Ride home took forever. On the last leg, I was going as slow as this woman walking. She looked at me and said, "I need a bike." We chatted for a bit, she said she was thinking about getting a bike off Craigslist or an $80 one at Wal-mart and then she got a phone call so I did my best to speed off into the sunset, somewhat faster than the 4 mph pace I had been keeping for the few minutes chatting.
Got home and looked at the clock. 55 minutes. Dang. That ride definitely used to take me 45 minutes but that is without full paniers and emergency stuff. I will keep telling myself that, but I know I need to do more research about how to use my energy more efficiently. It is just like running for me: I love running really fast, but then I punk out and have to go slow the rest of the run. It took Couch210k to get me to see the benefits of jogging at a steady pace versus sprint and punk. Maybe there is an app to teach me how to be a better cyclist.
The ride taking an extra 10 minutes made me 15 minutes late to each of the four other things I had to do tonight. Sometimes I'm a little overbooked. Seriously tired, but will probably stay up for a while, because that what night owls do. I am not in the mood to pre-pack anything or plan at all. But after the proximity card debacle today, I really should get it together.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
The Proximity Card Debacle. Mile 15-22.5 of Experiment: Ride Bike to Work Every Day for a Week
Woah, is it just not my morning today or what? I did all that pre-packing stuff last night, made my breakfast and lunch, went to bed after midnight, of course, woke up at 7:15, did the CAPTCHA on my phone to prove I was awake, fell back asleep and woke up at 7:45. Got ready lightening fast and was on the bike at 8:05.
Locking up the bike at 8:41 on the nose. Not bad, not bad, even though I was rushing and totally thought I was riding faster than yesterday morning. Looking through my bag, can’t find my keys to the bike cage. I knew I packed them. Take everything out of bag including, my bra and underwear for work that day. The bra felt like it was a neon sign you could see from space at that moment in the parking garage at work. Finally found the keys, buried at the bottom of the bag (must remember to have those easily accessible in the future). Put everything back in bag, lock up the bike.
Begin looking for my proximity card. It is not there and I don’t recall actually packing it. I look though everything twice because not having the proximity card means traipsing through our really fancy lobby in your sweaty bike clothes, after riding really hard for close to 40 minutes. At this point, I have to get over myself and just do it. Go to security and ask them for a temp badge that will get me in the fitness center also. No dice, none of the temp badges also let you into the fitness center.
The security guard has to escort me upstairs to the fitness center to let me in. As if the morning hadn’t been rushed and mortifying enough, there are no towels in the locker room.
Zero. Zilch. Nada. What? And there is not even a number to call or anyone around to help. I walk out and look around the gym floor. No towels. There are two guys in the gym. I asked one if he knew if there was anyone in the men’s locker room. He says “No, I have no idea,” in the most unhelpful way imaginable. I knock, and go in, really hoping I see towels and don’t see any naked engineers. I see neither. Balls.
Zero. Zilch. Nada. What? And there is not even a number to call or anyone around to help. I walk out and look around the gym floor. No towels. There are two guys in the gym. I asked one if he knew if there was anyone in the men’s locker room. He says “No, I have no idea,” in the most unhelpful way imaginable. I knock, and go in, really hoping I see towels and don’t see any naked engineers. I see neither. Balls.
Go back to the lady’s locker room and survey the damages and what I’m working with here. I definitely would have looked better with a shower, but with the use of the hairdryer down there and a couple strategic wipe downs with paper towels, I looked decent enough to go back to my office. Oy vay! At least I didn’t forget my phone...
Monday, April 9, 2012
Mile 7.5-15 of Experiment: Ride Bike to Work Every Day for a Week
Day 1 Part 2, Complete
Ride home way more chill than ride to work, it took forever though, but I also took the long way and stopped off on an errand on the way. I should have had some supplement or something before leaving from work. I had a protein shake but was still dragging ass. Needed a carb-quick energy thing.
The phenomena of cars passing on the left side of speed islands seems like the status quo on Bouldin and Dawson. And I have learned, I prefer the hill on Dawson to Bouldin: Dawson steeper but shorter and has more shade. Rawr!
Totally made the light at Oltorf but missed the light at Banister and Ben White--that Banister hill sucks--although, I saw a very fit man flatten that hill in a quarter of the time it took me. "Why, hello" is what I would have said if he wasn't already waay, waay ahead of me. I also got passed by a very fit man just at the top of the hill, on a pretty cool single speed with bullhorn handle bars. He made the light, and I did not. Later, at Emerald Forest at Stassney the single speed man rolled up next to me and said, "It's you again". His name is Adrian and he was riding to his place, way more south than me from way more north than me.
We rode together and chatted for the last leg of my trip which was actually pretty nice--solitude is good, but so is solidarity. I'm sure he was having to slow way down since I was dragging ass and on a much heavier bike than he was. Makes me think, I need to get the Madison commuter-ready and see how that goes. I tend to prefer the single speed since it is lighter, works my arms and abs more, and I hate sitting and spinning on hills anyway. Plus variety is the spice of life!
Not too sore yet... and not too terribly exhausted.
Ride home way more chill than ride to work, it took forever though, but I also took the long way and stopped off on an errand on the way. I should have had some supplement or something before leaving from work. I had a protein shake but was still dragging ass. Needed a carb-quick energy thing.
The phenomena of cars passing on the left side of speed islands seems like the status quo on Bouldin and Dawson. And I have learned, I prefer the hill on Dawson to Bouldin: Dawson steeper but shorter and has more shade. Rawr!
