Commuting accomplishmet!

I haven't don't much in the way of exciting recreational riding lately, which has me a little down even though I know it's just the usual winter lull. But I realized I could celebrate my commute at least. I have three different workplaces (I teach dance at three different studios)--two of them I usually drive to (one is 20 miles away, the other, well, there are a lot of excuses involved in that one...), but one of them is a really nice bike commute. I'm there two days a week, and so far this school year I've biked there every single time! Usually I get lazy and do about half and half driving/biking there, so I'm feeling pretty good.

One of the nice things about biking to this job is that one of my work days is Saturday morning (not that I am thrilled about getting up early on a weekend...), and if I can drag myself out of bed early enough, I can add in some extra miles on deserted roads with beautiful views. I hate the part when the alarm clock goes off, but it really starts my whole day off right if I get out there and toodle around for a bit before work.

As added incentive, I recently blinged out my usual commuting bike, adding mudflaps to the fenders, and putting a rear rack back on (I had stolen my husband's rack, but then he unkindly stole it back...) Just add my Shower's Pass jacket, and I'm practically a caricature of the Seattle bike commuter :)

I'm hoping I can keep this up through the rest of the school year, and bike to my other workplaces more frequently. I know I'm happier when I do (spending a few hours in a dance studio with a bunch of sweaty people makes you really appreciate the fresh air!), but the other places present more of a challenge. I'm not really a New Year's resolution kind of person, but maybe I should make an exception.

Any stick/carrot suggestions that have worked for you? Or commuting victories of your own? I feel that even publicly saying I intend to do more bike commuting in the New Year will help, but always happy for more ideas :)