she falls again, bikes to work, and shrinks out of some more clothes

Well, I got a further demonstration this morning that I "bounce" well when I fall.  This time, I was running.  In Davenport, I've been on the sidewalks rather than the streets (for reasons explained in an earlier blog).  I came to a spot where the sidewalk was especially uneven and I just simply tripped and fell.  This time I landed on my LEFT knee and elbow, which evens up all the bruises and scrapes.  Here are my ever-so-lovely elbows (and you know it MUST be the naked blog if I'm showing these floppy chicken wing arms for the world to see):

No more sidewalks for me.  I'm going back to running on the street, at least when I'm down on 2nd - the sidewalks just aren't even enough for this lady who barely lifts her feet at all while walking or running.  

The bits of good news:

1. I didn't swear at all.
2. I didn't stay on the ground for more than 5 seconds.
3. Three steps later, I was back to running.

Woo hoo!  So I'm rocking double band-aids  today and feeling like a dork (thank you Lord for 3/4 length sleeves!)  But once again, my body has proven to me that being more fit is its own reward (no limp, no ongoing pain, no nuttin').  


I rode my bike to work this morning for the first time.  It was AWESOME.  It's a spectacular way to start the day, hearing the birds and breathing the morning air.  The Arsenal bridge was a bit of a sensory overload, as there were not only a whole bunch of cars on level 1, there was also a train crossing on level 2.  That's a lot of noise on an all-metal bridge.  Awe inspiring.  


Here are the things I did that I learned from my Chicago bike list to make the ride work:

1. Didn't wear makeup.  Just packed that in my bag to do when I got to work (why start with sweaty makeup?) 
2. Also packed wet wipes and my extra blow dryer for the sprucing-up upon arrival at work. 
3. Rode at an easy pace (5-10 MPH) the whole way so as not to get excessively sweaty (the back of my hair was still drowned, but that's what the blow dryer is good for, along with fixing my "helmet hair.") 

It works.  And I'm super excited that I get to end my work day with another ride.  

Lulu was a huge show-off about it all, catching the attention of everyone I passed as I came into the workplace.  She drew commenters like flies to honey, all the way in, all the way up the elevator, and even as I was stuffing her into a closet people kept stopping for a look and a "WOW!"  Oh yeah, she liked it a lot.  I reckon she'll keep that up until people around here get used to her.  

I haven't bought a bike basket for the commute yet, and I can't find my little canvas bag that fits the bikes, so today I'm enjoying a huge salad, fresh fruit, and a bit of cottage cheese all from the Bistro.  Hopefully I'll find that tote tonight and can juice for lunch tomorrow.

In other news, I had to re-pick clothes 3 times this morning because stuff kept being too big.  Umm...

YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!