This week marks the first time that I commuted to work every day by bike. In hindsight, and reading it here, it doesn’t seem like a big deal at all. It’s just a method by which one travels to and from work. But, allow me a but, what about appointments and the things we take for granted that occur during a normal week of to-and-fro’ing? Door-to-door, my 14-mle ride is very pleasant and mostly neighborhood streets and as V mentioned, you get used to knowing your primary path to work, the one you travel every day and don’t have to concentrate on which way to go.
This week introduced more traveling challenges and new paths. I had my bike fitting appointment and needed to get there by 6, the path took me through Fremont, up Stone Way, and partway around Greenlake, only adding .9 miles to my 7 mile ride. But, I was feeling the new terrain, and with the additional riding during the fit, I was definitely pretty tired that night. More about the fitting: What a great service! The things that were changed: hoods, handle bar, shorter stem (all to correct wrist/elbow/arm/shoulder alignment), cleat/pedal micro-tweaks (to adjust toes/ankles/knees), and seat height (knees). These are my unscientific summaries, but I’m glad I got that done by a professional, especially with longer rides looming. My common complaints have been numb toes due to cold/wet weather, sore kneecaps, and sore/uncomfortable shoulders/neck and wrists. My cute commuter helmet has to be traded for a sport version, they are lighter and therefore much better for your neck on the longer rides.
Also, I had two mid-day appointments to which I need to ride my bike. One of those was *only* 2.8 mls from work. I mapped it and jotted down some quick reference notes to stick in my pocket, and cycled away. I am still adjusting to bike vs car time, and thought I had plenty of time. However, 38 minutes later I was still chugging it out through Capitol Hill and the beginning of the International District arriving with about 5 minutes to spare and pretty sweaty. Huh. I don’t like city riding very much turns out. There’s tons of construction, lots of hill action, and the bike areas are fair, honestly. I can do it in a pinch, but it wasn’t an awesome experience, too much anxiety-producing adrenalin. Yes, Mom I was being very careful!
And lastly, I ended the week with an early morning appointment before work and found myself rushing in to make it to a meeting, with zero time to spare. I had time to change into street clothes, apply some fast mascara, and chug water walking up the steps and grabbing my laptop just as the meeting began. No one noticed the sweat on my t-shirt because I threw on a cardigan, and in fact a colleague complimented me on my “look” today. Ha! Weekly total: 76.5 --Bee
This week introduced more traveling challenges and new paths. I had my bike fitting appointment and needed to get there by 6, the path took me through Fremont, up Stone Way, and partway around Greenlake, only adding .9 miles to my 7 mile ride. But, I was feeling the new terrain, and with the additional riding during the fit, I was definitely pretty tired that night. More about the fitting: What a great service! The things that were changed: hoods, handle bar, shorter stem (all to correct wrist/elbow/arm/shoulder alignment), cleat/pedal micro-tweaks (to adjust toes/ankles/knees), and seat height (knees). These are my unscientific summaries, but I’m glad I got that done by a professional, especially with longer rides looming. My common complaints have been numb toes due to cold/wet weather, sore kneecaps, and sore/uncomfortable shoulders/neck and wrists. My cute commuter helmet has to be traded for a sport version, they are lighter and therefore much better for your neck on the longer rides.
Also, I had two mid-day appointments to which I need to ride my bike. One of those was *only* 2.8 mls from work. I mapped it and jotted down some quick reference notes to stick in my pocket, and cycled away. I am still adjusting to bike vs car time, and thought I had plenty of time. However, 38 minutes later I was still chugging it out through Capitol Hill and the beginning of the International District arriving with about 5 minutes to spare and pretty sweaty. Huh. I don’t like city riding very much turns out. There’s tons of construction, lots of hill action, and the bike areas are fair, honestly. I can do it in a pinch, but it wasn’t an awesome experience, too much anxiety-producing adrenalin. Yes, Mom I was being very careful!
And lastly, I ended the week with an early morning appointment before work and found myself rushing in to make it to a meeting, with zero time to spare. I had time to change into street clothes, apply some fast mascara, and chug water walking up the steps and grabbing my laptop just as the meeting began. No one noticed the sweat on my t-shirt because I threw on a cardigan, and in fact a colleague complimented me on my “look” today. Ha! Weekly total: 76.5 --Bee
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