Adventures in Biking

I think I mentioned in an earlier post that I was getting prepared to do some biking to work.  That has actually been really cool.  I enjoy the ride and over the past week, I have biked to work every day...I have driven less in the last week than I usually do in one day to and from work.  It is amazing how many miles get put on the car just commuting.

The benefits of biking to work are actually more than I had thought.  It isn't just about making the steps toward living more simply and getting in exercise on days when I can't seem to work it in in the evening.  I love the ride.  It makes me happy.  I love the feel of the wind.  When I get to work I actually feel more energized.  Not necessarily motivated, but I am not as tired.  I smile more and I am generally happier when I walk in.  I find that I am not starving by 10 AM either, nor do I find myself really wanting to grab a piece of chocolate from the candy bowl.  When I get home I am not rummaging through the house to locate something sweet or salty to eat.  Sometimes I don't even want dinner right away.  I am drinking more water, I sit up straighter and I find myself paring down the load of "junk" I drag around with me everywhere I go, I am not carrying quite as much of the stuff I don't need.

I have found though that I am much quicker in the morning than I am in the afternoon.  I encounter much less traffic in the morning too.

This morning is the first morning I encountered "rain."  I had been watching the weather.  I knew the risks and I took the chance.  Outside the house at 7:15 this morning, the clouds looked like they were breaking up and I didn't think I had much to worry about.  I get about 3. 5 miles in and it starts to drizzle.  It wasn't too bad and honestly I had layered a little more than I needed to and I was feeling quite warm, so the drizzle was refreshing.

A mile later, the drizzle was more like a sprinkle.  And I had to remove my glasses so I could see.  The last mile and a half of my ride to work was rain.  Not heavy and not dangerous, but rain.  My clothes were soaked and my "water resistant" pack didn't seem so water resistant anymore.

I got some ribbing from my coworkers, but honestly, I still felt really good about it.  I still enjoyed the ride.  Though I do think that biking about 13 miles to and from work and then running off with the boys to bike another 2 or 3 in the evening might be a little much for my poor legs.

It's also been nice because about the time I made the choice to bike more, coincidentally both the boys wanted to learn to bike...and they have.  They are amazing.

As I try to decompress all the thoughts in my head, one of the things I have noticed is that I see a whole lot more cyclists than I use to see.  I think that is a shift in my awareness.  Since I am on one I notice others on bikes more often.  I hope the trend keeps growing.  I'd like to see more and more cyclists.