Lovin' the Ride

I am committed to running in two 5Ks this summer and I haven't run since St. Patrick's Day. That doesn't bode well. And, honestly, my waistline is suffering the consequences. Conversely, if I run right now, my left knee will suffer. So I made a choice. This morning I made another choice: Bike, baby, bike!

It's no secret that I love biking. Bicycles (yes, I have several) are my primary mode of transportation — by choice, thank you. But as a means of transportation it provides me only minimal exercise. Yeah, it's more than many undertake, but pedaling leisurely about town on errands or back and forth a few blocks to work rarely breaks a sweat. Oh, it's as enjoyable as any activity one can do in public with a modicum of decency, but it's not burning a lot of calories.

So I've come to the conclusion I need to bike more for fitness, in addition to transportation. Pump those legs, feel the burn and all that. I've been out a few times since March 17, at random it seems, but I need to commit to a program just as I did when I began running. Hopefully I'll get good news when I finally make an appointment to see a doctor about the knee and can return to running. In the meantime — and perhaps even after that — I'm vowing to ride like the wind. Bull's-eye!

Today's ride was beautiful. Sunny and cool, the way spring is supposed to be. I love summer, but why rush it, eh? (Though that teaser was awfully nice.) I headed north to loop Lake Storey and stop at Dunham's Sports for a bicycle inner tube and Target for a card and toothpaste (aren't you thrilled to read my shopping list?). The lake route was gorgeous. The park is greening up and parks workers were out distributing picnic tables for the summer. The shelters already have their complement and two rows of tables remained to be hauled around the grounds. 

There was one little hitch in the ride. A downed tree about one-third of a mile from the start of the lake path blocked the way. A double culvert right at that point made for kind of a tight squeeze to get around the roadblock. I'll let the city staff know.

I snagged two CDs along South Lake Storey Road on the return leg. I think they're unused and not very marred. Still, I doubt they'll be recordable now. I saw a few cans, but didn't stop for them. I did grab the three easy marks in front of the apartment as I picked up some fluttering Subway napkins and other trash. (Yeah, I know, pat myself on the back; who else is gonna do it?)

Note: For those who care about the music, I was carrying my iPod Touch today instead of the Nano. I created a Genius Playlist starting with John Mayer's "Covered in Rain" because I love that song and found myself playing it on repeat for quite a while Sunday night. Genius gave me a mix of similar tunes, allowing me to stay in the mellow mood of "Rain" without wearing out the track in my head. I did once listen to "Rest Stop" by Matchbox 20 for eight hours straight one Saturday at work — until my CD player just stopped playing. No, the batteries weren't dead; it just got sick of it, I guess. Go figure.

Today's Stats
Temp: 46 degrees F (after temp; methinks it was cooler at the start)
Distance: 13 miles
Treasure: 2 recordable CD-Rs; 3 cans (right in front of my building); 1 27x1.25 bicycle tube (bought at Kmart, the only place in town that had one.

iPod Playlist (Genius playlist based on John Mayer's "Covered in Rain")
Amsterdam - Coldplay
Proudest Monkey - Dave Matthews Band
Catch My Disease - Ben Lee
Lenny/Man on the Side - John Mayer
Fortress Around Your Heart - Sting
I Hung My Head - Sting
For a Dancer - Jackson Browne
Angry - Matchbox 20
You're So Real - Matchbox 20
King of Pain - The Police
New York State of Mind - Billy Joel (Ya gotta check out this video!)
Comfortable - John Mayer
Kody - Matchbox 20
Hard on You - Rob Thomas
Warning Sign - Coldplay
Push - Matchbox 20