Biking Into Work

I finally biked to work! I started at 6:45 and went sixteen miles, per Google. I did it in a little over an hour, and I feel great. I didn’t push myself, and I was dealing with a lot of stoplights because my morning route takes me through downtown Minneapolis, so I could probably have done it in under an hour if I had a more-ideal course. I’m no longer worried about the MS150, however. As long as I get a good amount of training in beforehand, if I keep it slow and steady, I don’t think I’m going to have a problem with the trip. Looks like my Body for Life training has helped me out more than I anticipated. Last year, I remember the first ride of the year being torturous.

Although I feel fine now, miles one and two this morning were cold! I took it down to a lower gear to warm up: in a lower gear, your bike moves slower (less wind!) and your legs move faster. After that first few miles, I was fine, but I was seriously wondering about the wisdom of the trip prior to that.

Ideally, I would bike into work 2-3 times a week for training, but I don’t know how realistic this would be. We’ll see. I’ll try to pedal in on Friday.

I need to purchase a few items for this years biking season, and bike equipment is pricey! Things I need include:

– Bike Shorts: ($70) I’m using tri-shorts now, and I need more padding!
– Gel Gloves: ($30) I want to go a little pricey on these as I’m getting wrist problems
– New Shoes: ($150?) I have a set of Sidi shoes I bought used, which a tiny-bit big on me. New shoes are EXPENSIVE. I’ll have to do some research on them.
– Panniers(?): ($50-$80) I’m thinking of doing this. I do a lot of commuting, but I’m hesitant to add the weight and I’d have to install a rack ($30-$50), which I just think looks lame.
– Wedge Pack: ($20) the little pack that goes under the seat, good for repair kits, which I also don’t have.
– Repair Kit: ($20) I’ll definitely want this for the MS150. They have bike mechanics, but I could easily get stuck in a bad spot between stations

This is around $350 worth of equipment, which is more than I want to purchase right now. I’ll check online to see what I can get as a deal.

I have a friend who I was going to use as ride if I wasn’t feeling up for the bike home, but I’m not going to have to pull that lever. I’ll be fine.

Cheers!