Awesome

My poor bike is 10 years old and barely used. But, this is changing, starting today. I have a very inexpensive Rand Trail Blazer 2 that I got at Wal*Mart. For just beginning, it'll be fine. Eventually, I'll get a better bike.

Thursday, I bought a helmet.
Yesterday, I went to a local bike shop and Amy, one of the owners, helped me pick out some bike shorts, a shirt and some cycling shoes. I realize that I might not necessarily need all this stuff just starting out, but I'm going for comfort here. Also, with the amount of money I spent, I hope I will be even MORE motivated to get out on my bike. The shop has Friday night beginner rides that Amy leads, and I plan to participate as soon as I can.

This morning, my first time on the bike in several years, I attached the new bike rack to my car and loaded on the Rand. (I supposed I should come up with a name for her, eh?) I drove down the road to the high school parking lot. I road around and around several times to get the feel of the bike. Then, I felt ready to hit the road. Donning my new helmet, out I went. I didn't go far because I didn't want to push it and I realized that I needed to make some adjustments to the seat height. I rode past the local farm. The morning breeze was incredible, and I observed nature as I could not do from the car. Going at the slow pace I was traveling, I saw a white plastic colander discarded down a slope, a broken fence that I never noticed before, and a close-up look at the twenty or so geese who live at the farm. As I passed in front of the geese on their side of the road, I was concerned one or more might come after me as they tried to protect the younger ones. But, a couple of them merely extended their necks a bit further and watched me. They're so accustomed to cars going by, but I don't know how many cyclists they see.

I have been obsessing about biking lately, trying to read as much as I can about it. As a beginner, I don't even know how to do basic things like shift! Or do basic maintenance. But, I will learn. I am determined. This morning, I even took photos of me in my new bike shorts and shirt. I will track my weight-loss progress as well. I need as much motivation as I can get.

Thanks to awesome blogs like that of my online friend Johnny and his bike-specific one, I am inspired. I'm going to add a couple other bike blogs to my list on the left.