Outside the Comfort Zone

After whining and complaining and generally being crabby about the weather for the past month, I woke up one day last week to what was by all accounts a beautiful day. It was sunny and warm. The birds were singing, the sky was blue. I scrapped all my plans for the day and decided to head outside.

First up was a quick run. Although it may have sounded like I’d ended my relationship with running completely after my last post, I decided that running and I could still see each other, as long as we kept things more casual – no pressure, no commitment, an open relationship. So I laced up for a quick little jog, just four miles to enjoy the sunshine. It seemed as if everyone was out, including a few people who clearly had not run since winter arrived last November. I also encountered some people clad in gray baggy sweatpants (akin to wearing a big neon sign that says “I don’t run very often”). Seeing so many casual runners made me feel a little better about myself – until one of them blew right by me as if I was standing still, his gray sweats flapping in the breeze.

But it didn’t matter, my goal was not to run fast. My goal was just to enjoy the day. I finished my loop and headed back home, just in time to start getting ready to meet up with a friend for the inaugural bike ride of the season. First off, I had to get my bike out, check it over and pump up the tires. Fortunately, I’d already brought it in for the pre-season tune-up, so it was in pretty good shape.

Next, I had to find my biking clothes.  Hmmm, biking clothes…. Where would I have put everything at the end of last season? I spent about an hour fishing through my closet to find tights, shirt, jacket, etc. It took forever. Then I had to find all my accessories. Another hour hunting around for helmet, gloves, skullcap, shoe covers. I worked up a sweat before I’d even left the house.

Then came the part where I repeatedly went outside, reassessed my clothing choices, and went back inside to add or shed a layer as needed. Lather, rinse, repeat. Another hour passed. Finally, I hopped on my bike, pedaled to the end of the block, decided I needed a heavier jacket and went back to the house. I pedaled away again, then realized I’d forgotten my water bottle and turned around one more time. The third time was a charm, and I headed to my friend’s house. I was pleased to find that she was in her driveway having the same scattered pre-ride frenzy that I’d had. Finally, a full hour behind schedule, we rolled out. The sky was blue, the potholes were enormous. Since I’d spent the better part of the day getting ready for the bike ride, I was left with precious little time for the ride itself, but we managed to get some miles in.

Once back home, I molted accessories as I went – helmet, gloves, shoe covers, shoes, hat, sunglasses. It was a like a bike shop exploded inside my door. As I looked around at the piles of biking stuff on the floor, I was pleased. They were sure signs of spring.