5.28.2008

BIKE COMMUTER!

Today, I rode a bike to work. I still have in my possession Alivia's bike, so I decided I would participate in the commuter challenge we are having at work right now. The challenge is to commute in a different way to work - walk, bike, carpool, etc - rather than driving by yourself. There is a drawing for each person that completes the challenge, and that person could win a whole stack of "brownie points" good for redemption at local restaurants. Mike and I are off to New Orleans tomorrow morning, so today was my last day to participate in the challenge.

I warned my boss I was going to come in a bit early to avoid traffic, and I was probably going to take off a bit early for the same reason. He was totally supportive and even helped me plan a route to work. This morning, I got up about 7:15, showered and got ready for work. When you bike to work, getting ready is totally different. I wore workout pants and a t-shirt, packed up work clothes in my backpack, jammed my lunch in my backpack, and grabbed my wallet, cellphone and prox card to get in my building.

Then, I set out. Honestly, getting out of my neighborhood is one of the hardest parts. I managed to make my way to Chapel Hill Road, cross over to Anderson (HILLS), then onto Duke University Road. I then made my way into downtown. I only had to walk the bike twice. Once out of my neighborhood and once going up the big hill on Duke U road near the cemetery. My legs just couldn't take it. I made it to work in about 30 minutes. Yeah, that was a slow ride, but I did it.

A few observations:

1) Most people are friendly to bikes on the road.
2) ...but it is the 2 or 3 jerks that probably kill people.
3) You feel great when you start your workday.
4) Bring a brush or you will have bad hair all day, like me.
5) You feel very proud of yourself if this is something you don't normally do.
6) No more gym (unless you want to lift weights). Riding 10 miles a day is enough workout for me.

I will soon return Liv's bike to it's home, so I probably won't do this regularly. But I now know I CAN do it, and I just may consider getting my own bike!

1 comment:

Analee said...
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