“Back in the Saddle Again”

The summer proved to be more than just a wonderful time to reconnect with old friends and family. I also reconnected with my butt. More correctly, my butt reconnected with a bicycle seat. Having lost more than 120 pounds, and having gained strength and dexterity in my knees, I decided to risk all dignity and try pedaling again. My first efforts were not pretty. Bill wisely took me out just before dusk on a less-beaten bike path, and I meandered around for 2 and a half miles (mind you, the bike path went straight, but my route looked worse than those damn dashes of Billy’s in “The Family Circle” comic strip).

Amazed that I didn’t feel weary and worn the next day, I quickly moved up to more ambitious rides. We traversed along the ship canal and over to Gas Works Park one ride. We did an evening ride around the crown of Queen Anne Hill. (Not my best—I was cranky and not too pleasant a companion.) We did the whole of the waterfront, round trip, eyeing the absolutely beautiful scenery while dodging street signs, pedestrians, and road blocks. I discovered that my maximum seat time remained at 40 minutes before being saddle-sore superceded any pleasures I derived from biking.

This past weekend, while Bill did 40-50 mile rides with the Boeing Bike Club, I tried setting some new goals. Could I push it to 60 minutes of non-stop biking? Almost—I went 55 minutes before I simply couldn’t stand the pain in my derriere. Could I do longer if I broke up the ride? Yes—I did a 40 minute ride followed later by a 30 minute ride. Not a great push, but heartening. Could I do better with a different bicycle saddle? I hope so! An experienced female cyclist has offered to loan me one of her favorite saddles for a month to see if that will help. I certainly hope so, since my next goal is to get onto the tandem and ride a real trip with Bill. By the time I go to see Dr. Jung, the orthopedic surgeon, I want to really have something to brag about. My knees are holding up just fine, but it’s my end that’s not holding up its end.

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