I Want To Ride My Bicycle

Now that spring break is over, the weather has improved. I'm not sure how long it will stay warm but each day that it isn't freezing, I have decided to ride my bike to and from school.

The best thing I have done so far is to buy myself a new bicycle seat. I had an idea last year of the kind of seat I wanted after I sat on my father's tractor in Arkansas. I finally found a seat that kind of looks like a tractor seat. I call it my "fat bottom girl" seat. It isn't as big as a tractor seat, but it does help keep me from getting bruises in unusual places.

Yesterday I measured the distance from my house to my school. It is only 4.1 miles one way. That really isn't that far. It only takes me about 25 minutes to get to school and about 20 minutes to get home.

I have tried different routes in the past and have found that every route includes steep hills. I like to think of my ride as interval training. It kind of reminds me of the exercise bike at the gym when I would set it for fat burn/interval training. I have finally settled on the safest, fastest route which includes only one really steep hill with a few ups and downs along the way. Another good thing about this route is that not too many of my students travel on it so I don't have too many students who witness all of my huffing and puffing.

M goal started out to get to school without a super red face and without my heart pounding out of my chest. My second goal was to be able to ride up the whole hill without stopping to get off to walk up the rest of the way. Now my goal is to be able to go up the Lindon hill without dropping down to the very lowest gear. That goal might take me a little while.

Once I get to school, I wash myself up a bit, curl my hair, and reapply my deodorant.

I have noticed several things since I have started to ride my bike to school. First, I have not only been on time to school, I have been early. Second, I have sore muscles and a few sore spots from my new seat, and third, my house is a lot messier since I am not staying home as long in the morning to clean it.

Overall I have enjoyed riding the bicycle to school. I lost my gym partner about a month ago when she got another job, and I have had a hard time consistently going to the gym. Riding my bike saves me money on gas, gets me to school and hopefully is getting me ready for the Trek that I will be doing in the summer with the youth at church.

I am hoping that I can keep up the bike riding throughout the summer. Wish me luck!