Thursday, July 11, 2019

Say hello to Gustavas



It's been a long time coming.

Not my getting a bike, but actually christening said bike with an official name.

But let's rewind for a minute...

The hubby bought my bike for me; surprised me with it, actually. I believe it may have been our first summer in our "new" town. This was back in 2002, just after we had moved back to Iowa (following a 7-year stint in the beautiful state of Michigan). I didn't ask for a bike, but there it was: a shiny red and black Mongoose mountain bike, with 21 options for speed control and a very hard seat.
me and my Mongoose
In all honesty, the poor bike didn't see much action for many, many years. I would go for a short ride now and then, but those rides were very few and far between.

Fast forward to the summer of 2015, and my priorities started to shift. Although I had been doing a lot of strength work to supplement my running, I really didn't have much else for other cardio options (other than walking and stair-climbing). I decided to get the Mongoose out of storage, dust it off, and give it a go.

let's ride!


That's when I started hearing of other runners with bikes...and a lot of them had given their bikes names. Although I wasn't logging numerous miles in the saddle, I felt like I was inching my way towards the cycling thing. Maybe a name for the Mongoose would propel me even closer to actually liking the sport a bit more?

I wrote a post {What's in a (bike's) name?} about my new found interest in cycling (I still couldn't call it a "new found love"), and asked for suggestions for a name. A lot of unique names were offered up, but none of them quite struck a chord with me. So I gave up. I continued riding the Mongoose now and then, but the quest for the perfect name was postponed.

Sometimes, I'd ride the Mongoose to work. The hubby and I (along with some of our friends) did several rides out to a lake along a rather hilly bike trail. I even did a duathlon with a friend (though I had to borrow a road bike for that endeavor). My interest in cycling was growing, albeit slowly. Still no light bulb moments with the perfect name for the Mongoose, though.

Just recently, the hubby and I have ridden out to the lake...three times in the past (almost) three weeks. And finally, just this week, the name came to me....Gustavas. I was trying to think of something along the lines of "Goose," since it is a Mongoose brand mountain bike, and "Goostavious" came to mind. I decided on Gustavas, though, more for simplicity than anything. It turns out that Gustavas is an Old Norse name, with a heavy Swedish ancestry. I happen to have a great deal of Norwegian blood in me, so the name is most befitting.

morning riding


Ironically, Gustavas played a big part in a brick workout (of sorts) this week. I was eager to get out, early in the morning for some cross-training. I hadn't done a stair workout for awhile,  but didn't feel like walking (or even running) over to the outdoor stairway on the college campus. I also hadn't done any speedwork recently, nor had there been any HIIT'ng happening.

So, here's what I came up with:
*3-mile bike ride
*3 sets of this stair/HIIT circuit:
     ***10 fast and furious flights of stairs (18 steps)
     ***10 pushups
     ***10 burpees
     ***10 squats
*3-mile bike ride

Essentially, the first ride was a great warm-up (ending at the outdoor stairway). The stairs and all the HIIT moves gave me a serious dose of cardio. Finally, the 3-mile ride (eventually taking me back home) was a great cool-down for my legs. All told, the entire workout took just under an hour from the time I mounted the saddle and dismounted upon returning home.



Now that the Mongoose has a name, maybe I'll eventually invest in some padded shorts and clip-in shoes...maybe, but I wouldn't hold your breath (trust me, I'm NOT holding mine LOL). I'm still very much a novice on the bike and am reluctant to shell out extra dollars towards a sport that I'm still not totally in love with.

Anyways, that's the story of Gustavas, and how his name finally became a reality.

How do you feel about cycling? Do you use it as cross-training on your non-running days? Are you vested in all the gear (bike jerseys, padded shorts, clip-ins)? Does your bike have a name?

I'm linking this with Meranda and Lacey for the Friday with Fairytales and Fitness link-up. 

 

Are you following me on social media?
Let's connect : Facebook Instagram  Pinterest Twitter




25 comments:

  1. I have an old bike with no name. I’ve only ridden it when I was injured and could not run.

    I don’t hate it but just there’s so little time with work and stuff that I only run.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hear ya...I'd rather be running, too. I'm just trying to keep a good variety of fitness options in my arsenal ;-)

      Delete
  2. Hey, Gustavas!!!! Great name for a great bike! Glad you are getting on with each other well enough that you were inspired to give him a name!

    as you know I ride all the time. but biking in the Netherlands is different. I bike to commute to work, to appointments, or just to town and back to run errands (or go out). But I also love a longer ride. And yes I do use it to cross train on non-running days so then the speed would be more than a commute bike ride. As for gear - I have shimano clip shoes but those I use for spinning, I have a helmet IF I bike anywhere outside of the Netherlands (it's not required here and unless you are a 'wielrenner' you don't need it), I have a few bike jerseys but honestly don't wear them much (sometimes to spinning), I definitely have padded shorts for the longer rides (and spinning) and my bike definitely has a name; Kolette :) My bike is a 30 speed "tour" bike - so basically if I decided one day to bike from here to Rome, I wouldn't need any other bike than the one I've got (It's a Koga, basically considered the Porsche of bikes here).

