Day 41: frisbike part 2

I had a very productive day on Sunday and spent most of the morning out with my mom running errands. Becca was taking her LSATs that day and wasn't home, so Hozay and I decided to go throw the frisbee. Unfortunately, it was super buggy out - which is strange, since it was a perfectly clear day. We finally grew frustrated of the swarm of gnats surrounding us and decided to go for a bike ride.

On Saturday, I felt really lethargic during our bike ride and couldn't make it up any of the hills. Hozay suggested that I try downshifting to 1 or 2 while going up a hill and mentioned that I need to approach hills with more speed. We went four times around Christopher Terrace going down hill and then shifted gears and went around four times going up the hill. I tested out the whole downshifting thing and it really did make a huge difference! I don't know why I kept resisting going into the lower gears in the first place. I was under the impression that the lower the gear, the more work my legs have to do for less results. In the case of going uphill, this actually works out.

While on our ride, I noticed that my bike isn't shifting properly. It had agitated me a little bit on Saturday, but was more prominent on Sunday. To explain: whenever I shift gears, the gear doesn't shift completely. While the tension changes, sometimes while pedaling, the gear will FEEL like it's shifting again - even when I'm not shifting the gears. The pedal will jerk and the resistance will change for a second. It really throws off my biking and makes me a bit nervous. I'm definitely going to keep my eye out for it.