Commuting Hurdles

I have been bike commuting less this year and am sooooo torn. Seems I'm having a hard time getting over the hurdles.

Here's the deal: it's been hot this summer, hottest July on record for Salt Lake, and since I've been running a lot since last fall and don't want to give that up, I'm finding that the only time I can run comfortably is in the morning. I can't get a run in and get to work on time if I ride my bike, simple fact. It's only 7.3 miles one way but takes for freakin' ever because of stop lights and/or traffic. Door to desk (includes gussy up time) is about 1 hour.

I won't run in the dark because I run on the trail and there are big kitties out there (though I realize that they are just as or more active at twilight...but I'm in denial about that). I know once it cools down I'll be able to go back to evening running (which I prefer), but I'm afraid I'll talk myself out of riding because of the damn stop lights and traffic and potholes. Plus if I ride I can't make it to yoga, which I've been enjoying. And I won't be able to make it to the pool to swim with my friend. And... (you get the picture...excusination* runs rampant).

It boils down to time for me, and I guess that outweighs my general dislike of driving. The bike commute feels like it takes up quite a bit of time out of my day. And I'd still like to spend time with my hubby (hopefully going for a ride or something like that), take the dogs for a walk, and sleep in until 6 every now and then.

So, maybe I just need a good butt kickin'. Help shoot holes in my hurdles, ladies. Can I still continue training for a 50k run and commute to work on my bicycle and not PO my hubby and take the dogs for walks and go to yoga and sleep in sometimes and pull weeds in the evening and keep the house relatively dog hair free? :rolleyes:

*Definition of excusination: part excuses, part procrastination, all whiney.

How about commuting by run?

I see people doing that around here, backpack and all.

I like Knotted's suggestion, or maybe it would be easier to fit a run in with the ride to work if you rode to work first, and did your run near your office? You may find that the traffic is lighter a little earlier so you actually shave some time off of your commute, and I'd bet you'll ride faster thinking of your run than of work.

For the days when you want to do yoga or meet your friend at the pool maybe you can take your bike on public transport or get a ride from a co-worker that lives near where you are going? (since you're in Utah maybe you can even find one with a bike rack? :) )

You can do it. :)

Anne

My DH has been running home from work (about 3.5 miles) on and off since April. He loves it. Do you have facilities to clean up at work if you ran in? I can get away with not showering after commuting by bike, but if I ran to work? EEK!!!

Alternately, you could do a version of the car/bike commute, only with running, in case you weren't into running 7.5 miles 2x a day every day (you'd sure get better though! :eek: )

You could drive your bike into work once, then drive regular home, just leaving the bike there. Then the next day you could run in, then ride home. Alternate so that you not only get some bike time, but you get your run time too and you also get to rest your legs from the other activity. You could try and arrange this around your yoga classes, so that if they are Tues/Thur or whatever you could arrange to be not biking on the days you hit yoga, or you could always mix in a bit of car commuting too.

Since your training for a 50k run, the mileage might not be too much for you, but don't feel bad if you can't fit it all in, it's hard to be very active and still retain time for your family and friends without letting SOMETHING slide. My something is housework. :) But my bike hours have been cut down too, and since I started all this my climbing hours have decreased too. However, since I'm doing so much more and such a variety, I find that all of my sports have at least stayed at a general level, if not increased slightly in skill, simply due to my better overall shape. So while I might not be putting in as much time on each individual sport, it doesn't seem to be completely detrimental to any of them (though if I add any more, it very well might!)

K.

What time do you have to be at work? Can you drive 2 days and bike 3?
Can you run once you get to work? I guess that would depend on if you had a shower there.

Great thought, running to work, one I honestly hadn't come up with. But since it's all pavement to work, I won't be running the 7.3 miles to and from (plus that's be a little toooo much mileage :p ). I don't run on pavement. Plus there isn't a shower there. Problem.

No trails near work, so that's a no go also.

anaphase, that's kind of where I am now, but I seem to be driving more than riding because I'll yoga or swim or whatever on off-running days, which means that I need faster transportation to get there after work in order to get to class on time. I could ride those days, but then I don't get "Yoga for Stiffer Bodies", which I desperately need!

