See RocBike for a full ride report of my 45-miler.
And my flickr set of the ride is here.
Here are my favorite pictures from the day, a swan on the nest
protected by its mate
and a family of Canada geese
Remember that quote about a young man's fancy turning to thoughts of love in spring? Same for birds...
I completed my 45-mile bike ride today (and none too soon, as tomorrow is my birthday!). I covered terrain from Rochester to Lake Ontario, back to Rochester, to Perinton, and BACK home to Rochester. It felt great...complete ride report to follow.
...is that they will ask you if you actually accomplished them.
I told colleagues, friends, kids, Team RocBike that I was planning to do my 45 mile bike ride over Thanksgiving weekend. All week, I've been watching the weather forecast, so that I could go on a relatively warm and dry day. Today was forecast to be in the mid-40's and mostly sunny. Perfect!
I woke up this morning with the sniffles, but not to be deterred, T. and I set out. We headed out to the Erie Canal Trail in Fairport, with the plan to bike to Newark and back, until we reached the magic number.
Don't we look cheery and optimistic?
The first 10 miles felt pretty good. By then, I had removed a lot my cold weather gear (fleece, gloves, hat, and sleeves off the biking jacket.) I was very comfortable, in terms of the weather. However, the terrain was not what I expected...(wet) crushed cinders. I expected the cinders, but hadn't considered the effect of the recent wet weather on the surface. At times it felt like I was biking in sand. You can see the mud that's splashed up on my bike (along with the remnants of Thanksgiving's snow).
I caught up with Tanya munching on her apple at Palmyra's Aqueduct Park.
When I told her that we were 1/4 of the way done (the odometer read 11.73), she uttered some words from which I will spare you. She hated biking on the surface we were on. What's more, when we did the math, we realized that we were going quite a bit slower than usual (I was biking about 60-75% of my usual MPH), and that there was no way we could get to Newark and back to the car before nightfall. Not wanting to bike after dark on the unlighted canal, since we both have headlights more useful for being seen by others than illuminating darkness, we came up with Plan B. Bike back to Fairport, have lunch there, then bike on to Genesee Valley Park, on a paved portion of the trail, and BACK to Fairport to the 45-mile mark.
Well, that seemed reasonable. We even biked a bit on the road just to give ourselves a break from the cinders. But here's another thing we didn't consider...the wind. That was the one thing that hadn't seemed perfect about the weather forecast, predicting gusts 15-20 MPH. I didn't think it would be too bad, but we were biking right into it. The last 6 miles to Fairport felt like twice that.
When I started out, I had told myself that if I started to feel like I was really making myself sick (since I had the sniffles), that I would stop. Those last 6 miles, I was feeling pretty achy. When I got to Fairport Village Coffee...
T. was already ensconced with a cup of coffee. We ordered some veggie chili and a portabella panini, plus I got myself a ginger soy decaf latte (all were excellent, by the way). And then we both agreed that we were done for the day. We would have had to really push it to finish before dark. It made me feel a little better that she, the stronger and faster athlete, was achy and tired, too. She had just biked her usual 20-mile route yesterday and had felt fine. We could only guess that the combination of the terrain and wind, quite frankly, were just more than we were ready for, given the time we had given ourselves to complete the ride.
But you know what? It's okay...I have till next May. I wanted to do it now, because I know it will be harder to get out on my bike over the winter months, and I've been cycling quite a bit this fall. But this will be incentive to keep in shape and keep biking! Considering that, until I set myself this challenge, biking 8 miles was about as much as I was willing to push myself, and then only in warm weather, I feel okay about it. It will happen! Can't you tell by the look on my face, at 24.24 miles?
(Cross-posted at Rocbike)
I’ve been cycling off and on since forever, but when I started working within two miles of my home, two years ago, I began to bike more frequently. It seemed ridiculous to get in my car and contribute to the melting ice caps, all to go a distance that I could get to just as quickly on bike as by car. That led to running errands, visiting friends, going food shopping, all on bike. Since my 45th year challenge, I’ve stepped up the cycling even more. It all started when Pat from the Rochester Bicycling Club wished me a happy birthday, and suggested that I should bike my age in miles.
I thought, I can do that…in fact, I probably could have done it that day (which was my 44th birthday), but it undoubtedly would have hurt. I’m going for the low-pain ride…so, in addition to the daily cycling, I’m going for longer and longer rides on the weekends. My goal is to do the 45-miler over Thanksgiving weekend.
