In For the Long Road

It’s been three weeks of primarily biking to get around, and I’ve definitely had my ups and downs. Some days I’m feeling great to hit the bike, others my legs are heavy and I dread the morning commute.

Overall, bad days included, I can see myself continuing this for as long as I’m able. The short term benefits have been spectacular, part of me actually regrets a recent car purchase cause I’ve driven it all of three or four times since buying it several weeks ago, which is a good thing in my book.

The biggest thing I am loving so far is the progression I’m feeling every time I ride, especially on the way home. Near the end of my ride is a pretty big hill. I used to live in Dubuque, IA, and people who’ve been there should know, I do not exaggerate the term big hill. Every couple days I’ve noticed that it’s a bit easier and easier to get up it, then I get a nice coast all the way home. That feeling of hitting the top every day is probably one of the most satisfying of my waking hours.

As mentioned in a prior post, the benefits to me alone make simply biking to work something worth habitually doing daily. A friend of mine made an interesting point, opposite one I had made previously. He said that by doing it every day, it takes less willpower than to do it once or a few times a week. By doing it every day you don’t need to think about which day(s) to bike and which you can simply drive. The only point I can think to really counter this is people who are physically unable to, but I’m sure he’d understand that. For those people who are fit enough to ride a couple miles at a time, what’s stopping you from giving it a go?

Hope you have a good week! Next post will be my summary of what I learned during this trial run. Let me know in the comments a new habit/routine/etc. I can possibly try out next week. I have a couple in mind, but want to hear what you guys think!