Commuting Hurdles

[anaphase]

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.

[yellow]

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 ). 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 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'!

[Dianyla]

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

[anaphase]

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.

[yellow]

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.

[lph]

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

[kfergos]

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

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.

[mimitabby]

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.

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.

[kfergos]

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.