Biking PSA: Always Wear Your Helmet

So some responses to comments on my last post:

- Message received. I will not mess with wild pigs (not that I was planning to) as running with a shotgun is definitely not a viable option for me. (To Cindy - I saw one alongside a running trail near work during a run last week. Totally freaked me out.)
- I don't have any duathlons planned (yet) but I have a 10K this weekend and a 65 mi bike ride (or as I learned this past weekend, "metric century" - v.cool) planned for early April. I don't really have any kind of formal training plan in place - I'm just attempting to log some running and biking miles whenever I can (ofentimes in a haphazard manner).
- Thanks Kirby for the encouragement! I'm working on the hills... I'll get there! (Someday!)
- Speaking of hills... to TFH, yes, I totally agree about biking up hills - holy crap is it hard! There were some hills were running Audrey could easily beat biking Audrey - no joke.

*****

No green beer for me, yesterday I went running and did some weights. I wanted to run first but it was still kind of sunny and warm for me after work so I decided to take this one hour, full body strength training class first. Then I went for a run on the trail (away from the wild pig spotting location) and oy, I could feel those lunges, squats, and whatnot. I was only able to get three in before the sun started to set.

ORN
3.0mi
0:31:00
Avg pace: 10:20 min/mi
Avg hr: 162bpm

1: 10:23
2: 10:24
3: 10:12

*****

OK, onto Sunday's bike ride. We debated whether or not to do it because there was a chance of rain but we decided to go for it anyway. It actually was pretty nice for the first half of the ride. We met at Sports Basement (near Crissy Field) and then headed to the Golden Gate bridge which was surprisingly empty! I think this had to do with it being closed that morning for the Across the Bay 12K plus the fact that the weather probably scared some people off.

We had a good group - two experienced bikers and two novice bikers (guess where I fit in!). It was definitely fun riding with these guys as I do believe in safety in numbers. Anyway, we headed to Sausalito where we had awesome views of the bay and then onto Tiburon where I had not biked yet. (To Roadbunner - no, sadly we did not stop at Sam's but I do love that place. Better for a sunny day, though.)

Everything was going great but during the ride around Tiburon, it started raining. A lot. So now it's not so fun anymore. I could barely see out of my glasses - they needed windshield wipers. Plus I was getting nervous about my iPhone (my baby!) that was not fully covered. Anyway, now we're in Sausalito on this long stretch of a trail headed home. I think we were pretty much single file at this point because we were headed toward a break in the trail where we needed to cross a street. At the end of the trail, they had these little posts at the entrance - I'm assuming to block out vehicles from using the trail. So basically you had three different slots that you could use to enter/exit the trail.

Now the next part happened very quickly. I was at the tail end of our group and I was following the others out the exit. Four of us were exiting the trail and there was an oncoming biker that wanted to enter the trail. He didn't quite make it. Maybe we didn't see him, maybe he didn't see all of us but what I think happened is that the oncoming biker tried to weave around us but instead ended up colliding with one of the posts - the bike got stuck behind the post and I swear it looked like he somehow got unclipped from his bike and literally flipped overhead and fell onto his back. One of his shoes came off in the process.

So we all stopped to help him and amazingly, he was OK! And the bike was OK! I think my friends had to make some adjustments to his bike but he was able to get back on it and continue on his ride. Incredible. And scary because I think that could have easily been any of us. I said a little prayer during the ride afterward.

The one good thing is that it stopped raining at that point so the rest of the ride was a bit more pleasant. But my friend Kirby warned me that the worst part is the uphill part in Sausalito right before you get to the Golden Gate bridge entrance. Any uphill is tough for me, but an uphill after biking 30 miles? Yikes. And yes, it sucked. I don't mind hills because I do like a challenge and it does help get my heart rate up for a better workout but man, it is so hard.

I had to go into my absolutely easiest gear and then work my way up but I feel I must look silly because I'm still pedaling hard but I am barely getting anywhere! It reminds me of the scene in The Goonies when Josh Brolin's character has to go rescue his brother, Mikey, but he only has access to the little girl's bike and he's pedaling like crazy but still going slow - that's how I feel.

But the view heading back to the city after crossing the bridge is absolutely beautiful! And a nice ending to the ride.

Overall, it was a lot of fun! And I definitely feel like I'm getting more comfortable with the bike. I don't stress as much about the stopping and unclipping part as much. I'm still clumsy at times and almost fell off my bike while clipped in and kinda ran into a post, but nothing major.