My new bike!

Just 2 weeks ago, I finally purchased a bike for the Ride:Well Tour, and training is back in full swing! This is my bike:Its a 2007 Fuji Professional. I bought it brand new, which means I get the perks of a "new" bike at the price of not-new bike. Its kind of like buying a brand new car that has sat in the lot for 2 years... no one wants it, right? Only with a bike, the only reason no one wanted it b/c its too short. Fortunately, so am I, making us perfect for each other! And means I got a bike out of my price range, from within my price range. YES!

The more I ride it, the more I love it (and am learning its intricacies, what needs adjusted, etc). Its been cold and rainy, so I haven't ridden much, but I have managed to ride 4 times over the past week. Its been an adventure, to say the least. I now feel like a "real" biker, as I finally got shoes and clipless pedals. Fortunately, it was a LOT easier to learn to use them than I thought, and it was a quick success! Now that I have them, I'll never go back - they're great!

As graduation is in less than 2 weeks, my "free" time is incredibly limited, so I took today off from work with sole intention to get a good ride in. I did compromise it a bit and began the day with some studying, but mid-afternoon I finally hit the road, and had a great ride! My longest ride yet at 50 miles, I feel great and definitely wasn't ready to be done, but the sun was going down so it wasn't an option. That, and I was hungry & didn't have any food with me! ha.

One concern that did come out of finally getting out on a longer ride today was the realization that my back may in fact cause problems this summer. I started having major back problems in January, and though I have been told my back will likely give me problems for the rest of my life, I have been released by my doctors to do the ride. After all, biking is one of the best forms of exercise with back problems because its so low-impact! Therefore, any problems certainly won't keep me from riding, but today I did have to stop every 10-15 miles for 5-10 minutes just to lie flat and let it rest (after which I was fine, ready to go again). I know I could do this all summer to get through the rides if I need to, but for obvious reasons I hope this isn't necessary. I would really appreciate extra prayer support that continued rides and training would strengthen it, leading to a decrease in pain, etc.

I'm more and more excited about this ride every day. 6 weeks!!!