My main goal in getting back into cycling is to improve my health and fitness. I have many other goals that relate to this overarching one like eating better (still need to work on this one), increasing my overall pace, increasing ride distance, and increasing my ride frequency. Longer days and warmer weather have provided opportunity to work on these benchmarks. Commuting to work has been another goal that I have been working up to. My fitness and endurance are increasing but heavy road work in the area has forced traffic onto usually quieter back roads complicating finding a safe route from my home to work. Also, I have needed to find a place to store my bike safely at work. All of these factors have made it seem that commuting was a long way off. Yesterday, I was unexpectantly motivated to step up my time table. The catalyst: car trouble.Some unsettling sounds and an upcoming 12 hour road trip to the beach have landed our family minivan in the shop. Couple that with an unusually hectic Thursday schedule for my wife and kids and you get me without a car. So, yesterday I found myself scrambling to figure out the feasibility of my first commute. I made of list of things I would need to bring like clothes to change into, my cell phone, keys, building access card, food, bike tool, etc. Near the end of my work day I popped in to our practice administrator's office and inquired about a safe storage place for my bike. He offered the conference room and I took him up on his offer. Then it was back to my office to map out a route that I thought was safest. On my way home I drove the route and found several detours due to construction. I noted them and altered my plans accordingly. A quick weather check confirmed clear weather in the morning with storms in the afternoon. Okay, I could get to work, but might need a ride home. "That is doable" I thought, "and might be a good start to a commute to just have to ride one way on the first day."
When I got home I went straight upstairs, grabbed a bag and began packing everything I would need. Luckily, it all fit into a nice small messenger that could hook around my waist to avoid any unwanted shifting. Despite my preparations, my mind was troubled all night long. I went to bed early, but kept waking up, questioning if I should really pedal to work in the morning. There was a pit in my stomach declaring that my nerves were heightened. To reassure myself I began visualizing each leg of the trip and how I would ride; where I would push the pace and where I would recover. The night passed and as it always does, morning came.
I awoke early enough to allow myself about an hour to make it to work. I showered, shaved, pulled on my cycling gear and bag and kissed my wife goodbye. In the garage, I pulled my bike off the wall, strapped my helmet on, took a deep breath and started off. It was cool, but pleasant. I felt overwhelmed as I pulled out of the neighborhood and onto the street. "This is silly" I told myself. "You have ridden longer than this many times before. You have the stamina and strength. Just keep your wits about you and you will be okay." I decided to just focus on small parts of the trip. That seemed to work and keep my mind from thinking about the distance as a whole. The route I had planned worked well and I only flubbed a clip once with a skinned ankle to show for it. "hopefully, that is the worst of things" I tried to comfort myself. I kept a steady, but not fast pace and felt good despite a headwind most of the way. As I pulled into the practice parking lot, I felt a great sense of relief and accomplishment. I had done it! I checked my app that I use to track time, distance, speed, etc. 45 minutes - not too bad. That left me plenty of time to stash my bike in the conference room, change in my office, pound down a few cups of water and settle in to my morning.
During my ride in I kept thinking, "This would be so much easier in the car." Now that I have settled in to my day, I feel the same as if I drove in. I guess that is the point. Same result, healthier means. Plus I save on gas which is always good these days! Most likely, I am done for the day. Heavy thunderstorms are forecast to arrive right about 5pm. I think a lifeline call to my wife will be in order. One thing at a time I guess.
