Sunday, May 22, 2011

Bike to Work Week 2011 - Day 5

I am fatigued today and slightly grumpy.  My legs don’t seem to want to pump.  Once I get going, though, blood starts flowing, and I begin to feel better.  Temps are warmer than previous mornings.  I sit back on the downhills and turn my face to the sun.

It's the warmest day of the week, and since I have nowhere special to be on this Friday evening, I take my time on the ride home.  I hit every traffic light wrong and encounter even weirder obstacles than usual - like a grocery cart on its side, taking up the entire sidewalk.  Good thing I'm not in a hurry.

I get thinking, as I ride, about what to do next, now that Bike to Work Week is over.  Then I wonder if there needs to be a next thing.  Not really.  It’s good enough that I did this, that I took on a new challenge and went for it with gusto.  Most people don’t and won’t.  Will I do it again next year?  Sure, if the circumstances are right.  It’s been worth it.

I decide that I’m not going to ride every day to work.  I often have meetings outside the office, so it’s not really practical to totally commit to bicycle commuting.  But, once-a-week on Fridays sounds good.  I need a bigger and better backpack to carry food and water… and maybe some panniers so I can carry clothes with me, instead of having to bring them in ahead of time.  A road bike, rather than my mountain bike, might be good, too.

As I pedal into my complex, a big grin splits my face.  I just biked a whole week to work, and overall, it went great!  I set a goal, and I totally accomplished it.  I am proud and happy. Woohoo!

  • Best smells of the week: fried chicken and cinnamon buns
  • Best part of the ride: bike surfing underneath a wave of camellia bushes growing over the sidewalk near the Washington/Rancho intersection
  • Best comment of the week: being told I’m “fit and trim” by a colleague when I share with her that I’m bike commuting for the week
  • Most challenging ride: super windy evening commute on Monday , Day 1

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