I went for a bike ride today to try out some new equipment I purchased. I picked up a new pair of cycling shoes and the clipless petals and cleats. For those that don’t know, the cleats screw into the bottom of the cycling shoes and clip into the clipless petals. Yes, they clip into the clipless petals (maybe I’ll save that for another post). Anyway, I headed south on the canal for a short ride. At first I was only looking to get the feel for clipping in and out of my new petals, but I quickly realized that I haven’t been on my bike in a while and despite the fact that it was only 54 degrees, I decided to make it into a longer trip than I had first planned.
In all I rode about 25 miles taking the canal as far south as it would go. I passed MetroCenter and the Castles and Coaster theme park, I passed several families out riding their bikes together. My feet began to hurt because of the new shoes. They fit great, but using them caused me to work muscles in my feet that I don’t normally use. I found myself wanting to quit after just ten miles, but I pushed on.