New toy.

I will be 41 in (gulp) nine days. I might be ready to actually turn 41 by then.

Maybe.

My husband and kids gave me my birthday present already. This:

It's a bike! That folds! That I can carry in a bag!

I know.

When it folds out, it looks like this:

Is that not the coolest thing ever?

I've been wanting to bike for a while. I actually have a 10-speed that I got from my parents for Christmas or my birthday about 17 years ago. It still rides just fine, but portability has been an issue.

I like going places to run or bike. Running 20 times around my neighborhood to get 10 miles in just isn't the same as going to the park and running through trails and trees and getting in those 10 miles. Plus, when I go out of town for races, I like to park my car at the hotel and not have to drive the rest of the time I'm there. When I went to Galveston last summer for the Sand Crab 10K, the only time I drove was to the actual race site and back. When I went to San Antonio for the marathon, I didn't drive until I left on Monday morning. I can and do walk a lot, but having a bike would add another layer of awesome.

But bike racks and trailers are just a lot of trouble. I don't want to permanently attach something to my five-month-old car, and other options just seem flimsy.

Enter the Citizen Bike! My friend and co-worker Melanie has had one for a year or so and she loves hers. She's put a ton of miles on that bike and it is still just fine.

So a little birdie (me) put the idea in my husband's head, and my bike arrived last Wednesday.

There's a tiny learning curve on folding and unfolding it, but really, it's very intuitive. I took it to the hike & bike trail yesterday morning and unfolded it in less than 10 minutes, and it took about the same time to fold it back up and put it in the bag.

It rides well, has six gears and the brakes are very sensitive. This particular style (there are several) is designed for people who are less than 6'0" and weigh less than 220 pounds. Other styles can hold bigger people.

Now, this is not a bike to trail-ride on, nor is it a racing bike. It was designed as a commuter bike for those in large cities who don't have the storage for a bike. But for my purposes right now, it works perfectly.

I rode 7.5 miles yesterday morning in less than an hour at the hike & bike, with zero problems. I'm still trying to figure out a good routine to fit in all my wants: running, biking, weight-lifting and going to exercise classes. I need about two more hours in the day, I think.

The Web site offers a basket that attaches to the bike and I may look into that. I would like a place to put a water bottle and regular brackets may not work with this.

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This week is spring break. Some people may look at that as an opportunity to sleep in and relax, but I ain't got time for that, you know?

I'm planning on maxing out my workouts this week -- longer runs, bike rides, etc.

My new favorite quote (by Thomas Carlyle) is "I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom."

I'm working on it!