New Challenges, And New Shoes

I had to buy new shoes today.  My cross-trainers are so broken down that my toes are getting cramped into the toe box when I move the slide forward.  There is nothing that pulls them back, and the uppers have lost their integrity.  I visited the local Sports Authority and purchased a pair of light runners made by Under Armor.  I also found a pair of Pink Converse All-Stars.  I also was given a coupon that took $20.  SWEET.
The past week has been interesting, and stressful. The stress came from work, which is pretty much a constant. My counter –balance has been riding the E-Go and seeking hills. I never looked for hills before, but I think I know why I like them now. When I was allowed to run, going up hills hurt: the muscles, the joints, and the angle of my feet to the hill. Now, the only pain is muscle fatigue. I can deal with that.

Some hills I can master in 3rd gear now, but most I need to shift into 2nd or 1st. There are some that I crest in 1st gear and I am crawling on the E-go. It is going fast enough to stay upright, barely. It still counts. As for my joints, there is no impact, so no problem. The angle and placement of my feet is controlled by the E-Go.

At the beginning of the week the weather was nice. I rode Hills on Monday and Tuesday. I had to skip Wednesday due to appointments. On Thursday the temperature was in the high 90s most of the day, but at 7:30 PM it was about 88 degrees, but still very humid. I had increased my fluid intake during the day in hopes I might be able to take a ride. I took the E-Go to RR Bike path, and rode it from one end to the other, a total of 13 miles. I took a 5 min break at the far end, before coming back. Once I got under the cover of the trees, and deep into the woods, the air changed. It was cooler, wetter, and had a loamy smell, like a campsite. It was still warm, and I did not push too hard, but I did in 1.25 hours.

Friday I skipped due to plans, and there was the treat of storms. The heat-wave was breaking and the intensity was expected to be extreme. Saturday the weather was wonderful. The humidity was low, and the temperature was in the low 80w. I took a new rout, the combined with an old rout, and more hills. It was intense, with the characteristic crawl up one major hill. The rout took me half way to my parent’s farm, and I relived that I could go all the way to the farm if I wanted to.

Today, I rode to the farm. Several intense hills and a surprised mother. I never ran to the farm.