Miner goes Commuting!

Commuting to work via bike is something that I’ve wanted to do for the past few years. The excuses for not doing it always came easy and I never seemed to take it too seriously until this year. Inspired by my buddy Pat up in Chicago who commutes to work via bike every day of the year and along with the outrageously high gas prices I decided it was time to get serious about starting. As I just mentioned, it was the excuses that kept me from doing it previously. Specifically some of these were what do I do about my work clothes since I have to dress professionally here at work, what do I do about a shower and what do I do if I need a car to drive out to a clients project site? I realized that my whole problem was that I thought commuting to work meant I had to do it every day of the work week. Once I got it into my mind that this wasn’t true, two out of the three issues above simply went away. What I do is that on the days that I have to drive into work (if I need to drive to a project site, pick up kids after work, etc.) I bring my clothes that I’ll need for the days that I plan on riding and just leave them in my office, hence keeping everything looking wrinkle free! As for the shower, my building does have a shower facility here in the building should I need it. I say should because so far I haven’t. My commute is just under 5 miles and what I find is that even with some of the small climbs that I have, I’m just getting warmed up by the time that I get here. So, showering before I leave the house is still working out well. This might change once the temperature gets a bit warmer and muggier, but I’ll deal with that issue when it arises.

Commuting to work also helps me feel connected to riding. Having for the most part stopped seriously training so I can better prepare for the Columbus Marathon, riding in three days a week at least keeps me feeling like I’m not completely throwing away all that fitness I gained through the winter and spring. In the back of my mind I’m really hoping that these commutes along with the occasional team training ride can keep me somewhat in shape (along with tons of running) so I can get back on the bike just in time for cyclocross season. As for my daily commute, pretty straight forward really. I’m treated each morning with an amazing view of the City as I roll behind Saint Thomas Hospital and down Howard Street. I’ve also found this amazing street that I wouldn’t have known about otherwise called Bluff. It’s got some amazing cobbles to it, and I mean true cobbles, not just brick pavers. Check out the picture below. If it was located in a more convenient location, it would be awesome to try to race up.

Until next time,

b