Yesterday I finally put my bike onto the stand so I can ride it like a stationary. (There has got to be a shorter way to say that.) It works great. I got a stand with magnetized resistance rather than air because the guy at Outspokin' said it was quieter, but it's still kind of noisy, so I'll have to pick and choose when and where I use it.
At first I was thinking the front of my bike would fit under the bar table, so I had set the bike up over there, but the handlebars turned out to be too high, plus the front wheel hits the cross braces at the bottom of the table legs. I could probably jerry-rig something, but do I really want to dismantle my bicycle?
So I lugged it across the room to the dining area, so I can see the TV screen over the back of Sean's couch while I'm riding.
And let me tell you, that was not easy. The stand is very heavy, to provide stability, and leaving it attached to the bike made the whole ensemble awkward to move. I couldn't just shove it, because the stand's folding legs kept trying to collapse. I basically had to lift the stand and then lean the bike to cause it to roll in the direction I wanted.
When I got it into the dining room, I had to stop and sit down. I was gasping for air. It was weird. I'm having that experience more and more often, where I feel like I can't get air fast enough. My muscles never get anywhere near the point of feeling tired before I'm unable to breathe. I had thought maybe it was allergies, and the hope was that exercising indoors would help me avoid that experience, but apparently not. It looks like it's something I'm going to have to deal with regardless of when and how I work out.
So I sat on the couch for a long time, sucking air in through my mouth and releasing it the same way, waiting for my heart to stop pounding and my body to feel ready to move again. Finally I was able to position the bike, which didn't take as much effort. I tried it out and everything seemed good, but since I was afraid of being winded again I didn't stay on the bike for long.
Writing about how pathetic this is, and thinking wistfully back to my kung fu days when I was in the best shape of my life, will do me no good. It's a situation I just have to accept and deal with, unfortunately. Small steps.
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6 comments:
Take this small step, and then another, add another one, and another one yet later on, and before you know it, they're all going to add up to something huge! :) JUST STICK WITH IT! It doesn't matter how small a step you might take today, or tomorrow, or two days after that, they're going to add up. I'm proud of you; keep you the good work!! :)
And also, do you think you might be developing asthma? It might be worth asking your Dr. if they think you should be tested for it. BELIEVE ME, having asthma, and having it under control can make a HUGE DIFFERENCE in how you're feeling, and what kind of exercise you want to do! :)
p.s. David and I looked at bikes similar to yours last night. I'll (HOPEFULLY) be bringing "Miss Gary Fisher" back with me in October, but a nice bike for streets and sidewalks and easy park paths would be nice, too, and David doesn't have a bike (yet).
I forgot to ask my doctor about allergies and asthma when I was there last, but I'm going to bring it up next time. He did say he wants to test me for sleep apnea.
It's really weird, the idea of biking is so appealing to me, but I'd rather do it in England than here...maybe the heat is a factor. I guess the Greeneway is nice and shaded in most areas, but I honestly get bored with the Greeneway...it's so domesticated. Plus, it feels like it really ought to be a circle, and it isn't, and that annoys me ;> (Someday it will be a loop, I hope.)
I guess knowing that once I've stepped five feet out my door I'll be covered in sweat doesn't help me want to go biking :( It's funny, though, I had to bike to class when I was in Japan, and it was just as hot. I carried around a hand towel for that reason.
Blah.
There is another factor I didn't mention, and that is that I have no one to do anything with, typically.
Maybe things will get better once that co-ed volleyball team I joined gets started. Thank goodness it's all in fun and doesn't require mad skillz, because at this point I feel like I'll be lucky if I can make it through a game, let alone hit the ball over the net.
You know, I have a bike I haven't ridden since I moved, and I do have biking trails not far away. When I first moved here, I didn't have anywhere good to put the bike, plus I had no extra money to pay for a tune-up. Now, I have a balcony, and I could afford the tune-up...so I may have to pursue this in earnest shortly. Thanks for giving me the idea!
Biking is fabulous. Do it, and post some pictures while you're out to inspire me to get out and bike too :D
Why don't you and Sean head over to one of the State Parks one weekend and go do some biking together? I suck at riding a bicycle so when we get going cycling we'll most likely go somewhere where there are lots of trails and no cars.
There are several problems with that:
1) Sean's old bike is still at his parents' and hasn't been tuned up;
2) We don't have a bike rack to carry two bikes;
3) By the time Sean gets up, which is mid-afternoon, it's too hot to bike;
4) Sean doesn't go anywhere on the weekend;
5) Sean hates it "outside". I've asked him to come walking with me, and his suggestion was that I buy some exercise equipment and do it in the same room as him.
SIGH.
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