But I Might Otherwise Wear Padded Pants

This July I will have been jogging for two years.  Two years.  And yet I still won't cop to being a "jogger." You know them.  You might even be one of them.  If the part of your sunglasses that covers your eyes is one continuous piece, if you know where the best sales on dry wick clothing are, if you monitor your carb intake before a big race...I'm talking to you (and for the record I'm only one of those three.)

My point here is that I recently seem to have become equally smitten with bike riding, but again...I'm not a "cyclist."  I know cyclists.  You might even be one.  Number one dead give away?  The lycra shorts.  Actually no, the padded lycra shorts.  You have to be particularly committed to something to be willing to "go there."  And yes, I know the why of it all.  Less chafing, more comfort, greater stamina, blah blah blah.  And people that I like tremendously, and have great respect for, own a pair.  My uncle Tom was the first man I knew to wear them.  He needed them for both of his solo cross country bike trips.  Can't argue with that, though he more makes my point than proves otherwise.  But for me, the non-committal side of my personality keeps me away.  So instead I choose to ride casually.  Regular shorts and shoes do me just fine.  I do wear a helmet, especially in urban areas, but that just seems like good sense.  And I do have to suffer through all of Tom's taint jokes (and there are a lot of them,) hoist myself up and readjust occasionally, and accept the fact that I may never be able to go farther than 20 miles.

But this evening I had a particularly lovely ride of just under 8 miles.  Parked on O Street in Sacramento, just past 16th.  Rode through town to 11th, down to 2nd Avenue, through Land Park (where I want alll the houses,)over Sutterville to the levy, up to the R Street over-crossing, and then back to 16th and O where we had a delightful dinner at Pronto.  And as it was only 8 miles, and followed by beers, Tom's jokes were kept to a blessed minimum.

So for me, no padded bike shorts in the near future, just as there will be no one piece runner sunglasses or nylon short shorts slit up to there for my running.

Noncommittal...casual...relaxed...neurotic...your choice...I answer to them all!