Tico Tuesday, August 25th

Happy Tuesday!

This week features one of my hobbies/means of exercise and transportation. Cycling! Cycling is a pretty popular sport here, even in spite of narrow roads with no shoulders. There are plenty of roads with very little traffic, so don't get too nervous for me. So, yes, I have a bike. Actually I share it with Ana, but I'm not sure she has even used it yet. I can get to work in 6 minutes (uphill) and home in 4 (downhill), instead of the 13 minute one-way walk. Josué (my “brother” and one of my dear friends here) and I have gone out riding a few times for exercise and it has been great. Head to the blog to read of our adventures!

Going on bike rides with Josue is great. He uses his bike quite often to go to various things (it can be faster than the bus, believe it nor not- and of course, it's better exercise), and he has lived here longer than me, so he knows the the area we live in quite well. So, he picks the route and I just follow him. And he brings along a pump, spare tire, and a multi-tools-in-one swiss army kind of thing. And he's a guy I know I can trust with my life, so I know I am in good hands.

On our first ride he threw me for a loop and we had to go up a crazy hill that wasn't paved! Our bikes are mountain bikes (Ana's and mine is the red one), but I don't have ANY experience mountain biking. It was tough, but I made it. Josué said I did a good job -most people he knows would just walk the bike up. I may be a wuss in some ways, but I do not give up so easily. And Josué always has a way of teaching me new things and helping stretch me. Oh, and that little mountain biking experience confirmed to me that all those people that are into mountain biking really are crazy. Such antics are ridiculous. I can handle a little to get from point A to point B if it's not too extreme, but those people on the X-games and stuff are asking for a broken neck. Really.

On our second ride, the plan was to go for about an hour. Well, after a LOT of hills (lots of ups and very few downs), we missed a turn. Oops! So, we were gone an hour and a half. My legs had been kind of tired when we set out because of other exercise I had done the day before, so I was exhausted and at 10 am I was ready for bed instead of work. But I made it. I found myself singing songs from the GT Bikathon tape (the green one) we had when I was little. GT was kind of like Psalty, but all the songs are Bible verses. Now that I think about it, I probably sing a GT song at least once a week. Especially 2 Corinthians 9:8, Philippians 4:13, Romans 8:38-39, 1 John 5:4-5, and Hebrews 12:1.

Also, on our rides I have also been getting the physical church directory. Josué will often point and say “this is where so and so lives.” I like that.

So, yesterday we went on our 3^rd ride. It was Monday, so I had all the time in the world. That was nice. But, unfortunately my bike has some trouble with its gear shifting and I apparently never fully understood how gears work with a “3 on the left, 7 on the right” kind of bike. So, there have been a couple instances in which I've had to stop and fiddle with things until it works or have Josué work some magic. Well, there was one point where my chain actually came off the thingy things yesterday-right at the crest of a hill. I tried yelling Josué's name before he disappeared over the top, but that didn't work. So, I had to wait (for what felt like ages!) for him to figure out I wasn't behind him and for him to come back for me. I learned my lesson-from now on I will always take my phone with me! I never had expected us to get separated like that though. Poor guy, he was scared to death when he realized I wasn't behind him! But, he found me, and I was fine-I just had greasy hands from trying to fix my chain. He had to pull out the Leatherman-ish swiss army tool thing to fix it though. Now I really am scared to go riding without him! But we are going to get my bike fixed and give me proper gear changing lessons before we go for another ride.

Oh, and yesterday we were (finally!) going down hill and Josué took a quick turn. He usually makes a hand motion to give me some warning, but either he didn't do it or I didn't see it, I tried to turn, but started fishtailing instead (I didn't know you could fishtail with a bike!) and down I went! But, “wonder of wonders! Miracle of miracles!” (there goes my Broadway Tourette's-Fiddler on the Roof)--my body made contact with concrete in 4 places and I have one bruise that is nigh invisible (but definitely tender) and a couple little abrasiony-scratches. I shed no blood!! Praise God! That could have been a lot uglier and messier and made getting home much more difficult and urgent.

So, there's a (long) glimpse at my cycling in Costa Rica! And don't worry, you won't get all the details in the future. I just wanted to give you and idea of what it was like. But my friend Albeiro did mention to me the idea of a triathlon, which is something I have considered before. I'll have to look into it and train some more (and pray for my shin splints and knee to behave so I can run), but I'm thinking BRING IT ON!!!