Habits
I have noticed in the last few weeks where I have had life events that have interrupted my commuting, that I really miss it now when I can’t do it. I have become protective of the times during the day when I commute and try not to allow anyone to schedule calls or meetings during this time. I find myself thinking of winter and what I will do when ice and snow prevent me from doing it. Strange that just a few months ago I was having to talk myself into getting on my bike in the morning, and overcoming the desire find an excuse not to ride. The other morning I woke up to rain on the windows before the alarm went off, and in my groggy condition, felt myself getting disappointed that I would not be riding to work that day. Then I woke up and realized that I have the gear, its still warm outside, and damn it, I was going to ride anyway. Now all this could change as fall approaches, the days get shorter and the temperature drops, but for now, I love my bike commute routine. Mostly, I still sleep until 15 minutes past my alarm, because I like to sleep, and then quickly getting ready and speeding off to work. But occasionally, I will get up a bit early and take a more leisurely ride. These have become my favorite. I explore neighborhoods I have never been in, take a longer way, or turn down the power and go a little slower and enjoy the ride. Why I can’t drag myself out of bed a bit earlier every day will always be a mystery to me.
Safety
Something that is always on my mind when I ride is safety. I read in a motorcycle safety article that a new rider generally stays hyper alert for about 2 months, then the riding gets routine, the guard gets let down, and until there is a scare, it stays down. The article found it was about 2 years into regular riding that a person had seen enough scares, or worse, had an accident or two, that alertness becomes habitual and they are vigilant about watching for others and understanding how traffic around them can or will behave. I think this would translate to commuting as well. I am now in the routine “danger zone”. I find it far too easy to daydream or get lost in my surroundings and let my guard down because it is all becoming too familiar. I get used to intersections being un-occupied, vehicles not being at stop signs, or even being on the road. I find myself getting surprised a bit more often. Staying alert has not yet become habit, but I am trying to get there the easy way instead of the hard way. I did add one safety item to my system. (OK, it came on a really cool new helmet I wanted, but I chalked it up to safety because it had this new device and was bright yellow!) The new device is the Specialized ANGi sensor. This is a small sensor that comes on most Specialized helmets now, just released on the entry level helmets, but can also be purchased as a stand alone unit and attached to virtually any helmet. The ANGi system connects the sensor to the Specialized ride app you download onto your phone, and in the event of an accident, the sensor will bring up an alert on your phone, and if you do not turn off the alert, will send a message to any one of your emergency contacts you set up in the app and notify them you have been in an accident and send them your location. In addition, the app will provide you with helpful information about your ride, similar to Strava. It will even send your ride data to Strava so you can keep your account and statistics going there. I hope that I never have to use it, but it does provide me an extra level of comfort knowing I wont be left lying on the side of the road for too long if something does happen.
Updates
End on summer and reduction in mileage have not helped my weight loss goals, a small bump back up to 220 on the scale. Shoot! So hard to adjust your eating habits when the exercise time drops. I have had some great opportunities lately to test whether commuting is helping me become a better cyclist. I rode 17 miles of singletrack in Bend, rode 80 miles from Spokane to Sandpoint (non-power assist) and climbed Beacon hill without pedal assist. I felt strong on all of these rides, but more importantly, I was able to enjoy them. OK, the last 10 miles of the 80 miler my butt and feet really hurt and I wanted to be done, but for the most part, I had a great time. This was one of my goals of commuting, and I am so happy it has provided me the base to enjoy these rides with family and friends.
Mileage updates since the last blog:
Miles ridden: 364.03
Miles not driven: 364.8
Fuel Savings: $31.08
IRS Savings: $209.76