Have fun, Dammit!

Joy here...Okay, so I barely went cross-country skiing this winter; I've not hit all my run workouts in weeks; I've fallen off the strength training wagon; I barely ride my bike, and I think I've gained weight over the course of this never-ending winter.

But nobody likes a whinger.

whinge

(h)winj/

BRITISHinformal

verb

1. 1.

   complain persistently and in a peevish or irritating way.

   "stop whingeing and get on with it!"

noun

1. 1.

   an act of complaining.

Me last month with the snow bike!

And the truth of the matter is that when I put on that cycling helmet, hop up on a bike, and feel the wind on my face as I pedal my little heart out, I forget everything; every worry, every whinge, and every excuse is whisked away.

That, I think, is why all little children learn to love bike riding.
I was never a bike rider as a kid...so I get to fall in love with it now as an adult, enjoying every moment of it in the fullness of my present self.  I don't take it for granted, and I'm always surprised by just how much I love riding my bike.

We bought a "snow bike" this winter...a big, fat bike with tires that would put a monster truck to shame, and then yesterday the weather was actually nice enough for me to dust off my awesome road bike and head for a ride around the canal for the first time in 8 months!!!

Me after my successful first 1.5 hr bike ride this spring!

So a friend of mine and I got ourselves all set, and headed out onto one of Ottawa's many bike paths.  Neither she nor I feel particularly fit after a long winter with too much booze and not enough sport, but that's not the point.

The point is getting out there under a blue sky in the blustering wind chatting with a friend and moving your body.  You don't have to look at your computer and calculate speed or wattage, you just have to just enjoy yourself.  That's not such a tall order, is it?

And that's exactly what we did.  And in my humble opinion (or IMHO in text-speak), enjoyment on a sunny spring day is as good a start as any I can imagine as I count down to my next race in just under 5 weeks from now.

I may not be fast by then.  I may not be fit by then.  But I will go and I will run, and I will have fun.

Dammit.

Because afterall that is what this is all about!

Over and out,
Joy

Ride Stats:  Went for a 35km bike path ride; it took around 90mins.