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.