That's interesting, bounceswoosh. I am thinking I might try to search for a new doctor I am comfortable with, as I am less rushed now. I still haven't gotten a chance to talk to my PT (appointment is this Friday), but hopefully she'll have some suggestions about a sports-oriented primary care provider.
I have gotten two more rides in since the not-so-great 19th birthday one.
Yesterday, I biked back from school to home. It was the first time I got passed on the trail. These two men (looked to be in their 30s) passed me and then proceeded to ride side-by-side. I didn't really feel like I could make it around them safely and they were going at a comfortable speed, so I stayed behind them for a couple miles. I remember one of them looking back at me and he had this look like, "aww, that's cute. That little girl is trying to keep up with us." Eventually, the one on the left moved over a little and there was room to pass. I wanted to put a little bit of distance between myself and those guys, but it only lasted a couple miles. Soon, it felt like somebody was right behind me. I looked back and one of the guys said "We're drafting off you. We need somebody strong... Preferably somebody taller." That lit my competitive fire ;) I wanted to show them I could still hold my own, even if I'm not very tall. So, I started pushing myself to go faster and it was really cool. They helped motivate me so much, but eventually they turned back about 10 miles from my home. I used the rest of the ride to recover mostly, but also biked up the giant hill by home, which was an awesome workout :D I'm mainly used to long-distance running, so the strength & endurance combo. from cycling is a little different.
Today, I biked down to work and back (maybe 40ish miles round-trip). I really need to read more about bike-commuting, I think. It was raining all day and I wore my regular clothes, instead of more exercise-specific ones. I realized the jeans choice, in particular, was very not smart :o I also had a little bit of a mishap with the gears on my bike. On the bright side, I found out how to get into a higher gear (I think). I'm pretty sure that's what the small, unmarked levers on the handlebars are for. I think I must have shifted entirely wrong though because my bike started to make a pretty loud creaking noise (it's usually almost silent). I kept biking for a couple miles and felt like such a newbie with my loud bike and blue jeans. I eventually stopped at the side of the trail and played with the chain a little, although I had no idea what I was doing. I was really lucky because this super-nice cycling boy stopped to ask if I needed help. I wish I would have taken more notice of his jersey now because I'd love to have a way to thank him for the help. He got some sort of tool out of his jersey and spun the tire around a little, shifted some things, etc. Fixed my bike perfectly and was completely non-condescending about it! He explained that the chains might have stretched a little since it's a new bike and that's probably why the chain probably slipped off. He said I should take it back in to get it tuned up. I still was so amazed by how nice he was though. To not only stop and help, but explain simple things in a non-condescending way. It was pretty awesome. There's some really nice people in this world :D
Hoping to get another ride in this weekend before I have to go back to school.
