Rob Raux - Observations

Commuting to work in Ann Arbor on a bike - DAY 3

Day 3 has come and pass and I’ve made it through.

In retrospect it was a very smart choice to begin on a Wednesday.  This let me have 3 days to get into the groove followed by two days to heal.

I’m getting into a groove now and had few problems on the commute.  The only real issue now is the soreness from jumping from 0 miles per week of biking to 100.   I know  100 miles / week is not overwhelming by any standards, however I wasn’t in particularly good shape when I began the process.  I expect another week of pain, finding myself much stronger and having increased endurance at the end.

The week to week and a half ramp up time is what I found exists in most sports and exercising.  If you haven’t been performing up to the physical challenge previously, you’ve got to suck it up and force yourself through it.  This doesn’t mean you should overdo it, since this is the most important time to show restraint, however you can’t fall over the other side of the fence either.

Managing your mindset is the most important aspect.  The pain is a good thing so long as it’s consistent and over entire regions.  If you find yourself with particular sticking points, you have a problem on your hands.

The worst thing you can do is just get yourself into a groove, just get yourself to a fitness level and overdo it, rendering all that initial effort useless.

Things learned biking today (or yesterday in fact):

1. Some stop signs you can run, most you should not.  Would you rather get somewhere a bit quicker, or be dead? Hmmm… I’ll think on that one.
2. Bike Shorts may _not_ be necessary. I think I might be getting adjusted, or the bike is getting adjusted to me.  Either way it’s definitely getting better with seat to ass contact.  My legs have been so sore I’d rather be sitting down.

I’m tempted to go out for a quick spin today. I miss riding the bike.  I am going to take it easy however. Perhaps I will just wipe it down.

I find myself becoming a bike fanatic and in only 4 days time.  I’m enjoying me decision and appreciate the benefits of commuting to work on a bike more and more each day.  It even has me writing more, if only to communicate a few bike related issues.

In an utterly unrelated issue I may start porting more often, however I do not think I’ll continue to have a day by day bike log. I can’t possibly drum up that much!