Day....4 through 7? I need to get better at blogging!

Day 4 km count: 18
Day 5 km count: 15.2
Day 6 km count: 7.4
Day 7 km count: 7.7

Okay, I have slacked hard on the blogging part of this little experiment. However, I have not missed a day of cycling, despite the weather and my ridiculous cold/ lung issue. So, yay! haha. Okay, now that I have effectively patted myself on the back, I would like to discuss how amazing my new rain shell is! It's a waterproof Sherpa jacket, and it is perfect! It blocks out wind and rain, it is perfect for layering, and there are armpit vents for those days when the weather can't decide what it's doing (I live on the west coast, so that means every day).  Friday I didn't drive my car at all (woohoo!), and Saturday I only drove because I left town. As you can see, the days I spend more time driving, I spend less time on my bicycle. I don't like losing out on time with my bike.

It is awesome being able to go out dancing, and have too many drinks to drive safely, but not enough that I can't ride my bicycle home safely! My bike is my favourite mode of transportation by a long shot!

I also picked up some gloves earlier today (it was windy, and therefore cold as shit), so my birthday list has been reduced to the following:

• rain pants
• a more effective helmet (maybe one that wasn't made for a child)

I am curious to see how the next week goes, as I strained (/maybe pulled) one of my upper ab muscles at pole fitness this evening, and it hurts like a hot damn. I don't use much of my core for cycling, but there is a chance I will have some difficulty getting off and on my ride. I'll keep you posted!

Day 3.

My body loves me! 

Not going to lie, yesterday was painful. Just a short jaunt to the grocery store and my thighs were burning. Like, hot shooting pain up through the thigh. Wasn't the best feeling ever, but it's gone now! woohooo...

So, yesterday (the day I for sure thought there would be snow on the ground, and I could rest) was beautiful. Wanting to take advantage of the beautiful day (and knowing I had to get my one ride of the day in), I decided I wanted to make hummus, and that I was going to ride to the store to gather ingredients. Let me tell you something: chickpeas are HEAVY! especially when you forget that you are on a bicycle, and not in a car, and you take advantage of the sale on chickpeas. 

Let me tell you something else: the Magic Bullet does NOT make hummus in 30 seconds. It doesn't even make hummus in under an hour! However, a potato masher and my mean guns DO make hummus, and quite well thankyou. 

So, where yesterday's short ride to the store was only about 3.6km, today's rides (that's right, MULTIPLE!) totaled about 14.4km! Yeeeeaaa nbd. 

It started when Rob got his tax return. Since I got my bike, Rob has be grieving hard for his bent frame that met it's fate last august. He kept saying "now I have to get one, then we can go for bike rides together!", and today, he got his tax return. It was enough for a new bike, and then some. What did Rob do? bought a new bike. He was like a kid in a candy store, and the enthusiasm was contagious. He bought himself 'the beast'. It is apparently, the beastiest. While I was getting myself a nice bowl of granola, fruit, and yogurt, Rob went for a little ride around the block. When I was done, we rode to the beer store (I got some delightful Barefoot Pinot Grigio, he got Granville Island Winter Ale).  Obviously after a purchase like this, there needed to be some sort of celebration! After that, we decided to head home and see where roomie was at. He was not at home. We lasted at home long enough to change shoes, adjust Rob's seat, and have a drink of water. 

The next stop was Winners. There was this superrrr pretty floral shirt that I had tried to purchase earlier in the day, but I forgot my debit card at home. So, I went back for it. Wandered in, Rob found socks ( new socks feels like christmas morning), and I got my shirt. 

It's my good buddy's bday today (Holla!), so at the most in opportune moment (stopped at an intersection), I called her up to see what she was up to. It was a pretty solid conversation, wished her a happy bday, chatted about how it's been too long. She is going to give me a shout later.

It was a tit bit nipply out, so (as it was the only coffee shop still open), we headed to starbucks. Although the plan was originally to get something warm, I ended up with an iced green tea. Not the best plan I've ever had, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. I regretted it the second I got back into the cold. 

Rob still had coffee.

Then, we ventured home. 

