Thursday, June 04, 2009

Biking

Here's the short version, from the beginning:

1. I feel blah lately - work's wearing me down, overall tired, mentally drained.

2. I know exercise on a regular basis can help bring positive change.

3. I hate exercise - only way I can stomach it is if it's a by-product of something else.

4. No extra time - at least that's what it seems like.

5. Brilliant idea - bike from my apt. to the T station. It's on a bike path - beautiful and safer. The T station has tons and tons of bikes there already - infrastructure in place.

6. My bike's not wonderful.

a. It's not my bike, but my brother's that he got cheap while in school.

b. It's a cheap bike.

7. I start telling people my brilliant idea as my first baby step. I say that if I bike for awhile to work and it looks like I'm committed I'll consider investing in a decent bike.

8. I buy a bike lock last weekend. (The bikes cheap, but I'm not naive enough to think if I leave it unlocked it won't just "roll" away).

9. I make a pack to start Monday.

10. Monday doesn't work - I had an early morning conference call. My biking start date gets shifted to Tuesday.

11. I've already forgotten why, but Tuesday didn't work - maybe it was rainy.

12. Wednesday - another early morning conference call.

13. This morning I’m blah. I’m running late in the morning. Its overcast – showers imminent. I consider pushing it off to Friday.

14. I notice a pattern – it’s now or never. Well not really, but need to get over this hump.

15. I gear up about the time I should be in to work. Tires are flat. Get everything loaded up – change of clothing, helmet. I’m ready.

16. I bike and it’s such a pleasant way to get into work.

17. I’m sore moments in – poor little muscles. They need to grow!

18. I’m surprised how fast the ride goes – I’m at the T in no time. Less than 15 minutes.

19. It takes me awhile to lock up – everyone has the U locks. I don’t. Hopefully that’s not a problem.

20. While relaxing on the subway, it hits me. The same issue that I faced a few years back with my food share – what goes down must come up. My whole bike ride was downhill. Tonight will be interesting – end of long day at work, and I’ll have to climb my way back up to home. My poor wee muscles. At least I have all evening to get home, hopefully before it gets dark.

2 comments:

emily said...

It IS so hard to get started!! Well, just think, after a week or two you won't be sore anymore. In basic training, after a few days or a week I forgot how sore my muscles were... probably because I was so tired. But that's another story! Good luck... "you kin do it" (as good old dunkin donuts says)!

Unknown said...

Congratulations on your first bike-to-work day! I sure hope the bike-home part wasn't too dreadful. I mean, I know it was hard and exhausting going uphill, but crossed my fingers it wasn't actually dreadful.
I've been toying with biking to work for a while now. As you day, it's great not having to go out and buy a bike only to discover you hate the whole thing. Ah well. Keep plugging along with the biking saving gas, wear and tear on the car and getting those endorphins firing!