Week 8 Total

Week 8 Total = 43.4 miles biked!

This past week I passed 300 miles biked and $300 raised!

THANK YOU to anyone who has pledged. I can't tell you how many times I've thought about you all while riding my bike. I'm seriously so excited to have undertaken this project, and your participation is just awesome.

Week 7 Total

Week 7 Total = 38.5 miles biked.

At the onset of the week, I worried that I would be on the bus more than once, but once was it and the other days I enjoyed more mild weather and the ability to commute to and from work by bike. On Saturday, the 18th day of February, I rode my bike to the South Side without gloves on. Fingers crossed that the mild weather lasts another month or two.

Winter Biking

Back in October, the Post Gazette ran an alarming article about the upcoming Pittsburgh winter. It warned of doomsday and hearkened back to memories of Snowmaggedon (which I actually missed completely as I still lived in Boston at the time). "Below average temperatures. Above-average precipitation. A cold-snap for the holidays - all of them."

But, it just HASN'T happened.

Look at the upcoming ten-day forecast:

Note that I am writing this a few weeks before it'll post online. And by the time it does our luck will break and we'll be up to our necks in snow and ice.

I write this as a preface to discussing Winter Biking because it really hasn't been all that wintery. I'm not at the point yet where I can confidently ride a bike through the snow. I am improving though! Last year I refused to ride when it was cold enough to need a heavier winter coat while walking around. I took the bus for a little less than three months while I waited for temperatures to get back to a comfortable level. But this year, I've not been a wuss when it comes to biking in the cold and there have only been three or four days SINCE DECEMBER that I've found myself waiting on the corner of Friendship and Gross in the morning.

The most important difference between this year and last year is that I've properly attired myself, and that has made all the difference. Here's what I've been wearing that's been getting me through cold rides to and from work:

Knit Cap under Helmet: Even if it doesn't feel THAT cold out, I will still wear a knit cap on most mornings. My ears are prone to freezing quickly, and if they haven't frozen by the time I get to Penn and Main, they will by the time I've flown halfway down the hill into the Strip.

Layers on Upper Body: I will always wear at least a t-shirt and my Under Armour base layer under my jacket. If it's extremely cold I wear the base layer first and the t-shirt over it. It it's normal cold, the t-shirt then base layer. Most mornings I also wear a zip-up hooded sweatshirt, but it's been so mild that it's been left at home on many occasions.

Jacket: A white Marmot rain jacket. This may seem crazy, because it really is just a rain jacket, but it's waterproof and windproof. It has zippers in the armpit area so I can have ventilation when needed. When fully zipped it keeps the heat I'm generating in. I've NEVER been too cold on my bike in this jacket.

Legs and Feet: I wear American Apparel's winter legging every day, starting in the late fall. They are thick and warm and they've (so far) taken the wear and tear pretty well. For socks I wear a thick wool sock pulled up as high as it'll go under the leggings. If it's bitter cold, two pairs. For shoes I've just been wearing my Saucony's and have been getting by okay with those.

Gloves: I got a pair of Seirus gloves this year, and they have served me well. They aren't as warm as I'd like them to be on the coldest days, but I'm convinced I have poor circulation and skinny fingers that freeze very quick. Once or twice I've doubled up on gloves, wearing a thicker knit glove over the Seirus ones. To be fair, the guy at REI did tell me that there were better options for serious winter riding, but when I bought them in November I wasn't sure if I'd yet committed to serious winter riding. Next year I will probably invest in a warmer option. For now, well, I haven't lost a digit yet.

Things I Would Like to Add: Just two items on my wishlist for this winter or next: face mask, rain pants.

I am, of course, keeping my fingers crossed in hopes that this mild winter continues throughout the next month or two. But if the temperatures drop, I'll do my best to grin and bear it.

Week 6 Total

Week 6 Total = 27.6 miles biked.

Between bad weather and a bout of food poisoning, biking was down this week. And I expect it to continue through this week as tonight calls for snow, even though a warm-up is in our future.

After one official week of winter weather, I am officially over it and cannot wait for spring.

February 1, 2012: I biked 20 miles today!

I biked 20 miles today! Well, a week ago today!

What a treat. It was a little cloudy and cool when I started my ride, but by the end I almost didn't want to come back home. I went from up and down the Mon on the South Side to up and down the Mon on the Eliza Furnace Trail.

Starting to Bike to Work

I only started commuting to work by bike in November 2010. I'd been working downtown since early August of that year, but it took me until late-mid-ish fall to start riding in most everyday. I say most every day because I used the weather as an excuse to take a rest and take the bus. When I started bike commuting the ride there was easy and fun. The ride home? Much less so. There is no easy or simple way to get from where I work back to where I live without having to deal with a recreationally prohibitive climb. Whereas my ride to is fun and quick, my ride from involves pedaling up Penn Avenue, which - from Doughboy Square to Penn & Main - is a steady incline.

Graph of my round-trip commute by elevation. Significantly different experiences on each leg.

When I first started, it was hell. I love the speed of flying down Penn in the morning. The slight hint of danger is a good substitute on those mornings when I don't wake up with enough time to have a cup of coffee. But, at first, I'd see the clock nearing 5:30 p.m. at work and start to dread the necessity of exhausting myself just to get home. In the summer the climb was especially bad because of my natural "sweaty kid" nature. It took constant hydration on the way up and then a immediate shower once I got home. (Even though the sweatiness was an annoyance at the time, I yearn for it now over the startling pain of not being able to feel your hands squeeze the brakes because your hands are frozen.)

But, in time, my body has responded to the beating it started taking just over a year ago. Not only can I make it up Penn every time without stoping to catch my breath or rest (though I never complain about hitting the red light at Penn & 40th - in fact, I normally always enjoy it), but I can do it in a higher gear at a somewhat normal speed (i.e., it nearly takes the same amount of time to get to work as it does to get home now). I feel stronger and I've lost weight that steadily going to a gym for three years in Boston never seemed to shed.

I've no doubt that I am currently in the best shape of my life and that the toning and health benefits will continue as long as I keep pushing myself to ride my bike whenever possible.

If I had to offer a few tips for making the adjustment to commuting to work by bike:

• Get a rack. Get a set of panniers. Not having the added weight (or essentially a very thick layer of clothing in the summer) of a backpack has really made a big difference in my commute.
• Understand that at first it will be difficult - physically and maybe mentally. You'll be switching to an entirely different routine. You'll have to normalize your route, understand how much time you need to ready yourself and how much time it takes to actually ride in. Eventually both your legs and your brain will get it and everything will be second nature.
• Have fun! Flying down Penn in the morning is more fun than riding a crammed bus or sitting in a car stuck in traffic. Keeping the negatives of the alternatives in mind when you're commuting by bike goes a long way on that evening ride home when you're stuck in a downpour. I've had a couple really fun rides home in the rain committing to getting soaked and enjoying the absurdness of it.

Week 5 Total

Week 5 Total = 69.4 miles biked!

Woah! The mild winter continues, and it allowed me to take a 20-mile ride on the first day of February. Looking forward to next week, because the highs will be in the upper 30s and 40s again.