The bike

Well...it's certainly been longer than I expected to post about my bike and training. Here are some pictures of it. Excuse the slightly grainy iphone pics. I never ended up grabbing my real camera.

2012 Specialized Allez Comp Apex (SRAM Apex)

It's so pretty! It's so pretty that 3 days after my last post I crashed it. Like, not a fall, not into something, not hit by a car, but 25-30mph caught in a groove thrown through the air crash. I was on a bike path and passing someone who must not have heard me. When he drifted slightly towards me I started to get nervous but was ok until I got caught in a groove in the pavement. It was totally my fault. He was still in his lane and I got spooked when my wheel caught. Lesson learned. My chain came off and the guy stopped to help me get it back on (I was pretty shaky) and make sure I was ok. My thumb was bleeding like crazy and I had smashed my wrist, but I could get home. I had about a mile to go. I was still to shaky to want to ride my bike, so I walked it about halfway home until I got sick of it. With about half a mile to go I decided that I felt fine and that I wanted to get the getting-back-on-the-bike over with. I rode home and got some funny looks. It wasn't until I went to shower that I realized I had rubbed blood from my thumb allllll over my neck. THAT must have been an interesting sight riding down a busy street in Boston. Then I got out of the shower and my wrist looked like this:

Yeah...it was pretty ugly. It's mostly healed except for a lump at this point. I didn't go to the ER because I felt like it really just needed some ice. I hope that was the right choice!

I also found that the big chainring on the front was wobbly and clicked when I pedaled. I brought it to the shop where I had bought the bike and they ended up needing to replace it. Of course it was over Memorial Day weekend when I really wanted to take it out with my family! A few days later I got it back:

"Reunited and it feeeels so gooood..."

At this point, I've been out and been okay. I was super nervous around other people at first, but I'm getting over that. I really love how the bike rides, but it is very responsive. I really have to be 110% mindful of what I am doing and thinking. I feel a bit like a poser having this awesome race bike, but lacking the skills to really ride it like I should, but I keep reminding myself that I bought it to grow into.

8 weeks to go! I have my work cut out for me.

Next up:

Tory Row 5K race recap (and PR!)

BAA Half Marathon 2012