My bike is heavy. It's a solid mountain bike made to pound down rocky trails and chew up grizzly bears for breakfast. It's also big. The frame is several inches larger than standard. I ordered it special because I'm tall and I don't like hunching over my handlebars. The weight makes it difficult to transport my bike. I have one of those bike racks that consists of two rods that stick out parallel to the ground. You lift the bike, slide the frame over/through the rods and strap the bike down. It's tricky because you also have to hold the bike so it doesn't touch the rods until it's gone all the way to the back of the rack. Holding my heavy bike clear of the rods takes some work.

I'm also lifting weights again. I originally started back before my shoulder surgery in an attempt to strengthen my joints and avoid said surgery. It didn't work, though I did get some decent muscle. After the surgery, I couldn't lift anything and I lost the muscle mass I'd gained. Once it was "safe" for me to start up again, more kidney stones hit the fan and I was dealing with all the crap from the clinics. As a result, I fell into a difficult depression. I left the weights alone, though I did keep up with my running. After a while, not lifting became a habit. I had a long commute to work that ate up a lot of my day, you see, and I'd have to drive to the gym, and lifting is not fun, and ... and ... and ...

When I made the decision to retire, I also decided that I would start lifting again. No excuses--I'd certainly have the time. The school year ended, along with my career, and I went back to the gym. I was starting to get some results when the retirement cruise started up, and I worried that I'd lose what I'd gained. Turned out the ship's fitness center had pretty much the same machines as my gym, so I kept it up. Every other day, I work on biceps, triceps, deltoids, shoulders, and chest. Biking and running have made my legs pretty powerful, so I don't need to lift for them. 

Which brings us to today. 

I wanted to bring my bike up to Lake Orion. This was the first time I'd transported my bike since last fall. I put the rack on the car, braced myself for the strain, and hoisted my bike up.

The bike nearly went over my head! I overshot the rods and had to readjust, then try again. It took almost no effort to slide my big, heavy bike onto the rack. My hulk-out moment! 

The whole incident surprised me, even though it shouldn't have. I've been lifting for a few months now, and my arms and shoulders are visibly bigger than they were when I started lifting back in June. Every couple-three weeks, I've had to add a few pounds to each muscle group to keep up the pressure. But for some reason, it didn't occur to me that I'd have more strength OUTSIDE the gym. I was too heavily focused on size, I suppose. 

It was a nice surprise. 



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