Bicycling! My new favorite!

A while back, I mentioned how Randy bought us girls mountain bikes... but what I haven't mentioned is how biking is now my new favorite form of exercise!

Last week, while the girls were in camp, I hit the bike trails and man, talk about a workout!  When I'm out by myself, I can clip along quickly and not take breaks like I do when I'm with the girls.  Forty-five minutes later, I've biked 7.5 miles and I'm exhausted, drenched in sweat but HAPPY!  I can't tell you how happy biking makes me feel.

I did not have a bike growing up as a child.  Instead, I had a dirt bike (a.k.a. motorcycle like the one below) because we lived out in the country... no paved streets or sidewalks.  Don't get me wrong, I was not deprived!  I LOVED my motorcycle and rode is nearly everyday.  For hours.  But, because of that, I never had a bike.

So, when Randy got me a mountain bike, it was my first real bike, a Specialized Rockhopper.  We got it used from Craigslist, but it was a great buy!  I've even bought 3 pairs of padded shorts, because let's face it... they make padded shorts for a reason... (oh, my bum!)

The girls are also getting into the whole experience with me.  Elisan has her very own pair of Pearl Izumi padded shorts and a Castelli Cycling Jersey (jealous!) that we found at the Salvation Army for crazy cheap!  (I have yet to find anything for Kyla because her butt is so scrawny!)

I'm having a blast and hopefully, will expand my bike riding experience to other trails in the area and perhaps even more technical trails.  Speaking of technical, Randy brought us to a more technical/difficult trail one weekend and while we were able to finish it with him, it was very difficult in the heat.  Perhaps when it cools off we'll be able to tolerate the extreme conditions better.

Once the kids get back to school, I'll just keep my bike with me, gear up for a morning ride and hit the trails after drop off .  Who knows, biking may replace my gym membership one day (soon).