Re-Epiphany?

If you recall, a few months ago when I was doing the volleyball thing, I was astounded that, although I thought myself in good shape, the quick pace of play during our first couple of games left me huffing and puffing. And, I was sore in places I thought were strong...

Fast forward to yesterday on my first real bike ride since I was a teenager sans driver's license. Five minutes in, I was breathing like I'd been doing sprints! What the heck?--I had wheels. I thought this was going to be easier than running. But, I was really feeling it and in a different way than when I'm out running. Completely different places on my legs were burning.

I rode around my low-traffic subdivision for a few laps to get the hang of things before taking the "secret passage" from this neighborhood into a local park. I rode around there until I felt brave (I needed to practice turning right without swinging out wide. Left turning was no problem--guess I'm not an "ambi-turner"). Then, I ventured onto some city streets, although I still limited my time on high-traffic areas. There were LOTS of hills on the route I took, but I made it up all of them but one. In the end, I rode a little more than 6 miles in my first 40 minutes out.

Fast forward again to yesterday afternoon. OWWWW! I'd completed my ride in a new pair of bike shorts (complete with the padding that feels like wearing an adult diaper). This helped a little, but apparently I'm in for some pain until my butt toughens up. I'll spare you the details, but let's just say there are bruises and that sitting in my desk chair today is a challenge. My back is also a little sore.

Nevertheless, I went for a run this morning before work (I had to shuffle my training schedule around due to some work stuff), and my legs felt great. None of the stiffness that I usually experience on my first run of the week.

Moral of the story? Cross-training is awesome! I got a great workout yesterday that apparently loosened the muscles I'd used on my long run Saturday. I'm hoping this combo of exercise working muscles in different ways will leave me with the badass thighs of my dreams! Stay tuned.