Jam, jam, jam, click. Was that a click?: a lesson in trusting my hearing.

This afternoon I was lucky enough to get done with work at 2:30, and it was lucky enough to be 50 degrees and sunny outside. Today was a ride day, and instead of having to trudge to the gym due to lack of sunlight I decided to treat myself to a real bike ride. Yes, treat myself, because these days it's ride, ride, ride one way or the other. My sister Emily has been chuckling heartily to herself (and intermittently to me which mostly isn't just chuckling but instead takes the form of outright gut-busting laughter) about my recent, present and upcoming spandex embrace. Now, of course, a lot of factors go into this embrace. One of which is the fact that I will be dressed head to tow in the stretchy, unforgivable fabric this entire summer, and thus must grab ahold of this fashion statement with the utmost vigor, never looking back or pausing to consider if the laughter I hear trailing behind me as I cruise super fast past pedestrians is in any way directed at my padded derriere. Which brings me to today. The sunny gorgeous weather prompted me to suit up spandex style for my first ever full-spandex-ride. Em has been begging for pictures, and so, after filling up my camelbak to capacity I snapped one for her:

Oh spandex, you are such a flattering material!

Thus properly attired, I took a deep breath and headed out the door. Now here comes the part where I, to my own demise, didn't trust my ears to be the superior machines that I know and love them to be. Five feet outside of my building, still in complete view of anyone in Denver who might be able to recognize me simply by the fact that they happen to see me entering and leaving and living in the same building that they do, I get on my bike. Pause one second for some background information: since the weather here has been pretty icky lately I've been training at the gym on the spin bike which I hadn't, until just a few days ago, realized you could clip into. This means that I haven't had much practice using my shoes and my new pedals recently. Okay, back outside my apartment. Right foot pavement, left foot jam, jam, jam, click. Click? Was that a click? I should check this by putting all of my weight onto my left foot while leaning very far to the left because surely that wasn't a real click. Well folks, it was indeed a real click. Crashing over my spandex clad self while attached to my bicycle, five feet from my apartment building, with three people all on opposite corners watching...ohh concrete why are you so painful and spandex why do you not have more protective qualities?? Ohh entire last sentence, why were you so embarrassing in real life??


Not one to be slowed down by mere blood coming from my appendages, I soldiered on. Really I was slowed down, (literally and figuratively) but I knew that continuing on would let me save face in front of those three people who witnessed my ridiculousness, probably weren't close enough to even see my face, and will even more probably never think of the incident again after today. Phew, face saved. The rest of my afternoon jaunt was quite lovely though, and I did get to see some of Denver that I hadn't seen yet and even had the presence of mind to snap a few pictures for you:



I am now going to go ice my knee, as it has started to throb quite noticeably, and find some calendula and arnica to make thing better..