Fitness Friday

So, if you follow me on Facebook or Plurk you know that along with knitting, I have a few other hobbies. I am preparing for a number of charity events, all of which involve running riding or walking. I have started looking at Fitness in a different way recently. It's amazing how many opinions there are in the world of biking, running, and even walking. . . okay, you are in the knitting world, of COURSE you know this.

So, I got a bike. her name is Elphy. Elphy and I have been getting along great. She is awesome.

Okay, why did I name her Elphy. I a the theatre knitter, she is Green, and if you look closely you can see the logo for my LBS (Local Bike Shop) is a witch on a bike. soooo Elphaba it is.

So, After my first long training ride, I decided to give "clip less" pedals a try. If you have read the Yarn Harlots new book, her entire first chapter is about learning how to ride this way. It is not easy, it is NOTHING like riding a bike. It is totally different. I spent 3 weeks trying to learn how to use these "superior" pedals.

Well, I decided to say screw it. I put my real pedals back on my bike, and now life is great. What made me change my mind? I got ahold of this book. Just Ride: A Radically Practical Guide to Riding your Bike.  This book is brilliant. It takes all of the crap out of riding. There is one thing he says is the best. it's not about distance, it's about the time. so today, i spent 30 minutes on my bike. i didn't ride 10 miles, i didn't ride 20 miles. i rode for 30 minutes. i focused on which gear i was in. I focused on looking where I was turning so that i could see my destination. I focused on enjoying my ride for the 30 minutes that i rode my bike.

I plan to think the same way about running. I REALLY hate running. But I know it's good exercise. So every day this week, I will run for 10 minutes. thats it, just 10 minutes.

Elphy and I had a great ride today, and that is all that mattered.

OH, i'll bet you want to know what I am riding for !!!

I am riding the Best Buddies Challenge. Currently, my goal is to ride the 50 mile ride. Feel free to donate, I can certainly use all of the help that I can get.