Week Eight - Day Five

TIME THERE: 25 min.
TIME BACK: 24 min.
WEATHER: clear, 0C, no wind there; overcast, 9C, 7km/hr wind back.
WHAT I WORE: yoga pants, t-shirt, waterproof shell, scarf, running gloves (scarf in panniers on the way home)
NOTES:

Recurrent Theme

I was asleep on an airplane, at the tail end of a long international flight. I awoke suddenly to intense, rolling, red-orange flames consuming the body of the plane. The ensuing shrieks of terror from my fellow flyers filled my ears, even over the deafening roar of the fire. I was distinctly upset that I had been awakened from my slumber. However, I was comforted to know that we were already on the ground, though still taxiing, and that help was on its way. I knew I would survive it, even if it would be very unpleasant until my help arrived.

Then I woke up from my dream. Interesting, I thought to myself, reviewing the images still dancing on my retina of the fire and the screaming passengers. It was then that I noticed my daughter's cries. Ah, I thought, of course. It was 5:45 am, an hour before the alarm was set to go off, and my desperately sleepy little head tried to integrate her cries into my dream about peaceful international travel. How I long to get away! But why the crash? Oh yes, I recently told an acquaintance that I always fear crashing whenever I fly, but I'm comforted by the knowledge that this seems to be my only irrational fear.

Unless . . . MAYBE the flying represented my desire for freedom and the FLAMES represented my inability to be free because of my responsibilities to my daughter, and MAYBE my CALMNESS about the whole event suggests I have accepted my lack of freedom and am fine waiting until the day I'm "SAVED" and can feel FREE again! Then again, I'm a psychologist, so maybe I'm reading too much into all this.

Regardless, I was up before 6 am this morning to change a poopy diaper. I didn't go back to sleep since my daughter didn't either. I just know that this blog has the hallmarks of my most common theme so far: I'm tired. So very, very tired. How nice it's almost the weekend - if only that meant I could sleep in! Well, perhaps when the flames die down, I'll catch up on sleep, and feel more free, and have fewer demands on my time. Perhaps . . .

Week Eight - Day Four

TIME THERE: 25 min.
TIME BACK: 27 min.
WEATHER: overcast, 4C, 9km/hr wind there; partly cloudy, 11C, 15km/hr wind back
WHAT I WORE: yoga pants, t-shirt, waterproof shell, scarf, running gloves (scarf in panniers on the way home)
NOTES:

If My Body's a Temple, I'm Switching Religions

My body and I have not been getting along lately. I've had "that time of the month" twice in the past four weeks, the last one lasting over a week. I feel like I haven't lost weight all month, despite continuing to bike to work for better or worse - even through the snow! The last few days I've been hungry all the time, and it seems no matter how much I eat I'm never fully satisfied. I even wonder if I've been gaining weight, because I sure feel gross around the middle. I've been sleeping very well and despite that I'm still feeling tired all the time, and to top it all off I ended up with a pretty bad stomach-ache for a couple hours following lunch this afternoon.

Seriously, Body, what gives?? Exasperated sigh!

Well, Body, my friend, I guess we've been through worse. There was that time during my Master's that I had debilitating stomach pains for literally hours a day for several weeks in a row, before they mysteriously disappeared the moment I found out I got into my PhD program. And that other time I tried a new form of birth control that ended up wreaking havoc on my system for the entire nine months I was on it. And that period during my undergrad that I worked so hard, so long, and so sleeplessly that I ended up stress-injuring both my knees so that I couldn't even use the low-impact elliptical machine anymore to work out. Then the weight gain started. But, hey, at least I got a scholarship that year! That made it worth it, right?

Hmm, you know, Body, I'm noticing a theme here. I haven't treated you very nicely in the past. I have worked hard, not taken enough time to de-stress, treated you poorly through lack of good nutrition and exercise, and yet you're still so good to me! You've really stuck with me all these years, and have given no indication you're on your way out anytime soon. You've never let me have a hangover, you've carried the extra weight I've given you while (for the most part) maintaining your lovely curves, and you allowed me to have the most wonderful pregnancy a girl could possibly hope for. What more could I ask of you, really?

