Waffling

Hi it's Laura.

What a week it's been so far.

Normally you are listening to me complain about the pool. I have to say, the pool has been relatively quiet. And when there have been people, everyone has been considerate and swimming in the correct lanes. I don't know what happened there but I am definitely NOT complaining.

What has been me going this week are my bike rides. Last week the rides were cold and I was wishing for a little bit of warmth (60 would have been lovely 80 is a bit too much). Moving along at 15 miles an hour or so at 40 or even 50 degrees is chilly. I double up my shirts and wear long pants. I even put a skull cap on my head under my helmet to help. What I cannot do is keep my toes warm. My cycling shoes are ventilated for warmer temperatures. I have thought about buying the covers for my shoes but I can’t bring myself to spend the money on something I am only going to use maybe twice a year so I suffer through the cold toes knowing I only have a few rides to get through.

As happy as I as to see the temperature rise in the beginning of the week, 80 degrees was just too much too soon. (It's not global warms according to a billboard that I saw on my way to New Jersey Thursday morning. Apparently there are more polar bears now than 15 years ago.)

Anyway I have stepped up my training this year from running and riding twice a week to running and riding three days a week. So as of this writing, I still have one more long ride for the week. Due to scheduling issues on Tuesday morning, I wound up taking my ride in Central Park. I had abandoned Central Park for riding last year. For the life of me could not remember why. The park is filled with hills and it’s safe. I used to ride the park every Friday morning years ago with The Blondish friend and enjoyed it. So Tuesday afternoon I headed to the park.

The ride started relatively calm. There were lots of people milling about (it was 80 degrees) with very few "bike gangs". However, there were plenty of tourists on Bike n' Roll rented bikes. As I rounded the bottom of the park, I was debating with myself whether or not I was going to climb the Big Hill. According to my GPS at the steepest part of the hill its and 8% grade. Trucks are warned on the highway when the downhill is 5%. Double Diamonds ski trails are about a 28% grade.

The internal conversation was short: If not now, when? What are you waiting for? So I climbed.

Overall the ride was not bad, just warm. Central Park road crews drew new lines on the roads to make the lanes wider for both runner and cyclists and more narrow for cars. I say YAY!

Thursday morning's ride was not nearly as uneventful.

It started the night before. If you recall, we had pretty severe thunder storms Wednesday night. So as I lay out my clothes Wednesday night, I had made the decision to ride indoors. (Spin bike to my own play list.) Upon waking Thursday morning, I changed my mind and decided to ride outside. still waffling if I should ride inside? I picked through my closet to find riding pants or shorts for an outdoor ride. There were none to be found. Oh boy is my butt going to hurt. Deciding to ride inside, I peeked out the window. The rain had stopped and I saw some dry patches on the sidewalk. Ok, outside. Back to the closet. Dressed! I know, seriously? But wait, it gets worse.

I almost made my own head explode with the internal conversation about where to ride.

MY ride was supposed to be hill repeats. Climb a hill for 1-2 minutes then spin in out for a 1-2 minute recovery. Do I go to Riverside or Central Park? It’s just before 6:00 am I don't have a lot of time to make up my mind.

Riverside: flat, long, quiet, safe. Central Park: hilly, bike gangs, not quiet, safe-ish. I want to ride the park but I do not want to deal with the bike gangs (Thursdays seems to be a big bike riding day). I hate that they are faster than me both on the flats and on the hills. I hate that they surround you to pass you instead of picking a side to pass on.

If I ride Riverside, I will have to find a hill and just go up and down it. It will not be the same if I ride Riverside. I am feeling a little intimidated by the riders in Central Park right now and I don't want to go. SCREEEEECCHHHHH!!!!! What?! Intimidated! Don’t be silly.

Here comes the lecture: “What is wrong with you? You have as much right to ride in Central Park as anyone else. You are going to be intimidated by people you have never met and don't know their story? You are a 44 year old woman who had recovered from ACL/meniscus surgery! You are awesome! Go ride in the park and don't be stupid.”

I was still waffling while I waited for a GPS signal in front our building. As I headed north on Broadway, my iShuffle played a song for me whose lyrics at that moments could not have been more apropos, "Never Let You Fear Decide Your Fate" Awolnation. I am not normally called to action by song lyrics but upon hearing that, I made a right and headed to Central Park.

Play hard!

Laura