Bike to work day

Bike to work day
Originally uploaded by earthdog.

Thursday was National Bike to Work Day. For a while now I have been thinking about getting my bike fixed up. I always loved riding, but I have not been doing it much since I lived in San Jose. Last week I finally got off my butt and did something about it. I had no idea that bike to work day was this week.

Bike to work day has been an event at work for the last couple of years. It is not a huge thing, but I have seen the signs in the past and felt bad about not trying it. Now that my bike was fixed, I would have no excuse for not trying.

I have not rode my bike in years. I bought my bike in August of 1999 in Portland. I wrote it a lot that month. Portland is a great place to ride a bike. In September of 1999 I moved to San Jose. San Jose is not a very friendly bicycle city. It has been in storage (behind the couch) all that time.

My bike route from my apartment to the office was about 8.8 miles. It was not the most direct route, but I wanted to stay close to the light rail line. I wanted to be able to get on the light rail if the trip was too much for me. I got my bike from the bike shop on Friday, biked it around the block a couple of times Sunday, and rode it eight blocks on Monday. I knew I needed a back up plan for Bike to work day. The light rail was that backup plan.

I can finally say, Yes! I have biked to work. I made it all the way there on my own power. I did not have to resort to my backup plan. The trip was pretty interesting. Most of it was easier than I expected. The first 6 miles just flew by. I was not tired or aching at all.

The last two miles just killed me. I had two hills in those last two miles and it was just enough to zap me. I felt great when I got to work. I was happy that I was able to get through those tough stretches.

My only problem is that I was tired for the rest of the day. My legs felt heavy and I really wanted to take a nap. I got though the day, but every time I stood up I wanted to take a nap.

I did not ride all the way home. I biked two miles to a light rail stop and took the light rail the rest of the way home. My legs were so tired that I just had to take the light rail.

Now I have to figure out where to go from here. I know that I should keep biking to work. It is a good form of exercise and I like it. I need to make it so it does not wear me out and effect my work. I am thinking of riding 20 minutes and taking the light rail the rest of the way. That way I can build up my stamina. I know I just need to stick with it.