I missed most of last year commuting because I bought a new but different form
of 2-wheeled transportation (a Harley) and I used that to commute with. This
year my wife and I have made a commitment to get in better shape. We bought a
treadmill and have been using that since Christmas, and I have committed to
using my bicycle to commute with this year (NO motorcycle commuting!).
Generally I can't really start until June because my wife works a mid-shift
(noon-8:30PM) and is not home when my son gets home from school. It just ends
up that I get home a bit too late if I commute with the bike while school is
still in session. I think I will commit to going at least 2 days a week
starting in a week or so until school is out and then try to go 4 days as well.

I have to drive between locations at work so what I do is bring the bike with me
to work on Monday in the back of the pick-up, and then leave it at work during
the week and use the bike to commute back and forth with. That way the truck is
always here if I need it during the day, but still get to use the bike for
commuting. On Friday- the worst day to have to fight the beach traffic- I go
home on the bike, and then ride in on Saturday morning and put the bike in the
truck and drive it home so I have it on the weekends.

Looking on the positive side- if I have to run any errands I can always use the
Harley for those in the evenings! As a special treat for motivation I suscribed
to both Bicycling and Runners World (my wife is turning into an avid jogger!) so
I have to agree with the Penguin, get started! At least I am still using the
treadmill, and I have been riding the bike as often as I can given the weather,
so I figure I will be ready as soon as things warm up just a little! My other
major goal this year is to keep using the bike later this year than 2 years ago.
That year I stopped commuting as soon as school started in the fall but this
year I want to try to make it into October.

GaryP
Lewes, Delaware


----- Original Message ----
From: adyard <adyard@...>
To: bicyclecommuting@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, April 1, 2008 8:57:20 AM
Subject: [Bicycle Commuting] Time to Get Serious About Commuting

Okay, Fellow Commuters:

It's well within comfortable riding temperature here today. True, we
have severe wind warnings that may blow over semi trailers and a
little rain in the forecast, but it's time to roll into work on two
wheels instead of four!
After looking at the icebike.org wedsite, I kind of feel like a wimp
for not getting out there sooner. No, I didn't pedal in today. I
have a reasonable plan, though, and a goal of riding in at least a
specific number of times this season. To achieve this goal, the plan
is to ride 4 out of 5 days each week. This allows 1 day each week to
run those errands after work that come up.

Why am I posting this? I need to keep myself accountable to stick
with the plan, and I would like to hear from others who have plans,
either initial plans for the season or proven plans that work.

If you're encouraged by these thoughts, along with the breeze in your
face and the extra energy you feel after a ride into work, I'd like
to hear from you. Sure, we challenge ourselves to do these things.
Habits take about three weeks to establish. The bicycle commuting
habit is a good one to have. To paraphrase the Penguin in Runners
World, the hard part isn't finishing; it's starting.

Best wishes to you.

Al


------------------------------------

Yahoo! Groups Links










________________________________________________________________________________\
____
You rock. That's why Blockbuster's offering you one month of Blockbuster Total
Access, No Cost.
http://tc.deals.yahoo.com/tc/blockbuster/text5.com

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]