I've got my RoadID!

As an athletic gal these days, I like nothing more than to go out for a good power walk or bike ride to get in my calorie burn. While I love working out and being active with others, more often than not, I am a solo athlete, hitting the pavement on my own. I recently began to wonder, what if something happened to me? Of course, I hope it won't, but what if it did? No one would know who I was or who to call since I don't my license during those outings. With that in mind, I began to research what other runners and cyclists carried with them when they headed out the door. A good deal of them have some kind of ID like RoadID.

After debating if the RoadID would be a good fit for me, I was offered a chance to get one for free back in late July. A promotional company that works with RoadID contacted me via twitter asking if I'd like to get my own RoadID. Of course, I was interested and responded back just that. There are a few style options available, I went with the RoadID Elite. Once I conquered the sizing and cutting part of things (the Elite requires you to cut your own once you get the bracelet), I was good to go! I now wear it every time I go out for a walk or bike ride. Sometimes, I even wear it anyway, since it's so comfortable. The first time I wore it, the bracelet did feel a bit heavy on my small wrist, but now I barely know it's there. 

If you are the outdoorsy type and don't carry ID with you, or are seeking a wearable ID, check out RoadID's offerings. They guarantee their products, and the ID itself is easily updated when needed.

Cycling Savvy

Tomorrow, I take the final session of the 3-part Cycling Savvy course. Cycling Savvy teaches you how to not only control your bike better, but be a safer and more effective cyclist. Sure, we all think that riding a bike is something you don't forget how to do, and while we can all more than likely hop on that old bike in the garage, to be a better cyclist, there's a bit more to it. You will definitely learn more than you might think you would taking these courses.

 

The first course I took was the bike handling session called, 'Train Your Bike.' This particular portion takes place in a big parking lot giving you plenty of room for maneuvering. The instructors teach you how to properly stop and then get back going again without "hopping" around (sound like a familiar tactic you might do? Sure was for me). Other techniques learned during this three-hour class include: shoulder checks, object avoidance, turning, riding straight and emergency stopping. If you don't already know what a "power pedal" is, you will after taking Train Your Bike. I really came out of Train Your Bike feeling that I had a lot more control over my biking than before. I could stop much easier and just overall felt more comfortable on my two-wheeler.

 

The second session was a classroom one, also three hours long. 'Truth & Techniques' consists of videos, animations and the instructors going through not only the laws, but problem solving techniques and traffic dynamics of the road. You get a chance to see some great videos showing actual examples of folks on the road thanks to Cycling Savvy creators, Keri Caffrey and Mighk Wilson. It's an invaluable class for anyone wanted to snap on their helmet and get on the road on their bike. I really came out of it feeling that not was it a valuable use of my time, but that I knew the laws of the road a lot better as well as that I knew some techniques for my rides.

 

That brings me to tomorrow, which is when I'll be taking the 'Tour of Orlando' session. This will put me on actual "main" roads of Orlando. I am looking forward to it, but admit that I am a bit nervous. I know that I can do it, but until I get on the roads with the instructors near me, I won't fully be rid of that feeling. I do look forward to riding with the local cycling groups as often as I can so that I can continue to build my confidence for riding. I have accomplished a lot in the last couple of years for myself in health and fitness and this is just another step in my journey. 

 

 

 

**If you are interested in finding out more about Cycling Savvy, please check out their website: http://cyclingsavvy.org/ **

 

 

Fitness Goals

 

I've been meaning to make a blog post about my goals for 2011, but due to being sick, I hadn't had a chance to write anything up until now. Receiving my 2010 Year-End Report from Daily Mile this morning in my inbox was definitely motivation not only to get this blog written today, but for the coming weeks and months of 2011.

 

According to my Daily Mile report, I ran/walked/biked 189 miles in 2010. That's over 3 miles a week when you do the math. Obviously, I want to do a lot better than that in 2011, and I know that I can and will do so. I think my back injury pulled me down a lot last year, but that injury isn't going to run my life in 2011. It may have been a rocky start with being sick in the first days of the new year, but that is not a roadblock that cannot be overcome. That said, I am giving myself a goal of walking at least 400 miles in 2011. Something I see as easily doable if I walk about 8 miles each week. Considering that on a good week, I like to walk 8 to 12 miles, I'm confident that I will accomplish my goal.

 

Other fitness-related goals for 2011 include increasing my mileage so that I can do my first 10k race. This is proving to be a bit more of a challenge than I originally thought, with my sciatica taking over when I attempt to do more than 3.1 miles in a single walking session. However, I am not going to give up on achieving this goal. It may take me a lot longer to hit 6 miles, but I can and will do it. This is my first distance goal for the year which I hope will lead to later training to do a 1/2 marathon within a year.

 

Last year, I participated in eight local races (registered for 9, as I ended up not being able to run or walk the Corporate 5k). As far as 2011 goes, since I plan on moving out of Florida in a few months, I am not planning too far ahead with races at this time, but my tentative schedule is:

 

**Lady Track Shack 5k on February 5th

**Run Around the Pines 5k on February 19th

**Winter Park Road Race on March 26th

 

The February races are pretty much a lock, as I'm definitely doing the Lady Track Shack 5k. I had an awesome time doing that race last year, as it was my first actual race that got me hooked. It's a great ladies-only race that I recommend to all Central Florida ladies, runner or walker.