SATURDAY STRENGTH: Biking a Century... You can do it!

In my last post, I mentioned that my husband is doing a 100 mile bike ride today. We are driving 100 miles out from Delta, Utah, and they are biking back to Delta. (I drive the lead support vehicle - gotta have food, water, and other supplies to sustain those bikers)!

As I talked to a few of the bikers tonight, I heard one say that this bike group has been a life saver for him. Getting together with friends, and biking - working your hardest to stay in shape. It's a great thing, especially if you're in your 40s like our group. Of course, I don't bike with them! Haha! First of all, there is no way I'd make it even 5 miles, but I've always thought I look ridiculous on a bike. However, lately I've been thinking that I really should just try. I don't have to bike a century (100 miles), but if I started now, and worked hard to train, I could (maybe) do this annual century ride next year.

Anyway, I thought I'd tell you about the bike ride, because biking is a great way to get back into shape after having cancer. Chemo wreaked havoc with your muscles, and surgery is always tough to recover from. Even radiation is exhausting. So, "coming back" from cancer isn't easy. But, biking is a great, low impact way to exercise. And most people can sit on a bike and peddle - we've done it since childhood, right? Just start out slowly. Ride once around your subdivision. Then, after doing that for a few days, take it out on the road and go a little bit farther each week. Gradually build up your strength, and stamina. Then, once you've mastered longer distances, try to participate in one of the many rides there are. Check out online where the next 25 miler, or 50 miler will be near your community. You'll start feeling better, and once you've completed one of the longer ride, your sense of accomplishment will boost you even further.

So, get your old bike out of storage this weekend, dust it off, pump up the tires and oil that chain, and then jump on and ride - don't forget your helmet, and safety lights (if you are biking at night) - ride in the designated biking zones - and HAVE FUN!