I'm sorry I got mad at you for a minute there, Body, that was unfair of me. Perhaps I should treat you to a bit longer sleep tonight, just for good measure. Just stick with me, now - I promise, I've changed! No more working crazy hours, no more abusing you with crappy nutrition and lack of exercise. As long as you don't mind copious amounts of gingerbread over the holidays, and neon-coloured Slurpees in the summer, I'll be sure to treat you the way you deserve to be treated! After all the good you've done me all these years, my friend, it's the very least I can do.

Week Eight - Day Three

BIKE: Mike
TIME THERE: 26 min.
TIME BACK: 26 min.
WEATHER: clear, -4C, 9km/hr wind there; overcast, 4C, 13km/hr wind back.
WHAT I WORE: yoga pants, t-shirt, waterproof shell, scarf, running gloves (scarf in panniers on the way home)
NOTES:

The Pace Setter

Passing through Oliver, the neighbourhood on the north side of the river valley and directly opposite the university on the south side, I crossed paths with a fellow cyclist. He was on a mountain bike with tires that are not as wide or knobby as Eastwood's, but are most certainly more serious than my 700c road bike tires on Mike. We met at a four-way stop - I was going straight through the intersection heading east, and he was turning left from the north so that he ended up directly in front of me heading east.

I've mentioned before that I have a bit of a competitive spirit, so it should come as no surprise to anyone that having this fellow in front of me the rest of the way to work became a personal challenge for me to overtake this guy. Within a couple of blocks of crossing paths, his early lead on me closed in and I was just about ready to pull up beside him, when we came to another stop sign. He came to a full stop even though there were no cars there, and I realized I was dealing with someone who follows the rules (I would slow down and look in all directions, but if there were no cars around I would definitely not stop - because I'm a rebel). I pulled up behind him at the stop sign, almost running into his back tire from his unexpected stop, and in the time it took me to recover from that awkwardness he was quickly pulling ahead with a spreading lead over me. Oh, that is it, my friend, you're going down!

I pushed myself to try to catch him as we wound through the side streets of Oliver, heading closer and closer to the beautiful steel bridge that would take us across the river valley. When I got close to the guy again, we came across another stop sign and I had to wait for a car to go past while Pace Setter McGoo in front of me got there right before the car did. While I waited for the car to pass me, Pace Setter's lead widened.

We got to the trails skirting the north bank of the river valley and I pushed as hard as I could to catch up to the guy, though somehow his lead kept widening. Going over the High Level Bridge, I saw him pull farther and farther ahead. How is he doing that?? I have a faster bike than him, and he's still managing to out-pace me! Am I really that out of shape? Am I really that terrible a cyclist??

I managed to get closer to him going up the hill on the south side of the bridge, but I lost any gains I made from the hill when I dismounted and carried the bike up the stairs. Those stairs always get me - I die a little bit every time I go up them, whether I'm taking light-as-air Mike or sack-of-potatoes Eastwood. Getting back on the bike at the top of the stairs, I huffed and puffed my way back up to a decent pace while I delighted in seeing Pace Setter stopped just ahead, waiting for a car to pass at an intersection. Hahaha, he's MINE now!!

I spent the two blocks leading through East Campus Village catching up to Pace Setter and finally caught up to him - yessss!!!! - as we passed through a parking lot on the east end of campus. As I passed him, I turned to him and managed to say, "Good morning!" without puking from the effort. He nodded and returned the sentiment, and as our eyes locked I realized with deep, crimson-faced shame that the person I've been dogging for the past three kilometres is a boy! He looked like he was hardly eighteen, maybe a first-year student, and I suddenly felt ridiculous. I pulled away from him, chastizing myself for having gotten so competitive with a fresh-faced teenager, and though I could hear his tires squeaking away behind me at times, he never did overtake me again.

I won. Against a boy. My God, I need to grow up.

