It’s Just Like Riding a Bike.
That may be a true statement but now everything hurst and I am actively dying. It has been over twenty years since I had last jumped in the saddle of a bike and my body aptly rejected it like a rabies victim loathes water. Not to do anything half assed, I jumped in full assed and went out to one of the better bike trails in the Omaha metro around Lake Cunningham in the northern outskirts of Omaha.
If you haven’t checked it out yet I highly recommend a day spent around Cunningham. The lake is big enough to offer slips for sail boats that can be seen constantly on the lake. It is also a “no wake” lake which brings in a lot of kayakers, paddleboarders, and other watercraft of that ilk. There is now a paved trail that loops around the entire lake that is wide enough for all the use that it gets. The RV campground on the east side of the lake is open during the summer for a little local getaway.
I do miss the days when the lake was a little bit less developed and seedier. There was a semi-navigable dirt trail most of the way around the lake before the redevelopment initiative. This trail was a lot more rugged and was used by hikers and equestrian enthusiasts all the time. You could hike around the entire lake but you’d have to walk a part of the highway and a part of it would always be a muddy mess. There are still remnants of the old trail that you can hike on if the whim strikes you. These little remnant trails are found primarily on the west side of the lake.
Here it is from my Garmin: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/18395995953
I thought it would just be a little six mile loop around the lake how hard could it be? Then you realize that muscles you hadn’t used in years still exist and are now disproportionately upset about being re-awoken after their long hiatus. I ended up spiking my heart rate near 195 a few times, and had to rest a bit to keep it down to a reasonable level. I’ve been on a new health kick this year but I still have been slacking on my cardio because cardio sucks.
The bike I recovered last year from my mother who had borrowed it for a weekend and then never wanted to give it back. It is an old Dahon full sized folding bike, and it is severely uncomfortable. I have no idea how to fit it correctly or to make it more comfortable or if it is my complete lack of biking muscles. I feel like i am leaning too far forward on the handlebars and that making them taller or just different would help considerably. At the same time I don’t know if the bike is even worth throwing any money at in the first place.
Will I do it again? Absolutely.