Sat down, cracked open the wine (and beer), and now I'm here. Battling some jackass on the importance of taking care of the environment, on someone elses wall post. Sorry, Stuart!

Wooohooooo for cycling. I feel awesome, I can reasonably go without driving, and hey, cycling is fun as hell.  

Also, a big shout out to my almost-4-yr-old buddy Ayla, for rockin the skis today! yeeeaaa mini shredder!

Smiles all around :) 

Ask Rob if you can see his bike, he might poop his pants in excitement.

Day 1.

Oooookay. So, last night, I took my first pole fitness class. This morning, I walked to Mountain City Cycles to pick up my new bicycle <3.  How much do my legs hate me right now? I'm not sure, I can't feel them. I did however have a wonderful first bike ride home, about 45 minutes with a little stop for water!

I was majorly apprehensive this morning, when I woke up to mother nature trying to make it snow. Although it was chilly, the rain and snow managed to hold off for my ride (I am so very grateful for that fact). I am, however, woefully under prepared for bad weather biking. Below is a list of clothing articles that could probably have made my ride a bit more comfortable (mom, dad, take note. my birthday is coming up!):

• some sort of under-helmet toque!
• a rain jacket/ soft shell/ windbreaker!
• rain pants!
• cycling gloves!

I set out in runners, a base layer with sweats over top, a tank top, a sweatshirt, Rob's large (too big for me) soft shell rain jacket, and a wonderfully warm toque with earflaps that unfortunately did not fit under my helmet.

Being as terrified as I was, I decided to take the river walk for my first ride. It's a beautiful trail, relatively flat with minimal turns, and of course I got to avoid traffic. Not far from the beginning of the trail, I ran into my buddy Angiepants. We discussed cycling, and the weather, and continued in our separate directions. By this point I was starting to feel a little more comfortable on my bicycle.

I continued on my way, stopping only when I got to the Magic Bean coffee hut (I forgot to bring water, and definitely needed to hydrate). I think next time I may settle for something warmer... mid bike ride chai latte anyone? The coffee hut is about halfway to home, so a good place to rest. I sat for a moment while Stasia and I talked about how awesome I am via text, and I hydrated.

I continued along, and finally got to a place where I had to ride in traffic. ugh. 26th St. I walked my bike across two cross walks, and finally decided to brave the road. It was awesome! I followed the rules of the road (that was always a pet peeve of mine, with other cyclists), and made it home in one piece! The helmet probably helped....

I did have to walk my bike up a small stretch of the 26th st hill, as my legs had decided to stop working.

All in all, a wonderful mid morning bike ride on a chilly day, and it was delightful!

I am a die-hard driver. I have had a car off and on (mostly on) since I got my full license at age 17, just about 6 years ago. I love the feeling of changing gears, and having the freedom to do whatever I want, when I want to. Road trips, for example. Besides being costly and incurring a major carbon footprint, this way of life has had one other downfall: I am lazy. I would rather drive around the corner than walk. I am out of shape, and I don't get to enjoy the weather (good or bad) nearly as much as I should.

Lately, my '84 diesel Rabbit has been giving me some trouble. On average, something breaks about every 2-3 weeks. Sometimes it's minor (like the window winch, or rear lights), but sometimes it's major (like the breaks). This time, the CV joints are starting to go. As soon as they do, the car will stop moving until I pour another couple hundred dollars and valuable time into fixing them. Is it worth it? no. not really.

Plan B: cycling. In a small town (like the one I live in) cycling is a bit of a pain. It takes an hour or more to get anywhere, and EVERYTHING is uphill. However, in just a few short months I should be relocating to a city, where cycling will be much more beneficial and a lot more realistic. Until that time, I will share with you my struggles of re-learning how to ride a bicycle, getting back into shape, and managing my time more effectively.

Ahh, first world problems.


Follow along while I try to meet (and exceed) my goal of cycling atleast once a day. Starting tomorrow.
Haha. Seriously though, that is when I get to pick up my newly purchased commuter bike.

Feel free to reprimand me if I miss a day for any reason other than extreme illness, or snow.