Traffic is already pretty light when I ride, but I get tangled up in the lights, none of which have sensors sensitive enough to register a bicycle. So it's ride over while negotiating poorly constructed ramps and power poles in the way, push the button, ride back, wait...sometimes several minutes...and then go. I admit that I have gone through red lights in clear intersections :eek: but I don't like to do that. But when it takes the light 4 minutes to change. Sheesh. I've been squeaking out new routes that have stop signs instead of lights but it doesn't seem to change the overall ride time.

Keep it comin'! :)

Is it possible for you to combine your running mornings with yoga/swim after work? And then bike commute on the other days?

Hmmm. That kind of sucks. I know that when I was training for tris, it was nearly impossible to get everything in without getting up at some ridiculous hour, and that was before we had a dog.

Could you swim really early? Or do a yoga practice at home (like if you go to class 2x per week, cut back to 1 and do a home practice early before work or on the weekends)? Or while you're training, could your DH handle dog duties for a while?

It's frustrating when you can't fit stuff in and it stresses you out, which is the exact opposite of what all that exercise is supposed to do for you. Maybe teach the dogs to run the vacuum? :) That would be so awesome if they could pick up after themselves.

I'll keep thinking about this. I hope that you can figure it out. Your ride to work sounds really annoying, actually, with the lights and potholes.

You ladies are awesome. Thanks for helping me think through this.

I've been trying to avoid twice a day workouts because I find it just wears me down, mostly mentally (I'm pretty good about throwing in easy weeks, but sometimes...). But I think I might just need to buck up and accept the fact that if I am committed to doing the 50k, then I will need to just do more with my time or give something up. I think already my running is suffering because I'm not focused on it. I really hate driving to work (or anywhere for that matter), so I am having a battle with myself about what is more important--running and other types of fitness or my loathing of feeling like I have to drive everywhere. These are all choices that I make, so I need to figure out the combination that will keep me mentally and physically healthy.

I love my DH, but he is not supportive of me doing anything endurance anymore, so I need to make sure that whatever I do doesn't rock that boat. Also, we have different opinions about what the house, yard, and dogs need, which means that in order for me to be satisfied with the house, yard, and dog situation, I have to do what I think needs to be done (can't expect him to do it). Again, choices I have made and continue to make.

So I think I'll continue to evaluate the circumstances and see if I can't get into some sort of comfortable pattern.

Thanks again for putting up with my blathering. :o

Can you combine exercising your dogs with warming up for either a run or a bike ride?

I can understand how you want to get it all in, but trying to catch a specific class is hard to do. Maybe that's one of the things that has to slide when you're training for a one-time goal?

Take the longer bike route with less stops, better workout and less frustration!

Otherwise - I do best when I plan housework. As in - yes, the house is a mess and there are dishes all over the sink, but 1. it's dhs job to wash and put away dishes so I'm gonna ignore it, and 2. on Wednesday I'm going to vacuum and clean up so it can all slide until then. So yes, I can just go out and do x, y or z as I'd planned :)

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Traffic is already pretty light when I ride, but I get tangled up in the lights, none of which have sensors sensitive enough to register a bicycle. So it's ride over while negotiating poorly constructed ramps and power poles in the way, push the button, ride back, wait...sometimes several minutes...and then go. I admit that I have gone through red lights in clear intersections

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I don't know about Utah's laws, but according to the League of American Bicyclists web site, if you wait for 3 minutes at a red light and it doesn't sense you, you can treat it like a stop sign (reference here). I also had one bike instructor who said that if the sensor doesn't notice you, get off your bike and lay it down on the ground in the sensor area. It's a metal detector in the road that isn't picking you up, and supposedly doing that helps it recognize you better. I've never done that, though... I thought it might look a little weird, besides being pretty awkward.

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Originally Posted by kfergos

I don't know about Utah's laws, but according to the League of American Bicyclists web site, if you wait for 3 minutes at a red light and it doesn't sense you, you can treat it like a stop sign (reference here). I also had one bike instructor who said that if the sensor doesn't notice you, get off your bike and lay it down on the ground in the sensor area. It's a metal detector in the road that isn't picking you up, and supposedly doing that helps it recognize you better. I've never done that, though... I thought it might look a little weird, besides being pretty awkward.

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yikes! 3 minutes! if I know the light in particular, I wait a bit (not 3 minutes) and go when it's safe. Any cop that stops me will have to explain to me how I COULD get the light to go and I would fight any ticket in court.

I've timed 3 minutes before, and it feels like a really, really long wait. I suppose it is, since you could probably ride a mile or so in the amount of time you sit at a stop light.