Sunday 8 March - La Festa delle Donne or Women's Day in Italy. I received no mimosa, firstly because I have not seen any in Boston, and secondly because it does not seem to be celebrated in the US. Anyway, my celebration was to go out for a long run, sans gloves and cap, on a stunningly beautiful day. However the intense winds were breathtaking - literally. It was a bit hard to breathe with all that wind, and when I looped around the river, I was running directly into the wind. It seemed like 5 never-ending miles, and oft did I think of Sisyphus and his stone (though understandably, his was the more desperate task).
Anyway, once home, I had a slice of blueberry tart and then went to get my bike. Yes, my Lapierre, which is pictured in this post. Pata had warned me that each bike is different, and that I would struggle a bit with this unfamiliar one. Little does she know how accurate her predictions were. It was horrendous. This bike seemed to have a mind and will of its own. The front wheel seemed uncontrollable, and after 5 minutes I fell off. It was a hard bang, but I continued until I could ride the length of the road. I could not make the smooth controlled turns I had done the day before, and had to limit myself to braking and putting my foot down to steady the bike and myself. This was all a bit jarring on the knees, I have to say. Still, on and on I went. I felt like calling it a day, but the looming triathlon date, put paid to that. Yes, Sisyphus ruled on Sunday.
Finally after what was a little more than 1 hour, I decided to stop. As I tried to stop, the bike veered slightly and I fell off again. This time banging my elbow really hard. Still, I was glad I had at least tried to ride this bike, and once upstairs, said some rather rude things about it, which Stuart did not like. Certainly I am no cyclist - I can barely stay on a bike, but this bike I have, is obviously not like the one I ride with Pata. That one has a degree of control to it, whereas this one seems a bit like Christine (yes, the car in that movie....). After a long drawn out discussion on this, I finally bonked.
Pata had told me it was like hitting the wall in a long race - well, I managed to have a shower and could not move. I could not even make something for lunch (admittedly it was more like tea time). This led to me discovering the joys of a pastrami sandwich from Mariposa, a wonderful little bakery in Cambridge, thanks to Stuart who went out to get us something for tea time. A cup of masala chai hit the right spot, as did the sarnie! But I also learned that bonking is a serious business, and I still felt shattered this morning when I woke up. So today was a day of rest. The projected weights and day 1 of the push ups challenge will just have to wait until tomorrow.
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