The simple joy of soreness

My legs were slightly sore today, but it was a good kind of sore. The kind of sore that you know you've earned and that you know will make you feel better in the long run. In my case I earned it with a two-hour bike ride with my buddy Timmy through most of St. Cloud's north side on Saturday.

It was not the first time I rode a bike since my amputations. Public transportation was somewhat limited in my trip to Brazil last year, so there were a couple of bike rental experiments there. Riding on the paved biking/running path along Copacabana Beach was pretty successful. The cobblestones and steep hills of tiny Parati were less friendly. But I only fell once.

Then I spent about a year without getting back on the bike, before deciding it was time. Last week I bought a bike, a Raleigh Coasting model that looks like a sort of modern version of Pee Wee Herman's bike, except it's all black. It's not really my style, but it's set up well for a person with minimal hand dexterity, which obviously appealed to me. It has coaster brakes on the pedals like the ones we all used to use when we were kids, so I don't need to struggle with hand brakes. It has three speeds but shifts through them automatically (I don't really know how this feature works, but it gives me one less thing to occupy my hands with, so I'm all for it). I can grip the handlebars pretty well with my right hand so, after strapping in my left hand with some Velcro, I'm pretty much good to go.

It's weird, being able move fast under my own power. Not Lance Armstrong fast or anything, but fast enough to cool me off on a hot day. It's also kind of weird to go so hard that my lungs start burning a little and I have to slow down to catch my breath. Never really got to that point on the stationary bike — guess I just wasn't motivated enough cycling in place.

I was never a big fan of it before — exertion, strain, muscle aches. But, believe it or not, after a few years without it you find you miss it. It's nice to be sore when you've done something to earn it.