Bike Commuting, 2.5 Weeks

Aside from my mishap on day 1 of commuting, the rest has been great. It does stink to get out of bed even earlier than I already do, and it's pretty chilly out in the early morning to be riding a bike instead of in your car with the heat on, but once you get past those first 2 miles or so, you start to warm up pretty nicely.

Recently it's been a challenge to wear and pack the correct riding apparel, this is because of the crazy range in weather we're currently experiencing. It will be about 32-34 degrees in the morning when I set off on my ride into work, but in the mid 60's by the time it's time to head on home. What this means is that I have to try and cram and pack all the cold weather accessories and apparel that aren't needed for the warm weather ride home into my bag, so I have them available again for the next morning. It's a tight squeeze but I'm making due. It's also hard to say it'll be nicer when it's cold 24/7 because the current rides home in the afternoon are perfect right now.

I do find that I am much more tired in the evening on days that I ride, and I'm usually asleep before my head even hits the pillow, which is good. Also, I don't feel at all bad when I get a cheeseburger and fries for lunch, because I've already burned it off on my morning commute, and [by my logic] I'm going to need that fuel to burn off once again on my ride home! Also, in only 6 commuting days so far, I can already feel my legs getting stronger and I'm able to climb hills faster, or at least in a higher [harder] gear. I'll have to do a post soon on all my various pieces of apparel so you can see how I've braved the chilly temps thus far. In the meantime, here's a snapshot summary of my 6 riding days so far, and a workout summary from yesterday's ride, which was also my fastest round trip thus far. Go by bike!

[Click to enlarge]