 or whatever amount of miles, but I'm already thinking about a race.
This one.
The Camp Pendleton Devil Dog Duathlon.
The race is simple: a 5K run, a 30K bike ride and a 5K run. So that's essentially a 10K sandwiched around a long bike ride.
The 10K itself would take me about an hour I'd say, the second leg of it I'd run after the bike ride so I'd probably be slowed down some. But it would be an awesome challenge. Supposedly the bike route is mostly flat, while the run is on gravel roads. Not sure how steep it is but that area can get quite hilly.
I've actually mentioned this race before, but it was more of a pie-in-the-sky type deal since I didn't have the money to get myself a bike. Now I have one and I'm anxious to go out and ride it. This week has been ultra-busy and next week I'll be down in Central America, so my first bike ride may not happen until a few weeks from now.
Not sure how it will fit into my running either. I don't want to injure myself by riding the bike so I'll just have to ease into bike riding. No 20-mile rides off the bat for LB. Still, some 30-minute bike segments would be a good change of pace from running, so there's an upside to the running as well.
I think one of the better visions I have, though, is this: LB, Yvie and Kennedy on their own bikes down on a bike trail in a nearby beach on a less-crowded weekday. This summer, that vision will come to fruition!
As for the duathlon, we'll see but I'm guessing I'm going to make that one happen as well.
8 comments:
Goodness gracious! Next thing you know Luis will be taking up swimming and signing up for triathalons! Seriously, though, what a wonderful adjunct to your fitness regimen!
nice wheels, btw!
Awesome!
The bike looks really nice! My hubby rides his to work/school almost everyday about 2 miles I think. He loves it :)
Great bike! I think you'll really like riding it. I don't ride my bike as often as I should. Last time, I pushed myself farther than I should have and thought I wouldn't be able to make it back home. My legs were like wet noodles for about an hour afterward. How embarrassing!
SWEET RIDE! is that a rocket attached to the seat?? i see how you "bike". :o) next, invest in a good, proper fitting helmet please! just an FYI: the 30K may be a bit rough with those tires. can you change them out for the skinny road bike tires? you will definitely notice a difference.
Thanks everyone! I'm excited to ride it, but probably won't get a chance soon. TG, I hadn't thought about a helmet. I mean, I had figured that you might need one during a race but hadn't really thought about using one while riding it around. I suppose that's something I should look into. Tires too. I guess when I start riding it I'll start figuring things out.
ok, so just when is your first triathlon??!! :) Cross training's good, keeps the body guessing!! Enjoy, great to get out and cruise with the girls as well!
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