So I picked up my bike from its first tune up... got on it for the first time in 2 years... and biked to work today. Honestly, it was not bad, and no where near as far as I thought it would be. I think it's about 6 miles... it took around 25 minutes.
Going to work was not a big deal, going home will be more of a big deal, as there is one hill (Hemlock) which looks like... well... it could kill me. (Get it? Hemlock? Kill me? HA!)
There is no reason I can't do this regularly. I need to do some adjustments as my hands are shaking from the pressure... I know that is not good. But soon I suspect will be looking for a longer route.
They always say that to lose weight or get healthy, you need to find exercise that you can work into your life, that you enjoy and that renews you. I have to say, that was pretty fun.
Thanks Jen.
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6 comments:
I'm proud of you, and I'm looking forward to logging a few miles with you too.
I'm so excited for you, Paul! And proud of you for making the first attempt. I'm glad you're feeling pretty positive about your first commute. I know Jared suggested gloves to help your hands, and I second that--I can definitely tell the difference when I forget to wear mine.
The best thing about hills is that they will seem to get smaller over time. Finding alternate routes home is another great thing about biking--it's not a commute so much as a small adventure. It took me nine months to start exploring on my way home, and I keep thinking "what took me so long??"
So are you up for some company on the way home? You're welcome, by the way. :)
I have gloves... and I did use them! But I think I'm just leaning too far forward.
It will be a while before I want to log a few miles with anyone... I think I want to get the routine under my belt for a while. It's not like I have been doing this for any length of time... but thanks for the encouragement.
Paul, I can definitely understand wanting to wait a while before having company while riding, but don't wait too long. We are your friends, and just want to enjoy the route and the company :)
I wonder if your shaking hands could simply be from doing something your hands and wrists aren't used to--like maybe you need to build some muscle strength there. If that's the case, it should go away in about a week. Or it could be you need your handle bars or seat adjusted to take the pressure off--the most efficient biking position may not be the right one for a newer cyclist. I know I purposely kept my seat too low when I started, until I was comfortable only being able to reach the ground on tiptoe.
Talk to the people at the bike shop. I hope I haven't gone overboard with advice. It's just that I've always been amazed at how a little adjustment that I think I would hardly notice can make such a difference in my cycling experience, and there have been a couple times when an adjustment/mechanical problem brought me close to quitting, which of course was quite silly.
Twentyfive Minutes is pretty good. And when you think about how long it takes other Americans to communte to work its like a Normal lapse between frontdoor and desk. Keep at it.
So how have things been going this week? Have you figured out the problem with your hands yet?
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