Saturday I joined a friend for a five-mile run. That was the first time I've run with someone else since my stupid injury. (Which, by the way, I think is mostly gone!) It worked out well this time because I'm still slow but she was taking it easy before she runs a marathon next weekend.
Sunday I went to Sugar Hollow for a bike ride. I'm still not very comfortable with the whole feet-stuck-to-the-pedals thing, so I tried to pick a place that would be paved and relatively long and flat and with little traffic. And since I don't know good bike routes (yet), I went with a good running route.
I've run on Sugar Hollow Road with a training group lots of times before, but we always turned around before the hill that leads to the dam. So when I finally saw the dam for the first time Sunday it was a pleasant surprise.
I made the mistake of parking in the lot next to the dam. It was a mistake because it was at the top of the steep hill, which meant that both starting and stopping on my bike made me really anxious. Especially stopping at the end. Going up a hill is hard enough because you have to keep moving in order to not fall over. And if you are going to stop because you can't keep moving anymore, you want a foot free to land on. Which you can't free up very easily when it's holding on for dear life cranking slowly and painfully up the hill so you don't fall over. You see? Nerve wracking. Plus it's a beautiful day so lots of people are hanging out up there by the dam and are going to see you fall, if you fall.
But don't worry, I didn't fall. And I made it up the hill without stopping. What a relief.