    There is an amazing freedom in biking. It's one of the top things I love about living here in the Netherlands. We have a car, yes, but if I can get somewhere by bike, I'd rather do that instead. Everyone rides here; small children, teenagers, families, business people, grandmas - everyone. It's such a beautiful way to get around!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awwwwww, Kolette is a beautiful name!! I wish biking was more of thing in my area, at least in terms of commuting. There's a reason why Iowa is one of the states with high obesity rate...people would rather drive a few blocks to the store than walk or ride a bike. It's sad ;-( That said, I'm ALWAYS inspired by you and your active lifestyle ;-)

      Delete
    2. Thank you, Kim. hasn't always been this way but I don't know how I'd do without my bike at this point!! I know what you mean too - where my mom lives they don't even have a sidewalk so people DRIVE 200 meters to their mailbox... I mean, really!!! I just checked state rank on obesity and WOW! Iowa is 4th!!

      Delete
  3. You know I love cycling and think it's a fantastic cross training workout. I can go for so much longer. Heading out on a cycling adventure today. You finally named him! My bike is Betty

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I remember Betty! I think you referenced her way back when I was trying to first come up with a name for my "guy" LOL

      Delete
  4. I do like cycling very much but just for fun. I did my triathlon on my bike ( which is clearly not a racing bike) but because I was just doing it for the experience, I didnt care. It got me through comfortably and that was my main goal.
    I love how you name your equipment and how you come up with the names. What was that piece of equipment that you recently ( probably months ago) asked us to submit names for? I dont remember what it was but I do remember thinking of clever names for you. -M

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My bike is clearly not a racing bike either, which is why my friend insisted on letting me borrow her bike for the duathlon (and she borrowed her hubby's bike...which was way out of my league). The fact that I can climb all those hills out to the lake (and back LOL) on my mountain bike makes me proud. The hubby assures me "when" I get a real road bike, I'll be amazed at how much easier the hills will feel. So....

      Delete
  5. Gustavas, nice to meet you! In the past I have a racing bike that I used to recover after the femur fracture. Now I have an "electric" bike that I use daily. It is useful for all the purposes: easy to park, goes everywhere (also on the sidewalks), no problem on the uphills..... ecc.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We have a city ordinance that forbids anything with wheels (other than wheel chairs) on sidewalks in our downtown area. And, the car drivers are NOT safe to be around while on a bike LOL This is Iowa, after all, a lot of people think turn signals are optional ;-)

      Delete
  6. Hello Gustavas and welcome to this crazy fitness family, lol.

    I'm so glad that you are enjoying cycling so much. It's such a great way to cross train.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, "enjoying it" is a bit of a stretch at this point, Kim, but nice try LOL I'm am tolerating it quite well, though, and am slowly mastering the gears. I'm very much a work-in-progress ;-)

      Delete
  7. I love the care in choosing the name! :) And while you may not be serious about getting gear I HIGHLY recommend the padded shorts! Your behind will thank you! lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A lot of people recommend the padded shorts...but eeewwwww. I know, I just need to get over the "diaper" padding thing LOL

      Delete
  8. I have a stationary bike, and that's it! I never liked biking, even as a kid. Trust my own two feet more.

    It's fantastic cross training though!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I enjoyed biking as a kid, but never loved it. Since I'm so tall, I sit way up high on it, and I'm leery of tipping...which is why I'm a no-go on the clip-in shoes LOL

      Delete
  9. I have several bikes only one which I have named. Her name is Sapphire. I like the name Gustavas. Sounds very grand!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. oooh, Sapphire is a pretty name! I think I saw that there was a line of monarchs/kings, all with the name Gustavas LOL I found all that info AFTER I'd name my bike, though.

      Delete
  10. I guess I'm the oddball here. I never named my bike, never even thought about it. I love my bike but I will admit to being a little more fearful after my crash last summer. The drivers around here are just ridiculous. I've taken to transporting my bike to the trails. And yes, I have clip in pedals. I love them because I can go SO fast. My seat has no padding so yes to the shorts. If you buy the right ones, it doesn't feel like a diaper.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Honestly, the idea of naming my bike kind of came to me on my own, and I was surprised so many others had already beaten me to the game LOL

      Delete
  11. Love how you name your machines --

    ReplyDelete
  12. Awww, I like the name Gustavas. As you know, I've started riding a lot more these last two summers and even upgraded to a new bike last summer. It's a Salsa with a chili pepper on the front so I thought the name Zephyr from the Red Hot Chili Peppers would be perfect - "Fly away on my zephyr, I feel it more than ever."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's a cool name! It sounds esteemed and majestic ;-)

      Delete