494

That is the number of miles I biked two weeks ago, Saturday to Saturday. It was RAGBRAI, or for the unenlightened, the Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa. It was my first one, and I don't think my last. It ended on 2 good days, days where I enjoyed the actual riding along with all the other stuff.

There were days when I did not enjoy the riding. It wasn't the muscle pain or soreness, that was acutally not too bad. It was the chafing. Friction, I tell you, it's a killer. I had to compromise the best angle for reducing friction because of the still) bruised tailbone. Yes, I bruised it while biking, about 7 weeks ago. Ironically, since then, on a bike seat is probably the most comfortable sitting position available. If you should ever, ever, ever find yourself in a situation where you may chafe and have to continue the same activity the following day, PREVENTION is the key! I think I used 4 different products to try to clear it up (Anti-Monkey Butt powder to start, A&D dipaer ointment to treat, Udderly Smooth udder cream to treat and prevent, and Chamois Butt'r to prevent). It improved so it wasn't agony, but was still pretty uncomfortable.

While an affectionate person, I am not usually given over to public declamations of love (or maybe I am), but I wouldn't have gotten through the whole thing if not for Jon. I was irritable, irrational, and self-pitying and he was patient, kind, and supportive. In the end, he's the reason I rode the whole way and he drafted for me a fair bit. However, looking at a bike tire isn't as entertaining as you might think and defintiely not as pretty as the Iowa scenery.

So, triathalons are a distinct possiblity for my future. I may nto be good at biking, but I am not as bad as I thought. More importantly, I actually enjoy biking, now. Except the sweating part. I hate sweating when I ride to work or school or around town. And my face gets red, and I look like a pin-headed lobster.

Ride a bike. Read a book. Recycle.