First a note about last night’s ride home:
Work ends at 5pm. I changed into my biking clothes(same motley assortment from the day prior) loaded my work clothes into 1 collapsible wire basket & jacket & woolen in the other on the rear, hopped on (With a wince for my poor sore ‘butt bones’! Ouch, just doesn’t sound expressive enough!). It didn’t seem too bad. I kept telling myself things like… ‘¼ of the way, ½ way, almost there’.
My front light went out right about dusk (of course) Well nothing for it but to keep pedaling; that area of town doesn’t have sidewalks either. It wouldn’t be any safer to walk the bike. At least the back light is still working. (It wouldn’t be honest if I didn’t add this next bit.. just don’t laugh too loud!!) Pedaling with your back hunched, arms & wrists supporting a percent of your body weight, doesn’t feel ‘natural’. The back of the helmet is banging my back. I decided I need to crack my neck… I sit up a little straighter & commence with satisfyingly noisy results. And almost wreck out. Scraping hard along a tall curb with my right foot desperately doing a touch & go sequence repetitively to prevent a total tip over! Yep, I guess I shouldn’t try to do that again.(at least until I have more confidence, better balance & bike coordination!). The darn rear brake is still sticking when I go up any incline or for what seems like miles after I have to use them!
6:01 pm I wobble to a squeaky halt in the driveway to the astonishment of 3 pair of surprised cat eyes( as they were probably staring at the dead bug, wondering why they hadnt heard it pull in). I dismount, wheel the contraption in & immediately turn the screw that I was told would loosen the back brake. Weirdly I am Not hungry, the idea of food seems nauseating.
I pack up a lunch, pack my clothes for 8-5(Yippee Fri is jeans day!!). This time I actually load the stuff into the baskets. Yesterday I was frustrated by how long it took me to get out the door! I seemed uncoordinated trying to get the helmet on, earpieces in, mp3-playing-phone on, gloves on, keys hung on basket….. Jeez I thought I was organized! HA! 9pm, I am finally hungry so I have a cuppa herbal tea & toast (I know this isn’t good but….)
01/04/08
Preloading the bike, & parking it facing the French doors, seems to have helped!
6:42 I am on the seat (still painful!) The flat areas seemed better today. Somehow I was breathing more smoothly. Sunrise slipped through the horizon with no glimmer of beauty, only steely illumination indifferently lighting the corpse of an unfortunate possum. Today the first incline tried to kill me. I barely made it to the top before I got off I walked thru the conveniently located parking lot. I started walking halfway up the second incline. 7:34. I was peeling off gloves at the back door to work! I made it another day. The Director of the department was the only other early bird, so he held the door for my humble pink faced self.
In the bathroom, changing in to 8-5 clothes, I am feeling a little success. This isn’t easy, yet.(does it become easier for chubby, normal, non biking genetic types??) Biking to work (or anywhere) is one of those nice ideas, a nebulous feel good floater that never really incarnates into action. At least until the path leads no other way.
When I get home tonight, I will have biked (well: coasted, walked, wobbled, huffed) approximately 48 miles. 1 week ago, I had biked 0 miles the week before….
( But I am worried because the wind is picking up and the cloud coverage is thick, if only lightly grey. I hope it doesn’t rain on the way home! )
Please wish me a safe Dry pedal home!
Menu
Breakfast:
1 cuppa EarlGrey(double bergamot) cream, 2 sugars
Steel cut oats w/ rasins, walnuts, cinnamon, vanilla
Glass of vanilla soy milk
Snack:
Banana
hot green tea
1 ghirardelli dark chocolate square
Lunch:
Blueberry lowfat yogurt w/ granola
P&j Sandwich
Snack:
milk
raw cashews & rasins
Dinner:
Koppe Bridge Swiss cheese & mushroom burger(almost all of it)
shoestring fries( with salt)
1 Shiner Bok
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4 comments:
you are doing awesome!
It will get easier-- one day you'll suddenly realize that it is easier. You'll get better at it.
Keep an eye on your bike -- bad weather is bad for having a breakdown(bike that is).
If you haven't got basic tools and the knowledge to use them(a little) make it a project for yourself -- you will be prepared for the inevitable flat tire or loose thingamabob. Get into the habit of going over your bike and checking for loose nuts, screws, etc. and if your bike starts talking to you on the ride make a mental note to check it out when you get to your destination.
Treat yourself to milestone gifts like new riding apparel, etc. It will help keep you motivated.
First week done. The good weather will be back soon. That makes the ride so much easier.
Keep at it.
B
It gets much easier except when it is windy. I have been riding just over two miles a day to a train station and also training for a half ironman. Brian W has a good point about milestone gifts. I just finally got some fenders and a rear light to be safe and dry. For awhile i would roll up my newspaper and stick it into my seat as a make shift fender. I also upgrade many pieces of clothing when I got rid of my car. Someone once said "there are no such thing as bad weather, just bad choices in clothing".
Gloves, hats that fit under your helmet, rain gear, the list goes on and on. But for the bike my favorite upgrade was Armadillo tires, before i got these i had about five flats.
Good job. Just keep at it and you will notice that it just gets easier and easier. One you are at it for a while, it will be easier to go buy yourself a good commuter bike.
Good job! Keep up the good work and I guaratee it will get easier. I found you blog through Zen.
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