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.