Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Bike Experiment Day 1

I've felt kind of guilty for using the car sometimes but I know half biking/half driving is a more realistic approach. Tuesday morning, I carpooled to Point Loma for a 6:45 am bike workout with JT's group at Moment Cycle Sports (http://momentcyclesport.com/). It felt wrong to drive to a bike workout but it was downtown and a good 20 miles away. Plus, the commute, although possible, can get a little hairy with traffic during rush hour.

My legs were a bit wobbly from the 5 trips up Torrey Pines on Torch the evening before (yea for hill repeats!) so I only made 1 trip up the Tidepools hill before going back to do a 2nd loop a'la San Diego International http://www.kozenterprises.com/Triathlons/interdf84.htm bike course (which I'm doing in 10 days; ack!). All in all, it was a good workout, and as usual, I felt better afterwards for doing it.

After getting dropped (by vehicle--sigh) at home, I hopped on Strider and took off for work. I was quickly reminded how much HEAVIER Strider is compared to my other steeds (especially with the bag on the back) as I toiled up Torrey Pines, sweat running down my cheeks. But after showering and changing at work, I felt great. It was a good feeling. Not too shabby.

I did, however, forget the key to my bike lock so Strider spent the day in my office. After a quick run in Torrey Pines, I made my way home. Uneventful, yet rewarding day of bike commuting.

Things of Note:
1. I bungee-corded my bag to the back of the pannier rather than the sides and liked this better. No falling off, no weighing the bike off to one side. It was much, much better. Much more stable.
2. I had all my clothes and toilietries waiting for me at work. The locker room supplied the towels. Now if I can only remember the combo to my locker...
3. I kept my running clothes and a spare pair of running shoes at the office to make running after work very easy.

Day 1 Bike Commute Stats:
Miles Commuted: 13
Gas $ Saved: $2.95 (gas is $4.54/gallon--the cheapest!)
Calories Burned (just on the commute): ~550!

P.S. I've also decided to go 7 days without sweets. That's right....NO chocolate! Ack. Of course, I decided to do this while PMSing. Not too smart. Oh, well. Today is Day 4. I feel great and have already lost 2 lbs!

6 comments:

Benson said...

sounds like a good thing going there. that quote is perfect for you.

Ryan D said...

chocolate is loaded with antioxidants - what are you thinking?

CVSURF said...

NO CHOCOLATE? Thats just crazy talk. Chocalate is what makes the world go around. Great job on your commuting. Smarttrips.org was mentioned on Bicycling.com. Supposedly the site will track your money saved and other things.

Marcy said...

Oh my gawd $4.54 is the cheapest?!? Wow that's nuts. I filled today and was peeing my pants in happiness over $4.09 (so sad) Everywhere else was around $4.21

RoadBunner said...

great job. Even with 50% biking/50% driving you're still doing better than most of the US!

beth said...

bike day #1 sounds like some big ole working out!

...and you've inspired james, i think you may see some bike commuting from him next week

can i RSVP for your ride on blogger? see you there :)