Getting back into shape

It is quite astounding how quickly one loses muscle and overall fitness in just a short while. My forced inactivity over the past 8 months has left me pretty flabby, short of breath and needing some serious muscle rebuilding. Bike riding seems to be a good way to start, and we have very good trails all around us (including the Gateway Trail which we can hop on three blocks from our house).

I am fortunate to have a good friend who (besides being a good friend) is knowledgeable in servicing bikes. So, after plying him with beer and pizza, had him show me some of the basics of fixing up our bikes (they had been sitting unused for over a year or more).

Virginia and I have two pretty basic mountain bikes, but we also had this dusty old bike sitting in the back of the garage. We took the opportunity to clean up this one as well. (It’s pretty safe to say that Virginia will most likely be abandoning the mountain bike for this beautiful vintage Dunelt 3-speed.) I’m a little jealous, but it was satisfying to be able to return this one to working order.

I rode for the first time yesterday, and it felt great. I was a bit jelly-legged and winded, but no pain, no gain, right? In some ways, the restoration of this old bike illustrates the transformation from an ill body to one that is back in working order. A little elbow grease, some fine tuning, a new set of tires, and wah-lah. I can’t wait until this transformation is complete.