Shakedown ride

In preparation to begin training for the Santa Fe Century ride, I decided to teach myself how to change my bike tires and inner tubes. Now, I know how to change a car tire, but I've never had to change the tire on a bike myself. It was much easier than I had thought and within about 20 minutes and only having the old man double check that I got things right I managed to change my rear tire and inner tube. The next step was to go out on a ride. I had initially thought about taking the big grand pup out with me, holding on to his leash as I rode but technical problems came up and I took so long troubleshooting that I gave up getting him on a run. I'll try to take him out for a long walk tomorrow instead.

After about 20 minutes of troubleshooting, myself and the old man working on the problems, we were finally able to take off. It was half a mile into the ride before I realized that I had forgotten to start the GPS app so we had to stop to do that. We went on, down the bumpy road (why when road crews do patches, can they never make them level?) past one house with 2 German Shepards who were locked safely behind a wrought iron fence but barking their heads off. We turned the first corner, crossed a main road and passed another house this time with a Border Collie who was barking and chasing until it reached the wire fence around it's property. As we turned onto the next road is when this American Bull Terrier mix came chasing after us. Since I was in front it came at me first nipping at my heel before finally catching my ankle. I didn't thin that it broke skin, but there is a slight surface break with minimal bleeding but some bruising and a smaller, red area from the bottom jaw. Like I told the old man, it's a good thing I'm not afraid of dogs! That will teach me though to take pepper spray or a water pistol with my for protection. We went by one more house just down the road where the owner was out on his ATV and was able to control the dogs...when I ran this route the dogs were locked up but barked like crazy at me. Thankfully, after that no more dog adventures. The rest of the trip was pretty much uneventful.

Things I learned during this ride:

• My bike needs a serious tune-up (minimum cost $140)
• Definitely need slick tires (around $55 for a pair), too much drag with MTB tires
• Need toe cages since my feet keep slipping off the pedals
• Carry pepper spray or a water pistol
• Need to study up on gearing (bike has 18 gears)
• We're gonna be in a world of hurt if the 1,150' elevation gain is fast!
• Do not ever wear jeans for a long ride! Body Glide and bike shorts to prevent chaffing!
• Would love to get a lighter road/hybrid bike sometime this year
• Definitely need one of these so that I can ride and the grand pup can run:

Walky Dog Hands Free Bicycle Leash

100 Days Challenge:

• Day 12: 8+ mile bike ride over 1:02 hours

What I Ate Today:

• 5 slices of thick cut smoked bacon
• 2 fried eggs
• 1 slice whole wheat toast
• 2 cups Land O' Lakes Supreme Hot Cocoa with Reddi Whip
• 24 oz low fat chocolate milk
• 4 oranges
• 1 banana
• 1 3/4 cup shrimp etouffee
• 2 cups white rice
• 12 oz non-fat, lactose free milk
• 20 oz G2