Marie’s hip continued to give her trouble to the point that her coach at Purdue nixed her running entirely. I’d texted her to get an update and found that, although she couldn’t run, like me…she could ride, so we planned a workout together.
You have to love the bike. I was in so much pain just prior to my surgery, but was able to ride 3 hours the night before...with no discomfort to the knee. Cycling allows you to get a tremendous aerobic workout, but lots of calories, see some great things and not cause stress to the joints.
I rode to her house concerned that she’d be out to hammer me and I was not ready to ride hard, but when she climbed aboard her hybrid with tires twice the size of mine, I thought I’d be okay. She was riding the kind of bike I would likely need for my long distance trek around the state...wider tires, upright positioning...so that I might be able to work around the shoulder strain I suffered after a couple of hours in the saddle. The down side...they don’t roll as fast and take more effort to pedal.
Marie found out just how much of a difference equipment makes when I rocketed ahead of her down Eagle Road. I typically top 45mph on that short hill, something her ride was incapable of doing and was 100 yards ahead of her when she reached the bottom. The pattern continued throughout the ride, which was fine for me because we were on a 2-hour ride, my first of that distance, and I wanted to be sure I didn’t push the knee too hard.
We both managed the ride pain free...another endorsement for the healing power of the bike. The more I do on the bike, the more I want to do...and want to get others involved, too. I’ve begun the task of trying to gain information and support for the course around Ohio and my belief in the value of long distance cycling has reinvigorated me to pursue this objective. It’s good for me...and anyone who gets on a bike.
Bike Duration: Two hours.
Training Heart Rate: 120 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 1600.
No comments:
Post a Comment