Thank you ladies!!!

Thanks to your help I did my first commute to work today. I searched around here last week and found all of the previous threads about preparation, what to take, clean up etc that I was worried about and had been keeping me from commuting up til now. You answered all my questions!

So with unscented baby wipes, :::insert brand name::: daily facials, and a really good shower this am, I am sitting here at work not stinking!!!! :D Which was a bigger worry to me than getting run over by a car. :rolleyes:

I picked the wrong clothing to bring to work. My bike map recommended rolling instead of folding your clothes too keep them for getting wrinkled. Well, no matter how carefully you roll a linen/rayon skirt it is still going to look like you slept in it. Oh well. First lesson learned.

But other than that things went as predicted. The ride in the morning is a breeze. All downhill. Only took me about 10 minutes to get here. The trip this afternoon will be rough though. All up hill for 5 miles. ugh! My trial run on Saturday took me 35 minutes getting home. Yeah, I am not in the greatest shape at the moment but I will be soon! ;)

I was able to actually be nice to people and say hello to the folks I passed. Which is different from the usual, "Get the h*** out of the way you freaking moron" while driving on Albuquerque streets.

So anyways, I thoroughly enjoyed it and will continue to commute by bike!!!

Saving the planet one bike ride at a time.:)

Hip, hip, hooray for you!!!!! :D
Congrats on your first commute. I'm glad that it all went very well, and hoping that you'll enjoy many more bike commutes in the future.

BTW, Downy Wrinkle releaser is my favorite remedy to wrinkly clothes at work. Keep some in your desk/locker,etc and spray on if your clothes get wrinkly on the way to work.

5 miles uphill in 35 minutes sounds pretty darn good to me. You should see the pathetic hills I run into that send my heart rate to 170.

sounds great! my 4 miles uphill takes about 25-30 minutes. Congrats on your first commute.
I can't believe you were more worried about stinking than cars!

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Originally Posted by Tri Girl

Hip, hip, hooray for you!!!!! :D
Congrats on your first commute. I'm glad that it all went very well, and hoping that you'll enjoy many more bike commutes in the future.

BTW, Downy Wrinkle releaser is my favorite remedy to wrinkly clothes at work. Keep some in your desk/locker,etc and spray on if your clothes get wrinkly on the way to work.

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Hey! That is a great idea! Thanks!

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Originally Posted by rhyme

5 miles uphill in 35 minutes sounds pretty darn good to me. You should see the pathetic hills I run into that send my heart rate to 170.

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Well, I am sure my heart rate will be right up with yours. Maybe I should put 911 on alert.

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Originally Posted by mimitabby

sounds great! my 4 miles uphill takes about 25-30 minutes. Congrats on your first commute.
I can't believe you were more worried about stinking than cars!

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I know. Makeup too, don't forget. Gotta put my face on every morning.

Here in Alb we actually do have good bike paths and bike lanes. Crossing major intersections is kind of nervewracking but I just make sure I am as visible as possible.

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Originally Posted by BBsw

All up hill for 5 miles. ugh! My trial run on Saturday took me 35 minutes getting home. Yeah, I am not in the greatest shape at the moment but I will be soon!

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I don't think that being in great shape makes a lot of difference on how long it takes to commute. Riding through traffic is just slower than going out on a county road or trail or something.

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Originally Posted by BBsw

All up hill for 5 miles. ugh! My trial run on Saturday took me 35 minutes getting home. Yeah, I am not in the greatest shape at the moment but I will be soon! ;)

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Think of it as hill training. The best way to go faster on the flats is to train your legs to pump on the hills.

Well, the going home was rough. I made it 45 min. Very strong head winds and much heavy panniers than I expected. Amazing how I didn't feel how heavy they were when I was going downhill. :rolleyes: Need to lighten my load a bit.

Uphills are good for me!

but you did it! wonderful! when will be your next commute day?

YAY!!! Congratulations.

I wonder if we ever forget our first bike commute day!?

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Originally Posted by mimitabby

but you did it! wonderful! when will be your next commute day?

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I will start riding M/W/F every week starting next week. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays will be my morning runs. I don't thinks this ol' bod' could handle doing both in one day. I am really looking forward too it. Yesterday was really a blast!:)

Congrats, that's awesome! And welcome to the commuting club! ;)

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Originally Posted by BBsw

I will start riding M/W/F every week starting next week. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays will be my morning runs. I don't thinks this ol' bod' could handle doing both in one day. I am really looking forward too it. Yesterday was really a blast!:)

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That's a great plan. I love it when people get a little creative like that to make their bike commuting work.

Great job! I have the opposite problem: all my hills are on the way to work, when I'm sleepy. I thought I'd be fine using the shower here at work, but I've been in MRIs that were bigger!:eek:

Well, yesterday was my second ride. It was a blast. I still don't have my timing right though. I need to leave earlier.

On the way home, I met a woman who has been commuting for 3 years. She asked me if I was new and said she could tell by my new panniers. I replied that they did get splashed when went through a puddle! She laughed. Maybe I should rub my panniers down with dirt so I don't look like such a rookie.

You know, I am starting to feel like I have been missing out on a great thing for a long time. When I get home, I am relaxed. I don't have to unwind like I did when I was driving. This is great! My wee dog and I just go out for a leisurely walk and have the rest of the evening to do whatever we please.