Learning my left from my right

This is my first blog post at my new blog name, so it’s most definitely cause to celebrate. Let’s start by celebrating the fact that I have mastered the art of the Grab, Gulp & Return. Okay, maybe mastered is a little hasty. But I did it and I figured out why I wasn’t able to do it without possible death on previous attempts. I’m right handed. My initial reaction was to grab for the water bottle with my right hand to make sure I had everything under control. However, this put my left hand in control of the bike. The non-dominant hand that can barely hold a fork correctly was controlling the two-wheeled man powered vehicle. Wicked smart, eh?

A while back, I talked about getting a hydration pack to use while biking so I didn’t have to risk my life for a sip of water. Well, I got one. Technically, I just got a reservoir and it fits inside a small backpack I have. It’s two liters and is good for about 2 hours of biking. Or the way I drink, about 30 minutes. Even though this contraption straps to my back and has a straw-like object that comes over my shoulder and attaches by magnet, it still requires me to reach up and detach it from the magnet and bring it to my mouth. Only once have I dropped it from my mouth and it attached itself to the magnet. All other times, it dangled by my side until I lined it up with the magnet to attach it. What I’m trying to say here is, I still need to let go of the handlebars with one hand to get a drink. It’s not as extreme as leaning over to grab a water bottle, but it’s still letting go! While using this, I learned that it is much safer, and less wobbly if I use my left hand for all my drinking needs and use my right hand to keep my life safe.

I discovered a new bike trail on Sunday. It’s about 2.5 miles long so I don’t need to worry about carrying a lot with me. I decided to leave the hydration pack at home and just bring water bottles. I figured the trail was short enough that I could just stop at either end and get a drink. It was quite a fun trail. It was hilly enough to give me a good workout, and the hills were spaced far enough apart to give me a slight break every once in a while. At one point I decided to test out my left-handed grab theory and I was able to grab the water bottle, drink from it and put it back cleanly. On the first try. High five. Of course I was only going 10 mph and would never try it on a downhill going 20+ mph. But I’m making progress.  Baby steps.

Would you risk your life for a sip of water?

I have a question about hydration packs for you biking people out there. Or maybe hikers. I guess both could use it. Do you like it better than water bottles while biking? Can you grab your water bottle cleanly, drink from it, return it to the holder and feel comfortable about it while maintaining your pace? The reason I ask is I’ve been told that for a triathlon, the best time to hydrate yourself is on the bike portion of the race. My first bike ride, I attempted to grab a bottle while riding and it went a little something like this:

I mentally prepped myself for letting go of the bike with one hand by looking around to make sure no one was around. You know, in case something happened, other than what was supposed to happen. I waited for a straight stretch of the bike path and took one hand off of the handle. I immediately put it back on. Baby steps. I took it off again, for a few seconds longer than the first time, and then put it back on. I was building up. Finally I reached down and touched the water bottle, then panicked and lunged for the handlebar. I slowed down. I reached down, and grabbed at air. That didn’t work. I slowed down some more. I reached down, grasped the water bottle and yanked it out. Ha, gotcha! I managed to pull the top up with my teeth, drink some water, and then push the cap back on with my teeth. Now what? To get it back into the holder it would take more maneuvering than taking it out. I was afraid that I’d just place it around the area of the holder and assume I had it in, then hear a thunk as it landed on the ground behind me. It took me a while, and more than a few tries, but I finally got it back into the holder. Meanwhile I had swerved off course and almost ran into a family with 2 kids walking in the same direction along the path. It’s okay, I didn’t hit them and most importantly, they didn’t see me. I didn’t drink from the water bottle again until I was stopped.

In my subsequent bike rides, I didn’t even attempt to get my water bottle from the holder while riding. Mainly because my first attempt was on a bike path and my other rides were out on the road. I had visions of swerving into the road and getting hit by a passing car. No, thank you. While on a ride today, I was feeling parched and wanted, no, needed a drink. But I waited until I got to a safe place to stop before I got a drink. Is the “Grab, Gulp, and Return” (or GGR as I’ve lovingly named it) something that can be learned or should I just throw in the towel and get a hydration pack? I checked my backpack today and it seems that I’d be able to get a hydration pack in there and have it thread through the strap. In fact it might even be a hydration pack backpack, but it didn’t come with one.

Thoughts? Ideas? Emotions? Monetary donations?