Training

I'm sitting here at my desk and I can barely type.  I know what I want to write, my body is just angry at me and letting me know that in a variety of ways.  My hands are tingling as if they have just been asleep.  My lungs are burning.  I have showered, but I continue to blink sweat out of my eyes.  My legs...how is it possible to be numb and burning all at the same time?  All this from a measly 40 minute bike ride.

Rewind a few weeks.  My son and I are in the car and I ask him what he wants to do for his upcoming birthday.  His pause is only for a matter of seconds before he dives in, "The usual.  Let's bike around Farmer's Loop and stop for snacks and then go to Barnes and Noble then bike to Grandma's house."  We have developed a routine...it may be a tradition now as this will be our third year.  I think he really enjoys the freedom and adventure of the event as well as its familiarity.  I also think that he enjoys having guy time without any younger sisters around, but that is just my guess.

"Why are you asking?" he inquired, "My birthday is not for a long time."

"True," I replied, trying to hide my apprehension, "It's just that when you are a teenager, it gets easier to do things year after year.  When you are a grown-up, it gets more challenging to do things year after year.  I just need to spend some time getting ready.  We'll have a great time."

Welcome to my week of getting ready.  I've put it off as long as I can with chaos at work and sickness at home and weather delays.  If I don't start riding this week, the boy's birthday is going to be filled with a lot of manly tears.

So today I went on my 2nd bike ride of the season.  I think my tires are a little flat and my brakes need some work.  But mostly the issues are with my legs...and my lungs.  It is a little unfair that his birthday comes so close to the beginning of summer, A couple more weeks and the ride would be much easier to plan for.  When you are thinking of having children, no one gives you helpful pointers like, "Wait for a few more weeks so that you will have time to get into bike shape for his birthday each year."  Oh well.

I'll be riding this week.  It will get easier.  My lungs will remember how to breathe.  My legs will remember that they actually can get me up the hills because they have done it before.  My body will remember that it does not have to actively rebel at the first sign of exercise.  We've done this before and his birthday will be great.

But today was not that day.