bicycling
This morning I got up and went for my usual 6 mile run - a hot run, it was warm for running, into the 60s (nearly 20C for those of you overseas) and humid and sunny. I decided while I was out running that I would just go ahead and ride my bicycle to work. I've been putting that off because I don't have a key to the bike cage at work, but I do indeed have a lock, so that's silly. I showered, shaved, cooled down a bit, found my lock and tire pump and had no excuse not to go through with it. And hopped on my bike, for the second time in a decade. 4 1/2 miles went by fairly quickly. It's a 27 minute commute, both per my ride as well as per Google maps, and I think if I time lights better and make some minor adjustments, I can get it down to 23 or 24 miles. Driving is 20 minutes. The bus is 25 minutes plus wait time.
I don't think it will screw up my running. The parts that work hard for biking are fairly strong on me and not the parts that get tired / injured early when I run, specifically my calves and the muscles on the front of my thigh.
Some negatives I forgot about cycling -
I can't ride one handed with my right hand. This makes signalling difficult.
I still have lousy balance at speed. Slow speeds, fine, higher speeds, well I'm just weird. I'm fine with it, but I prefer to not race along in constrained spaces, especially downhill.
I need to plan for rain and thunderstorms.
Other cyclists are impatient.
About two thirds of my ride is down a couple of dedicated bike / running trails that are paved. About a mile of the ride is down a gradual slope which in my experience from over a decade ago is the fastest bike trail in the area. Unfortunately it is not wide, the entire stretch is along a highway retaining wall with utility posts on the other side, and it is very very heavily used by commuter cyclists (impatient cyclists) and runners and walkers. Since I've been running in the neighborhood, I've seen a few bloody wrecks here.
Positives -
Wind moves. Riding in work clothes is no warmer for me than walking in the sun in work clothes.
The Falls Church end is mostly on the street (the first mile of my ride) and motorists in Falls Church are cyclist-friendly (unlike folks in the outer suburbs).
Running makes me faster on the uphills than the impatient cyclists.
The dedicated bike lane on the street by work makes getting from the trail to the office quite easy even though it's an incredibly busy street.
And the proverbial "just like riding a bicycle." It feels natural and easy, even after a six mile run.
I don't think it will screw up my running. The parts that work hard for biking are fairly strong on me and not the parts that get tired / injured early when I run, specifically my calves and the muscles on the front of my thigh.
Some negatives I forgot about cycling -
I can't ride one handed with my right hand. This makes signalling difficult.
I still have lousy balance at speed. Slow speeds, fine, higher speeds, well I'm just weird. I'm fine with it, but I prefer to not race along in constrained spaces, especially downhill.
I need to plan for rain and thunderstorms.
Other cyclists are impatient.
About two thirds of my ride is down a couple of dedicated bike / running trails that are paved. About a mile of the ride is down a gradual slope which in my experience from over a decade ago is the fastest bike trail in the area. Unfortunately it is not wide, the entire stretch is along a highway retaining wall with utility posts on the other side, and it is very very heavily used by commuter cyclists (impatient cyclists) and runners and walkers. Since I've been running in the neighborhood, I've seen a few bloody wrecks here.
Positives -
Wind moves. Riding in work clothes is no warmer for me than walking in the sun in work clothes.
The Falls Church end is mostly on the street (the first mile of my ride) and motorists in Falls Church are cyclist-friendly (unlike folks in the outer suburbs).
Running makes me faster on the uphills than the impatient cyclists.
The dedicated bike lane on the street by work makes getting from the trail to the office quite easy even though it's an incredibly busy street.
And the proverbial "just like riding a bicycle." It feels natural and easy, even after a six mile run.