Bike Shopping...Winning!

Is Charlie Sheen old news by now?  My apologies...

But I did it!  I bought a bike!!!  And she's a beauty...if I do say so myself.

A Diamondback Vital 2 Hybrid.  She rides like a dream!!  Here's my new baby:

I seriously love it!  I got it for sale at Dick's Sporting Goods.  I paid $278 plus tax.  And I feel really good about it!  I've ridden it 3 times (then left for two weeks on travel and had to leave her behind...frown) and it was so smooth and fast and a great workout and I just really love it!!!

And I can't believe I'm sharing this goofy picture with you all, but safety first :)  I even got a matching helmet:

And now I still have time for a run this fine evening.  Wonder if I'll find my motivation?

What I'm Reading

Right now I'm on travel for two weeks in the lovely state of Alabama.  Seriously, I do love it.  I love the way people talk here and I love that you can find sweet tea everywhere you go.  Actually, it would be faster to tell you what I don't love.  People don't seem to believe in turn signals here.  That's it.  Other than that, I'm happy as a clam here.

Anyway, two weeks travelling means two weeks of privacy, quiet evenings, working out whenever I want for however long I feel like...in other words, no kiddos running around.  Naturally I miss them dearly, but I do love being able to kick back and read for hours if that's what I want to do.  As a mom, I miss quiet reading time every once in a while!

So...in honor of my coveted reading time (and thanks to a very expensive trip to Books-A-Million), here's what I'm reading:

1.  Gossip Girl

Am I a teenager?  No.  Do I still love the guilty pleasure of Gossip Girl?  Absolutely.  I've just purchased books 3 and 4.  Quick, easy reads that will take you back to high school...without the horror of actually being there.

2.  Smokin' Seventeen

I am Stephanie Plum's biggest fan.  Seriously, all of the Stephanie Plum books are HILARIOUS and if you haven't read them, you MUST.  Now.  I wait anxiously on each new book and then I buy it in expensive hard back because no way am I going to wait until the paperback comes out.  And if she ever chooses between Ranger and Morelli I don't know what I'll do because I. love. them. both.

3.  If You Were Here

Jen Lancaster's first venture into the Fiction world.  I have read every one of her non-fiction books and follow her blog and she cracks me up.  I love when the written word is so good that you actually laugh aloud and people look at you like you're nuts.  Jen Lancaster always does that for me, and I have no doubt that her fiction book will be excellent as well.

4.  Working It Out

This was an impulse buy that I didn't know I was looking for.  It's written by Abby Rike who was a contestant on The Biggest Loser.  I LOVE that show, and Abby's story never ceased to amaze me.  Her husband, daughter, and very young (only weeks old) son were killed in a car accident.  She was supposed to be with them, but had stayed home sick at the last minute.  After the accident, she put on huge amounts of weight, which she subsequently lost on The Biggest Loser.  Now she's written a book all about her amazing story of living on after tragedy, and I can't wait to read all about it.

Now...where to start?

Breaking News! Breaking News!

I totally just registered for my first marathon.  I've been trying to get in a healthy and trained up place for 3 years, and I finally seem to be there.  I bit the bullet, paid the money, and will be running the Marshall University Marathon in November!!! 

Now I'm off to research some training plans that are friendly to injury prone runners like myself :)

Bike Shopping FAIL...The Saga Continues

I tried to buy a bike last night.  I wanted to.  I had my purse at the ready and I think I might have paid any price if I had found a bike that screamed This Is The One. 

But none of them really did.  I went to several stores.  I rode at least a dozen different bikes.  Around the store.  And I felt like a gigantic goob as people watched me pedal through the aisles.  But I was on a mission.

There were things I liked about each of the bikes.  Some of them even made me feel fast...  But I never got that special feeling.  None of the bikes gave me that comforting "oh, this is what the right bike feels like" vibe.  I'm still just as confused as ever.  Scratch that.  Now I'm more confused.

So, that does it.  I'm going to a specialty bike shop.  I know I can't possibly afford their bikes.  But I definitely need their help.

When I first went to a specialty running store I was intimidated.  I feel like that again now.  What if I don't speak the language right?  What if they laugh at me when I leave?  What if I can't afford anything in the store and they get mad and throw me out for wasting their time?

But really, what's the worst that can happen?  In the end, the specialty running store helped me immensely.  I found my first really great fitting pair of shoes.  And I was even able to afford them. 

Here's hoping my specialty bike shop experience goes the same way.  Wish me luck!

Couch to ???

Introducing...The Accidental Biker...maybe.

I've been toying around with the idea of biking for several weeks now.  I've been perusing Bicycling Magazine (it's no Runner's World, but it's a start), envying the Super Serious Bikers around town (and the neighborhood kids too...who am I kidding?), and trying out/lusting over/trying to understand the bicycles at every store in town.

I know nothing about biking.  Less than nothing.  I've spent very little time on a bike since I was a kid.  I especially don't know anything about bike types besides my purple mountain bike.  I picked it out back in the day because it was pretty.  I've never sported a bike helmet, or bought special shorts, or tracked my mileage or speed or "aero".  What on God's green earth is "aero"???  But I want to learn.

I'm not really sure what I plan to do with biking.  Are there races?  Is there a biking equivalent to the 5K?  Better yet...is there a couch to 5K plan in the biking world?  That's definitely what I need right now.

I think I'm ready to take the plunge and buy a bike.  Heaven help me, because I still don't know what kind to buy.  Mountain?  Cruiser?  Hybrid?  Comfort?  Whoa.  But I've perused and envied and lusted long enough.  Tonight I hope to stay at the store(s) until I make a selection and bring home a bike.  Even if it's just because it's pretty. 

And for now, I'm just going to ride.  At least until I figure out what else I'm supposed to be doing.