Last week when I rode with Kathy I had what I thought was a spectacular brainstorm! -I would bring weight in my B.O.B. (Beast of Burden) Trailer on the next ride so I could get a workout and that we would be a little more evenly matched as far as speed.
Well, when she arrived last night I disassembled and threw in two dumbbells that Jeff had in the living room with some towels to separate them so they didn't clang around. I didn't really consider how much weight it was when I put it in the trailer....or try to make sure that it was evenly balanced from side to side...(when I got home I looked a little more closely and discovered that I had lugged around 60 lbs in weights!). (4 X 10 lbs, 4 X 2.5 lbs, and 2 X 5 lbs)
We did the same 30 mile loop as last Thursday - out to Smurfitt-Stone Container on Blue Mtn Rd, Kona, nd Mullan and back the Airport Road and Reserve. The first mile was brutal getting used to the weight and I thought to myself I would really like to throw some of it into the woods to come and get later, but I persevered....On the first hill on Blue Mtn Road I had to shed my shirt! I knew I was definitely going to get a workout.
On all the other rides we have done together we usually chat and catch up and I ride next to her until I see a car in my rear-view mirror...then I fall back in single file. Well, for some crazy reason Kathy chose last night to really get a move on ~ and go as fast as she could. Not the best for me, since I was carrying 60 lbs for the first time in a bike trailer. But I felt we were pretty evenly matched for speed except for that hill on the road that goes by the Trap Club and comes out at the Y. Just after that hill we stopped at the big stop across the road and got a popsicle. It was Kathy's favorite so far - it was a Jolly Rancher popsicle - watermelon and some other flavor mixed in. mmmmm. We sucked down a bunch of water and were on our way again.
Let's see - the reason I think it was a dumb idea is that I realized I made a classic Elizabeth-move. Not really considering less weight to start with, or anything, just going for it. I learned a lot for the Iceland trip, though. We may have problems with finger numbness -> I was gripping that handlebar extremely tight without a break (except for the store we stopped at) due to the weight in the trailer and the imbalance of my load. I found I had to have the breaks on and continue pedaling for stability going down hills. There were a few times that I thought that I would be launched into either the road or the ditch because of this unevenness. I will have to be careful of that. Some of the positives of the weight and feeling a little out of control is that my butt (literally) got a workout. Again, I think it was because of the imbalance in the trailer trying to stay in control of the bike and keep moving in a straight line.
Another positive is that I felt great after the ride, and I'm still feeling the "high" this morning about the workout.
I'm not sure exactly what you 'look' like when you feel like a million bucks. But this is exactly what I look like: Rosy cheeks, sweaty hair, and a big smile! (sorry about the runners top but like I said, I had to shed a layer because I was TOO HOT!)
I'm hoping for the Iceland trip I can be as much of a pack-mule as possible with shared gear - tent, cooking gear, food, etc....so this is a great start in getting ready for that. I know that Mom, Aunt Carlene and Kathy can carry their own and we could split it up the shared gear - but I think with the trailer it will be easier for me since the gear will be closer to the ground....than in panniers getting caught by the wind.
No comments:
Post a Comment