Run and Bike

This morning I went on a run with my mom around the block. She let me do my run/walk thing and supported me all the way. She's always been a runner, so she has a bit more endurance than me but understands that I have to take my progress slowly. We talked a bit and laughed a bit during the walking intervals. She told me it's probably time to push myself and try three minutes. I think I'll try that tomorrow.

I had a great weekend. It wasn't always like this with my mom. There were times when I was certain I'd never talk to her again when I was growing up. I'm glad that's not the case. As I've gotten older, my mom has become one of my best friends. She comes over and spends the night and just hangs out with us. Imparting the wisdom she's learned from her life the mistakes she's made (she's been married four times; maybe my once will be enough), she's one of the greatest sources of advice and someone whom I can just vent to about anything. I realize how much strength I have just from being her daughter. She's truly a source of inspiration for me these days.

I did about half the Davis Bike Loop today, going the opposite direction I used to, which was a nice change. I got as far as the UC before I got hungry and came home for dinner. Just in time for enchilada casserole! Chris pulled a muscle yesterday, so I'm trying to take good care of him tonight. I hope he feels better tomorrow because I want to ride some more on my new bike! Such a sweet ride...

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Davis Bike Loop

Today I ventured out to tackle the twelve-mile Davis Bike Loop that was established to follow bike and pedestrian-friendly trails and bike lanes around the circumference of Davis. I left at 3:50 and got back at 5:30 as for much of the ride I was facing a headwind and I'm not exactly in tip-top shape to be going very fast. I still feel I got one helluva workout, though.

The trail is beautiful, going through much of the Davis Greenbelt and almost completely avoiding the city streets. I took the trail clockwise to try to avoid left turns which turned out not to matter much because I wasn't on any roads for longer than ten minutes at a time. I felt very accomplished after the ride and went home to pull out my crock pot roast I had been cooking since the morning. Chris and I had dinner and he loved it!

Afterward, I did a bit of yoga to stretch my used muscles and called it a day. I burned a ton of calories and kept my intake under 1500 which is great, because I have to somehow lose a ton of weight by June. :p

Another weekend gone. Back to work tomorrow morning, bright and early.

Night Ride

If there's nothing to do in Davis, one can always ride bikes. The trails and bike lanes are laid out all over town. If I were to guess, I'd bet there were as many bike shops as churches. There are overpasses and tunnels built specifically for bikes. If you're ever at the Co-op and you look at the bike rack in front, there is a sticker stuck to it that says, "My other bike is a bike." Living here means owning a bike. I'm pretty sure that's a rule.

Chris and I often ride to the University and ride around because there are almost no cars on the roads that allow and there are plenty of side streets that are bike-and-pedestrian-only. While we were riding tonight, Chris described his first experience with ScanTron. As a T.A., he is responsible to feed the undergrad tests into the machine and make sure everything goes right. I swelled with pride.

Riding through the streets of Davis and chatting always reminds me of Calvin and Hobbes. Calvin would tell Hobbes his own take on the ills of the world or some problem that was bothering him while they dragged a sled up a snowy hill and road down it. They would even talk while airborne. I imagine Chris and I are like Calvin and Hobbes. While going through the roundabouts and up and down the hills, I always get the mental image of those two comic strip characters pondering the philosophical implications of elementary school.  Chris and I discuss everything from Socialism to ScanTrons while we ride around, the world whizzing past us. The only thing I haven't decided yet is whether I am his Calvin or I am his Hobbes.