But there are other reasons that keep me biking, beyond the first motivation of cutting my carbon footprint and the second of celebrating this turning point year, in which I can finally feel myself relaxing into the sheer unpredictability of life.
I keep biking because it connects me to my neighborhood, my community. For example, I take night classes at the University of Rochester, also only two miles from my home. Most of my classmates (like me) are full-time employees and part-time students. They say that they don’t really feel that connected to the graduate program, because they drive in and drive out, often in darkness…straight from the parking lot to the classroom, and back again.
On the other hand, I bike up Mt. Hope Avenue, alongside the Genesee River, past the UR tennis courts and apartments, past the library, and behind the academic quad to my classroom. On this ride I think often of my former father-in-law, now gone for fifteen years, who worked at UR for many years. When I first met him, he gave me a tour of the campus and told me its history. I’ve forgotten most of it, but I do remember that where the campus stands was once a golf course. I often picture that golf course and think fondly of him, one of the most loving and ethical people I have ever met.
On Halloween, I saw undergrads in costume heading out for the night on the UR bus, graduate students in the library (probably oblivious to the fact that it was Halloween), and on the way back, I biked parallel with another student heading from campus to our neighborhood. (Actually, I passed her going up the hill on McLean, and since she was half my age, this made me quite pleased with myself.)
It really does make me feel connected to be on my bike, instead of ensconced and climate-controlled in a car. And to be perfectly honest, there’s nothing like bike commuting to give you that slight, “I’m so cool AND I’m doing the right thing” tinge of self-righteousness. I might be overtaken by the self-righteousness if I weren’t having so much fun noticing the changing of the seasons and feeling the strength in my body that comes from propelling yourself rather than letting a motor do it.
And speaking of strength, I’m also noticing a huge leap in my strength and endurance. My 20-mile bike ride last weekend felt like nothing, even without padded bike shorts! (For more on the significance of that last detail, see Hubris.)
As the weather turns cold, I’m wondering if I can maintain this level of cycling throughout the winter. For one thing, I have to dress “professionally” for my job, and carrying the layers of clothing needed to change into, along with the layers I’ll need to wear, feels like a bit much. For another, money put into the current bike to outfit it for winter is money that can’t go towards an XtraCycle next year! I’m counting on the RocBike community to give me the right tips and help me keep the motivation to keep it up!
I am generally an optimistic person. For example, my approach to balancing the checkbook is, "Why bother? I'm sure it will all work out." I suppose you can guess how that goes over in our household (and who balances the checkbook!).
My optimism has its advantages. For example, I think it is perfectly reasonable to work full-time, be a relatively competent and loving parent, pursue a Ph.D., work on causes important to me in the community, and have a great intimate relationship and a life rich with meaningful friendships. Oh, and finish 45 hand-made objects, bike 45 miles, and do a 45-hour retreat all in one year.
By and large, I'm mostly successful at the above list, which, of course, only feeds my optimism and makes me think I can do more and more. Thus, occasionally, my optimism turns to hubris. I have recently been reminded of this in the most indelicate way.
Case in point--my seat.
I've been thinking...45-mile bike ride...no big deal. To any of the Serious Cyclists out there, you're saying, "Yeah, NOT a big deal!" But I am not a Serious Cyclist. No, I am a mere dilettante...I actually bike for mostly practical purposes, commuting to work and around the city, to reduce my own contribution to climate change, to see some new scenery on the weekend, to get a decent workout, and to have fun.
Notice, I said to have FUN. Things I do not find fun include: biking huge hills, biking on roads likely to hold enraged Hummer-drivers, or, truly, any kind of exercise-induced pain.
Which takes me back to my seat. T. and I biked 20 miles this past weekend, through Genesee Valley Park and on to the Erie Canal Trail to Schoen Place in Pittsford, then back home. Great ride! Really beautiful and with a break for ice cream in the middle.
On the way back, and I know some of you cyclists have done this, I occasionally had to stand on my pedals just to relieve the pressure...you know where. Yes, I have a comfy seat, and yes, I have cycling pants with extra padding so I feel like I'm wearing a diaper.
But nothing makes up for the fact that, since I haven't been cycling that far at a time, my seat endurance, so to speak, is not what it could be.
Ah, the hubris...sure, 45 miles, no big deal. What, do you expect me to actually TRAIN for that?
