How Was Your Commute Today?

[lph]

Ooh, I have a new cold record! And a new handy tip!

My last "lowest" was around -15 C (5 F), but I remember it as a bit painful. Now I rode in to work (50 minutes) one morning in -16,5 C (2-3F), had a couple of cold fingertips on the downhill part, they thawed up nicely but then my toes started complaining, so when I got to work I had 3 or 4 really cold toes.

Next morning was -19 C, I wussed out.

Next morning was -16,5 C again, and I was determined to try again. Fashioned toe covers out of newspaper - one double sheet folded once, placed with the fold right in front of the cleat underneath my shoe, then just packed around my forefoot like packing a gift, and one round of tape around to hold it together. Then shoe covers over. Toasty warm, worked like a charm! And they were solid enough that they can be reused, even!

[redrhodie]

Fashioned toe covers out of newspaper - one double sheet folded once, placed with the fold right in front of the cleat underneath my shoe, then just packed around my forefoot like packing a gift, and one round of tape around to hold it together. Then shoe covers over. Toasty warm, worked like a charm! And they were solid enough that they can be reused, even!

I love that idea! I had a cold record yesterday, which I thought it was probably my limit, and it was about 15º warmer than yours! I have been thinking of plastic bags inside my shoe might help my frozen toes. The newspaper cover sounds like a great option, since I already have a lot going on inside my shoes, and I think numbness is partly due to lack of circulation by so many socks.

[lph]

Yup, I think newspaper is better than plastic when it's cold, because it'll absorb a little extra moisture instead of trapping it. I have pretty loose shoe covers though, so if yours are tight, like my old ones were, you might want to consider scrapping a pair of large old socks instead.

[pfunk12]

So why did 33 degrees with a wind chill of 22 degrees feel warm this morning? I woke up at 5:25, turned on the news to catch the weather and saw one of the reporters outside with snow coming down in the background. When I walked the dog at 5:40, the snow started to fall. They were calling for a dusting up to an inch - before 9 a.m. So I did the logical thing and left 10 minutes earlier than usual knowing that I would get to work before an inch of snow fell. It was a beautiful, peaceful commute with snow falling almost the entire time. The bike path and roads were fine but the bridges on the path were covered with snow. Why did I get excited when I saw the other bike tire tracks in the snow? Nice to know that there are other cyclists out there.

[Tri Girl]

it was chilly this morning. Temp of 20 with wind chill of 13. Not too bad, but my thumbs got cold (I have winter gloves that have a neoprene lobster sleeve that fits over the fingers, but not the thumbs). Toes and thumbs are the worst. Thankfully it's only a little over 3 miles, so even at my turtle pace it doesn't take longer than 15-20 min. max depending on how bad traffic is on the two major streets I have to cross.
I love getting props(in the form of: you're crazy) from co-workers when they see I rode to work. I keep hoping to inspire just ONE person (but so far no luck).

[Melalvai]

Why did I get excited when I saw the other bike tire tracks in the snow? Nice to know that there are other cyclists out there.

I love biking in winter because of that physical evidence that I'm not alone. I feel this warm camaraderie with someone I will probably never see. And with everyone who will see my tracks.

I love getting props(in the form of: you're crazy) from co-workers when they see I rode to work. I keep hoping to inspire just ONE person (but so far no luck).

1. You inspire me. Yes, I already bike, but I wouldn't continue to bike without people like you.
2. You'd be surprised at who you have inspired without knowing it. I get kind of hung up on certain people I want to inspire, such as my husband, or co-workers, that I don't appreciate the people I DO inspire, such as my dad, or co-workers I don't work directly with.

[pfunk12]

Melalvai is right, Tri Girl. They may not commute on their bike in the cold like you do because you're crazy. They may not even bike...period. But you are probably inspiring them in other ways and you don't know it.

2. You'd be surprised at who you have inspired without knowing it. I get kind of hung up on certain people I want to inspire, such as my husband, or co-workers, that I don't appreciate the people I DO inspire, such as my dad, or co-workers I don't work directly with.

[kmehrzad]

PFunk and TriGirl, you both are inspirational. I have a difficult time getting out on my bike when the temps are under 40 degrees. You ladies rock!

[Tri Girl]

I guess you're right, ladies. Maybe we're inspiring them in other ways.

Now pfunk, I will give you major props for riding in the snow. I'm so afraid of falling that I won't venture out in the snow. Although.... I guess I *could* take my mtn bike with the big ol' knobbies if it's snowing a little... hadn't thought of that. hmmm... now YOU are MY inspiration.

Keep it up, ladies!!! We're all doing great things for our bodies, the planet, our communities, etc.

[Biciclista]

I'm down to one commute a week. But i lucked out today and last week, Friday. The weather has been bad, lots of rain and cold too.

Today's a beautiful day and I came to work on my bike. YAY

[Melalvai]

I miss my bike. But I have had lots fewer flashbacks & anxiety attacks, so staying off the bike is good for now. Yesterday and today, I walked home with the pink setting sun. A row of deer ran across the road. Traffic stopped on both sides. Several deer, and another, and another, and another. I lost count but I guess 15-20 in that herd.

I like walking. It's a different pace. Since we moved here, I kept intending to walk some days instead of bike, but it is always inconvenient to change modes. If I want to walk I have to bring lunch, because it's too far to walk home for lunch. If I walk I can't throw everything in my basket, I have to figure out how to carry it all. If I walk I have to come home before dark or remember to bring a flashlight. All these things would be second nature if this was how I traveled all the time.

Even walking, I have some anxiety. Moments of a crystal clear image of an approaching vehicle out of control...but of course that doesn't happen. There's no urge to dive into the ditch, and it doesn't happen as often as on my bike. Walking a good way to travel for me right now.

[blackhillsbiker]

Lovely 30s & 40s today. Sometimes the commute home feels like a chore. Tonight it felt like my bike was a part of me. Hard to explain, but marvelous when it happens. Work has been incredibly stressful lately. I'm so grateful to have my commute to look forward to.

Deb

[Tri Girl]

I wimped out this morning. hit the snooze 3 times and kept rolling over. So to punish myself for not commuting I rode the trainer for 1:45. That will teach me to get out of bed tomorrow morning for sure!

[Crankin]

Melalvai, get a headlamp for walking. I have a cheaper one, from EMS, that cost around 25.00. I use it for walking, hiking, and as a back up for dark rides. That, plus some blinkies are good.

[tulip]

I wimped out this morning. hit the snooze 3 times and kept rolling over. So to punish myself for not commuting I rode the trainer for 1:45. That will teach me to get out of bed tomorrow morning for sure!

Oh, we do we feel the need to punish ourselves?? Really? It's okay to sleep in. It's okay to not be perfect. It's taken me 43 years to figure that out, and what a relief it is!

TriGirl, you are inspiring people even though you may not know it. When I lived in DC, I commuted by bike regularly (3-4 times a week) to and from my job 14 miles away. I just went along my regular life without thinking about inspiring anyone. It was a way to get to work; the best way in terms of time, fun, budget, and parking.

One morning, when I was slugging up a hill at the beginning of my route, a lady yelled to me from her porch. I stopped (I was almost stopped anyways because of the hill), and she came down off her porch in her pink bathrobe. She said that she had seen me ride my bike past her house for several years in all kinds of weather, and that because of that, she and her husband had gone out and bought bikes and were riding them around the neighborhood on nice days.

That totally made my day. See? you are probably inspiring people without even knowing it.