Friday fitting and Sunday ride

So, before being tortured on Friday, I mean before the afternoon run, I squeezed in a productive morning that consisted mostly of a bike fitting at a local bike store, Montrose Bike Shop.  I did feel a few pangs of guilt that I hadn't bought my bike from them, but I also have no doubt that they will be getting plenty of my business from here on out!  Anyway, I had never thought about a bike fitting, but my friend, Rachel, who seems to be my go-to bike person, recommended it.  Since I had made a sizable investment in the bike, I figured that I might as well make sure that it was a good fit for me (and if not, then I'd be screwed!).

I had no idea what to expect, not having done a fitting before, but it definitely exceeded my expectations.  Bill, the bike-fitter-dude, is a mild-mannered guy about 50 years old, and I give him credit because at no point did he make me feel judged or like the total bike moron that I am.  The experience was pretty interesting - he first asked me general questions about who/how I am as a cyclist (What is/are my strength/s?  Climbing; What are my goals for biking? Ride longer, hopefully faster; Any aches and pains? Just the knee on occasion; And so and so forth).  It was rather illuminating for me as I had never really considered these questions myself.  Then he had me go through a series of movements - stretching, bending, he pulled and pushed on my legs on occasion - to see how balanced my body was in terms of cycling.  Another surprise there - with the exception of one little exercise (one-legged knee bends), I apparently don't have major issues.  Who knew?!  He also measured my bike and made a few adjustments, and then it was time to see me on the bike.  I tried to look as professional as possible, and he made a few adjustments to the bike and asked me more questions.  By the end of the two hours, I walked out of the store with what I hoped to be a perfectly fitted bike.  Oh, I also ended up with new insoles for my shoes and a new saddle.  The insoles surprised me, but I kind of expected that I would have to fork over money for a new bike seat since in all of the reviews of the Trek Madone the most common 'upgrade' that people made was the bike seat.

Despite my body still being a bit trashed from Friday's run (my legs are "in a world of pain"), I decided that an Easter Sunday ride would be perfect since it should be a quiet day.  Also, today marks 4 weeks exactly until Wildflower, and I'm doing a duathlon this coming Saturday.  So, no time like the present to get my butt on my bike.  So glad that I spent 2 hours this morning in the saddle - and so glad that I invested in that new saddle!  The bike felt great, even with tired legs, and I was right that it would be a quiet morning.  I am definitely feeling positive about Sunshine and looking forward to many more Sunday rides.