Totally made the light at Oltorf but missed the light at Banister and Ben White--that Banister hill sucks--although, I saw a very fit man flatten that hill in a quarter of the time it took me. "Why, hello" is what I would have said if he wasn't already waay, waay ahead of me. I also got passed by a very fit man just at the top of the hill, on a pretty cool single speed with bullhorn handle bars. He made the light, and I did not. Later, at Emerald Forest at Stassney the single speed man rolled up next to me and said, "It's you again". His name is Adrian and he was riding to his place, way more south than me from way more north than me.
We rode together and chatted for the last leg of my trip which was actually pretty nice--solitude is good, but so is solidarity. I'm sure he was having to slow way down since I was dragging ass and on a much heavier bike than he was. Makes me think, I need to get the Madison commuter-ready and see how that goes. I tend to prefer the single speed since it is lighter, works my arms and abs more, and I hate sitting and spinning on hills anyway. Plus variety is the spice of life!
Not too sore yet... and not too terribly exhausted.
Mile 1-7.5: Ride Bike to Work Every Day for a Week
Day 1, Part 1 of Experiment, “Ride Bike to Work Every Day for a Week” Complete.
The route: the crazy amalgamation of bike lanes and whatnot from my house to downtown; 7.5 miles, mostly low rolling hills and a couple steep downhills there, five insane hills on the way back. Google Maps says 40 minutes there, 44 minutes back. For me it is more like 35 minutes there and 45 minutes back. But we’ll see if I get faster or slower as the week progresses…
Today, I made it in 35 minutes, plus the 15 minutes of locking up the bike and taking a really quick shower and changing into my work clothes. So I walked into my office right around 8:50. Ideally leave at 7:45 instead of 8 and that way, I don’t have to rush on the ride or to get ready once at work.
Goal for tomorrow: get ready faster and leave sooner.
1. Fill up camel back night before and leave in the refrigerator.
2. Make steel cut oatmeal tonight so that you can just heat it up before you go.
3. Kind of punked out a little on the ride, need to figure out if there is a supplement or something I can eat or drink in the morning to get over that first hill out of the neighborhood without stopping.
4. Pick out clothes and have them loaded in the panier the night before (hardest thing ever, since I dress by mood).
5. The adjustment I did on the bike was not the best, may need to take it to the bike shop sometime this week and have them tune it up for me.
Physically, I feel really good, since I really enjoy riding and had a few moments where I was going really fast and that is always fun. And in the park, I was trying to ride on this 4” wide strip of the sidewalk that didn’t have cobblestones in it, which I mostly did but then kind of went off in the grass and that was funny.
Finishing up at the park is nice too, after the aggressiveness of riding on the street, which is not too bad, although this bitch in a silver VW Jetta scared the shit out of me on Dawson. I could hear her behind me and Dawson has those speed islands which a car and a bike cannot both go through at the same time. Either she would have to speed up and cut me off, or slow down for the 30 seconds it was going to take me to get past the island. Instead she sped up right on my ass, passed me on the left side of the island, you know in the oncoming traffic side. Funny thing is, even though she beat me to the light at Dawson and Barton Creek, I still beat her across the intersection. So, she probably could have just slowed down and then passed me safely and still arrived at the red light basically at the same time without physically endangering someone and breaking traffic laws. Anyone who’s ever been hit by a car knows how scary the sound of a car’s engine revving behind you is.
See you next Tuesday, VW Jetta lady.
The route: the crazy amalgamation of bike lanes and whatnot from my house to downtown; 7.5 miles, mostly low rolling hills and a couple steep downhills there, five insane hills on the way back. Google Maps says 40 minutes there, 44 minutes back. For me it is more like 35 minutes there and 45 minutes back. But we’ll see if I get faster or slower as the week progresses…
Today, I made it in 35 minutes, plus the 15 minutes of locking up the bike and taking a really quick shower and changing into my work clothes. So I walked into my office right around 8:50. Ideally leave at 7:45 instead of 8 and that way, I don’t have to rush on the ride or to get ready once at work.
Goal for tomorrow: get ready faster and leave sooner.
1. Fill up camel back night before and leave in the refrigerator.
2. Make steel cut oatmeal tonight so that you can just heat it up before you go.
3. Kind of punked out a little on the ride, need to figure out if there is a supplement or something I can eat or drink in the morning to get over that first hill out of the neighborhood without stopping.
4. Pick out clothes and have them loaded in the panier the night before (hardest thing ever, since I dress by mood).
5. The adjustment I did on the bike was not the best, may need to take it to the bike shop sometime this week and have them tune it up for me.
Physically, I feel really good, since I really enjoy riding and had a few moments where I was going really fast and that is always fun. And in the park, I was trying to ride on this 4” wide strip of the sidewalk that didn’t have cobblestones in it, which I mostly did but then kind of went off in the grass and that was funny.
Finishing up at the park is nice too, after the aggressiveness of riding on the street, which is not too bad, although this bitch in a silver VW Jetta scared the shit out of me on Dawson. I could hear her behind me and Dawson has those speed islands which a car and a bike cannot both go through at the same time. Either she would have to speed up and cut me off, or slow down for the 30 seconds it was going to take me to get past the island. Instead she sped up right on my ass, passed me on the left side of the island, you know in the oncoming traffic side. Funny thing is, even though she beat me to the light at Dawson and Barton Creek, I still beat her across the intersection. So, she probably could have just slowed down and then passed me safely and still arrived at the red light basically at the same time without physically endangering someone and breaking traffic laws. Anyone who’s ever been hit by a car knows how scary the sound of a car’s engine revving behind you is.
See you next Tuesday, VW Jetta lady.
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