Moms with young children -- finding time to ride

[ny biker]

I run because I can do that outside in the dark--I much prefer to exercise outside than riding a trainer or going to spin class.

I have no kids, but this might be helpful -- I like to go for a hilly ride (15-18 miles) one night per week after work. I developed a route near my office (in Arlington) that I really like. It's on mostly low-traffic roads and is a great workout. In the spring and fall I would usually finish around dusk but a good inexpensive headlight (Bontrager Ion 2) was sufficient for those conditions. I generally don't do the ride from mid/late October through late March, because I didn't want to ride after dark or in the cold.

A couple of months ago my job moved to an inconveniently-located and not very safe neighborhood in DC. I decided I wanted to continue doing my weekly rides after work in Arlington. But now I have to drive for about a half-hour to get to the ride start, so I'm starting later, and since it's fall already I'm finding that my rides are starting at sunset or later. So I decided to take the plunge and get a better headlight. I checked the reviews online and then got this one (which was also highly recommended by two people at my LBS):

http://thebikelane.com/product/light...t-173934-1.htm

And it's game changer. I now feel much more comfortable riding in total darkness. And it did not cost nearly as much as I thought I would have to spend to get a good light.

I also have several taillights and a couple of small blinking headlights, plus I wear reflective gear (wristbands and ankle bands plus this vest: http://www.teamestrogen.com/prodNN_2039N.html). I'm finding that I can see really well and drivers are also seeing me.

So basically what I'm trying to say is, for years I figured it wasn't worth the effort or cost to outfit myself for riding after dark, but the effort and cost really wasn't as much as I thought they'd be. And it can be fun riding in the dark, and very peaceful if you have a good network of quiet residential streets to ride on.

Now my only limiter is the cold. But I've been investing in better winter weather gear recently, so I'm going to try to keep doing the weekly night rides. I still probably won't be doing them in the worst winter months, but I'm looking forward to riding outdoors later into the fall and earlier in the spring.