Great to hear your enthusiasm for biking!

I don't have a helmet yet, but will get one this week... meanwhile, I appreciate any and all comments, advice, suggestions, etc...
Please get a helmet before your next ride!


i
have a question... when i was a teen and played volleyball, i sprained my ankle pretty bad... well, it's hurting today!!!! what can i do for it besides ice?
Ice it first but after that use heat if that feels good also try some muscle rubs like Blue Stuff, Tiger-balm or Ben Gay. Then I would definitely recommend REST, the dirty little four letter word we hate to hear when we just want to ride! It's a must, you must repair and heal, try at least two days off the bike.

also, i'm not sore... muscles i mean (of course my bum is sore!) but i mean my leg muscles... is this "normal"
You are sore because you've built up lactic acid in you muscles. You've done too much too soon. Again REST!

The biggest most important part of training is to do it gradually and to rest in-between rides. From what it sounds like you went all out pretty fast, 10 miles is pretty far for a first time rider, you should build up to 10 miles over a couple of weeks with rest days in between. If you are riding every day in a 7 day week you should rest two days, five days on the bike total. Three days shorter distances rest day, then two days longer distances, rest day and then add 10% to your distance each ride to build up a base.

Find some good training books or a web site which can tell you more about building a base and going at it gradually. One major reason is because if you love riding this much now and want to keep on riding for years to come you don't want to burn out, slow and steady gets the job done.

Who knew there was so much to know about riding a bike? LOL don't forget to have fun!