Week Eight - Day Two

TIME THERE: 25 min.
TIME BACK: ???
WEATHER: overcast, -2C, 4 km/hr wind there; clear, 9C, no wind on the way back.
WHAT I WORE: yoga pants, t-shirt, waterproof shell, scarf, running gloves (scarf in backpack on the way home)
NOTES:
I am officially impressed with myself for making it to work in 25 minutes on Eastwood. It rained last night, so when I woke up this morning the streets had thin layers of ice and frost on them that screamed "no road slicks allowed". Also, it was dark and foggy when I left the house, and last week after the falling incidents I transferred my lights from Mike to Eastwood with the assumption that Mike was out for the season. Of course, Mike was no such thing! Nevertheless, with the lights and the knobby tires Eastwood was a better choice all around for today. Except, of course, for how much harder I have to work with that bike! There is no cruising with that bad boy - the moment I stop pedaling is the moment I very quickly start losing speed. It didn't help that the front brake rubbed a bit against the front tire, causing even more drag than necessary. I'll have to see about fixing that later.

On the way home I stopped off at Mountain Equipment Co-op to pick up some accessories for Eastwood - a bike rack, a rear fender, some lights for Mike now that Eastwood has the old ones, and a couple things for me like heavy-duty gloves and skiing goggles. The bike rack doesn't fit on the bike because the rear wheel is set too far back from the seat post so I'll have to return it. I may also have to return the goggles, as my helmet seems to push them down too far so that the part that's supposed to rest on the bridge of my nose ends up over my nostrils and I can't breathe. And breathing is helpful when you're biking.

I can't tell what my time was coming home, because: (a) I stopped at MEC on the way; and, (b) my cell phone died before I left work, so I can't be sure what time I mounted up or what time I got home. Not helpful. But I know I made it to work in good time, even riding Eastwood. I'm hoping that means I worked hard today, because I was so hungry when I got home I ended up eating more than usual. At least if I worked hard, I can feel better about eating a whole protein bar AFTER having my usual dinner! Ah, well, I could certainly do worse . . .

Week Eight - Day One

TIME THERE: 24 min. (woot!)
TIME BACK: 26 min.
WEATHER: overcast, 3C, 9km/hr wind there; overcast, 9C, 7 km/hr wind back
WHAT I WORE: yoga pants, t-shirt, waterproof shell, scarf, running gloves (scarf in panniers on the way home)
NOTES:
Maybe it was being well-rested (I slept beautifully last night), or maybe it was having had to work harder to ride Eastwood to school last Friday. Maybe it was being back on tall, lean, elegant Mike today, now that the pavement is clear of ice and snow. Whatever it was, something made me fly when I was biking this morning! Even despite the fact that about halfway to school my rear fender came loose and rubbed against the back tire the rest of the way there I made great time, and the whole way I felt like I was cruising along at a great speed without all that much effort. What a ride!

On the way home I felt like I had to work a little bit harder than I did on the way there, but I still felt like I was making good time. It felt so good to feel confident again, and to be able to ride without constant consideration of whether my centre of gravity was directly in line with that of the bike. It felt good to be on a bike that is light and built for speed, and on which all the adjustments have already been made so it fits my body just right. I love it - Mike fits me like a glove!

I am tired tonight, though, boy howdy! I don't think I ate enough for lunch, which made me a bit sluggish on the way home. I try not to eat too much for dinner - I'd rather have my heavier meal at midday - so I kept it somewhat light for dinner, too. I hope that doesn't translate into a harder ride tomorrow. I'm trying to balance eating a bit less for weight loss with meeting my dietary needs given the great increase in my activity level due to bike-commuting. Some days I feel like I hit the balance perfectly, and then other days - like today - I realize I don't have it all figured out yet. Perhaps I never will. Oh well! Pasta for lunch for me tomorrow, I think - I suspect need more carbs during the day.

By the way, my thighs are getting a whole lot more solid, even the upper thighs where they meet my hips are becoming more svelte. I think this whole biking thing is working out very well for me!