i like bike

My three-week sabbatical from running is officially over. I ran twice this past week, pulling about a 10:30 minute mile both times. The first time I made it 4.5 miles. The second time I barely did 2.5. Gross. In my defense I think I have a sinus infection and bronchitis but seriously. This is not going to fly.

With the attempts at running going not so swimmingly, I decided to dust off my road bike and see what happened. Luckily, my old triathlon training partner was available to come with so we hitched a ride on the Anderson Ferry to Route 8 in Northern Kentucky and hit the road. Any outing that starts off with a ferry ride is bound to be awesome, yes? There wasn't a cloud in the sky, the humidity was low, and I managed to bike over the "rolling" hills without tossing my cookies. Awesome indeed. This is actually one of the best rides I think I've had in a long time. I didn't do any hill work last year on the bike (all paved flat trail) and my goal for tonight's ride was to stay in the saddle on the hills. Granted, the hills weren't long and they weren't terribly steep, but I am notorious for standing up at the first sign of an incline. I stayed in my seat though AND kept a decent cadence, even though I thought my heart was going to explode out of my chest a few times. Sadly, the old grey mare just ain't what she used to be.

The best part about riding Route 8 is that it's out in the country (funny because it is about a mile from CVG). It was peacefully quiet (for the most part) and we got to see cool old barns, log cabins, roadside vegetable stands, etc. For a minute I pretended I was back in Peru.

My legs were pretty wobbly by the time we finished the ride but I felt great! Plus the sun was setting over the Ohio river on the ferry ride home. Double bonus for this, Mother Nature.