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. 

 

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