I just left a comment for Jason over at Rocbike, a blog about bike commuting in Rochester, in which I said that my blog has a bicycling aspect to it. Then I realized, I have not posted ANYTHING about bicycling, even though that is one of my 45th year goals!
So, yes, I have been biking. I bike almost every day to work. It's only about 2 miles, but it is such an invigorating way to start the day! I bike along the Erie Canal, and this is my view as I head into downtown.
I also bike around the city to a lot of my errands. Those little trips add up, but they don't really prepare me for 45 miles in one day. So, I've started doing longer trips, mostly at various points along the Erie Canal. First 8 miles, then 12, then 15. I have a fair amount of endurance, although not a lot of speed. My bike is a Specialized CrossRoads, which is a perfect commuting bike, but heavier and slower than a road bike. That's okay, I'm not really in a hurry. My goal is to complete my 45-miler in early October.
There are all kinds of good purely recreational reasons to bike...it gets your body moving, it connects you with your neighborhood, it reminds you that you are a part of the natural world, it's a time to de-compress from the everyday.
And you already know the environmental reasons, I'm sure...you know, global warming, peak oil, yada yada...You have heard of a little movie called Inconvenient Truth? Made by someone we elected president?
Okay, if you're not convinced yet, I send you to the powers of the Yarn Harlot. She mentions the most important part about biking...it makes you feel "pretty good-looking"!
Go ahead, just try to resist getting out on your bike.
I promised T that I would make new cushions for our sofa, before her parents come to visit. They'll be here tomorrow afternoon. Two out of five are finished.
Last night, after a long day, instead of working on the pillows (my original plan), we took a walk up to Highland Park, came back home, then went to a celebration at our next door neighbor's, complete with amazing chocolate cake from Premier Pastry. Now, all those things were totally worth it, even though I will probably have a late night tonight, after DD's concert, finishing the pillows.
But it got me thinking...the NEXT day after I turned in my last project for the semester, I started this blog, which as you'll notice, is actually ALL about meeting a deadline. Apparently I can't get enough deadlines in my life. On top of that, whenever I have a deadline to meet--a gift, a grant proposal, a paper--I am invariably working on it up to the last minute.
Generally this works well for me. I do good work under pressure. And it's not like I don't start in advance...I do, though not nearly as soon as people with a lower tolerance for anxiety might. But it also means that I don't always finish things by the deadline, or finish them to the level of excellence that I would like.
I think this mild procrastination is a way of rebelling against schedules, since so much of my life is dominated by them. On the other end of the continuum, one summer I had a lot of unscheduled time, and came to realize that there IS such a thing as too little structure.
So, the trick is having enough structure, but not so much that I rebel against it, procrastinate and thereby make myself nuts as I work against deadlines!
I'm not making any promises about improvement in this area, but I'll keep you posted as to how it goes!
Meanwhile, some pictures from Highland (downloaded from here) are interspersed as a reminder that some things are worth abandoning the schedule.
I turned 44 this year. It has been quite the year, actually the past 5 years or so have been years of growth borne from life's usual difficulties and of course lots of joys. For some reason this year feels like a turning point. Maybe it is because my oldest is going away to college, or because I have started working on a Ph.D. or just because I feel myself moving (I'm not there yet!) to a stronger and wiser place.
One of my colleagues at work, who is a serious bicyclist (I am a commuting/recreational cyclist), wrote on my card "Now you need to bike your years in miles." I thought...I could do that! Well, maybe not today or tomorrow, but before the snow flies, certainly. Then I thought, what else could I do 44 of? Actually, I decided on 45 because it's a nice round number, and technically, this is my 45th year.
I meditate some and do yoga some, but I've never made a serious commitment. I've done silent group retreats, and one solo retreat during a key transitional point in my life many years ago, so my second goal will be to go on a 45-hour solo retreat, at some point during the next year. I don't THINK 45 hours will be much of a challenge, but taking the next step to 45 days would be way too long for me! The point of this goal is to make a deeper commitment to spiritual practice.
Deciding on my third goal was easy. I love knitting especially, and dabble in making all kinds of things, from sewn items to handmade paper to homemade preserves. This goal won't be as easy to execute as it was to decide on, because I tend to flit from one project to the next without completing things. I probably have at least 12 knitted UFO's (I refuse to count the exact number!). So this goal is to complete 45 handmade items. They can be things I've already started, in fact, that's part of the point.
Thanks for reading about my journey! It should be an interesting year!
