Dedication and Bike Riding

My husband and I like to ride our bikes. This summer, in an effort to stay fit, save money (gas was $5 a gallon), and be kind to the planet, we decided to try and ride our bikes twice a week to work.

We work near each other (~1 mile). We've got an 11-mile drive to work (each way), but 13 miles from work to our daycare provider, and 5 miles home from there. So we were each driving 29 miles per day. We've got small cars, but still. Why didn't we carpool? Well, I work part time, he works full time.

With the biking 2x a week, we are saving 22 miles per day (basically, the 11 mile drive to work, each way). I bike to work in the morning, hubby drives (drops off child) with the bike on the back & delivers the car to my office. He bikes the rest of the way to work and bikes home. I get off early, slap the bike on the back of the car, and drive to pick up our son.

That's almost a gallon of gas per day that we are saving. Twice a week. It's about $4 week now, but it was $10 when gas was hovering around $5/gallon.

Then the time change came. Hubby decided to try biking in the dark anyway. He'd done it in years past, but it's cold, it's dark, he has to go slower...

Now it's butt cold. BUTT cold. I was standing at the kitchen table this morning, dressed, looking at my helmet. Thinking "it's only 40 degrees outside". Now, our family members are reading this and thinking "wimp!" But consider biking 45-50 minutes, 11 miles (13 miles/hour). Ya know, it's cold. After Tuesday (also cold), I "upgraded" my wardrobe.

We dug out the skiing gear (heh, last time we went skiing was 1998. I wish I was joking. Actually I've only been skiing twice.) I grabbed a lined pair of gloves and a scarf. I wore two long-sleeved shirts and a sweatshirt, double layer socks, and slightly thicker shoes. It was a great improvement over Tuesday, and only my toes were a bit cold. And I made it in 45 mins, which is on the fast side for me.

I am feeling very dedicated today. :) I only saw two other riders out today, a lot fewer than normal.