New Pedals, Bruises

My fault - I got more tired than I expected as of late, and my writing has fallen away. But just because I don't write doesn't mean I don't run.

A little recap of the weekend:

Saturday - a big workout day of 18 miles of biking, 2.5 miles of hiking and just over 10 miles of running. Left my apartment at 8:30am and didn't return until 6pm...well, it would have been a 5:30 return if not for my getting lost along the 2 miles between my apartment and Griffith Park. My lack of common sense still surprises me sometimes.

Sunday: 5 miles of running down at the beach. A light day, of sorts, and I embraced it after the +4 hours of Saturday's schedule. After 7:30am practice, I went over to Performance Bicycle Shop in Santa Monica to get new pedals and shoes for Max (my bike). Dropped too much money on the new equipment, but I'll survive. Went home and tried out the new clips.

For those unfamiliar with biking shoes: The shoes have a metal and plastic mold attached to the bottom. It locks into a groove (or multiple grooves) in the pedal and literally binds your foot to your bike. The benefit of this is a full powered rotation when your push the pedal down and around. Not only do you generate power from your quads when your foot pushes down, but you also generate power from your hamstrings as your pull your foot on the upswing.

The drawbacks of clip in pedals: Falling down. Becuase your foot is attached to the bike, and because it takes a little coordination to release the clip and step to the group (not to mention get back on the bike and clip in without falling over), sometimes you --- and by "you" I mean "me" --- will take a lateral dive right into the pavement. In front of your apartment. Where your neighbor is staring at you and feebly attempts to offer a gesture of concern. (Yes, I'm fine, thanks).

After mastering to the new clips, or at least not falling in the middle of the intersection of Riverside and Ledge, I took a quick 5 mile ride around the neighborhood. I may give it another shot in the AM before work starts.

Also, by the way, I've started my fundraising for the Santa Barbara/Pasadena weekend of craziness. Check out my site, and give a bit if you feel inclined. Thank you much.

Emily's Team In Training Site

Image:InjoyDesign.com