The warm weather streak is continuing in Portland and I got another opportunity to ride my bike to work. I prepared a little bit better this time. It had also been warm for about a week so I figured that arm warmers were all I needed instead of my cycling jacket. It was 52 degrees Tuesday morning, last week my morning commute was 48 degrees.
Michael kindly helped me with breakfast and pumped my tires for me! Queen treatment! It was really helpful because I was running a little late that morning. I set out a few minutes later than I wanted and for the first 1/2 mile regretted not wearing my jacket.
Luckily I warmed up as soon as I hit the first few hills of my commute. This particular commute I got stuck at two lights because there wasn’t enough traffic and the sensors couldn’t detect me on the bike. This is one of my pet peeves about commuting by bike.
I enjoyed my morning commute a great deal. Traffic was light. The weather was warm. My body was feeling really good. I just enjoyed it. I made my way through Sellwood and then picked up the Springwater. Unlike last time, the Springwater was enjoyable. I wasn’t biking into a wall of wind resistance.
The city seemed to be a ghost town. There was hardly any other cyclists out for some reason. The Springwater was nearly empty. The Esplanade loop downtown was eerily quiet. I made it downtown and headed to work.
Despite getting stuck at a few lights, I made it to work pretty quickly. Check out my stats for the morning:
Pretty good if you ask me! I’m happy with my time and average speed. I have a lot of stops before I get to the Springwater trail so I doubt I will ever be any faster than that.
Morning Stats:
Time: 53 minutes
Calories Burned: 540
Mileage: 11.71
You know what else? I’m already itching to start commuting twice a week. Unfortunately the weather forecast for next week looks like rain again so back to Spin I think.
Afternoon Commute
Another warm one! But it was a pleasant ride home. I’m really glad that the Morrison Bridge is open again because that’s how I prefer to go home. It’s a quicker route out of downtown and there’s barely anyone on the bridge but me. Shooosh, don’t tell any other cyclists out there.
Once I’m on the other side of the river, it’s easy sailing for the most part. The route I take to the Springwater is not the best one because the roads are just AWFUL. It’s a very bumpy ride.
The sun felt nice and there was a comfortable breeze on the way home. I made it to Sellwood in no time at all and headed home. My new route is pretty scenic; I pass by a few farms on the way home.
It’s funny because my route home is just a tad shorter than the morning. I guess going over the Steel Bridge in the morning adds more distance than I thought. I also burn less calories on the way home (which is also weird because I feel like it’s uphill on the way home). Here’s the afternoon graph:
Afternoon Stats:
Time: 46 minutes
Calories Burned: 479
Distance: 10.49
Average Speed: 13.46 mph
Fastest Speed: 25.15 mph
Total Mileage for the Day: 22.2
I’m so happy that my first few commutes have been so great (knock on wood). I am considering adding a second day a week already. I don’t need time to recover and have felt great the day after.
Another bonus to commuting to work on my bike: it frees up my evenings for fun things. It’s amazing just how much time going to the gym takes and I just want to enjoy my free evenings.
QUESTION: How is your fitness changing with the season changes?
Courtney
Looks like you picked a great day for a ride. I don’t know if you are a fair weather biker or not, but the weather is going to take a nosedive Sunday evening. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it is just a minor blip.
Lisa Eirene
I’m definitely a fair weather biker. I won’t bike in the rain. Probably makes me a baby but if I can just go to spin class when it rains, why torture myself?
Holly from 300 Pounds Down
Wow I just found your blog and you are so inspiring to me!!! What awesome pictures and a wondeful commitment to healthy living!
Lisa Eirene
Thank you, Holly! I’m glad you found and enjoyed my blog. 🙂
Marc
I really admire your dedication to fitness. I am trying to get physically fit and trim but too often lately my enthusiasm seems to be either up or down with little middle ground. I suppose similar to a bike ride through the streets of San Francisco. How did you stay focused for 110 pounds?
Lisa Eirene
I think a bike ride through the hills of San Francisco would kill me! 🙂
To answer your question, failure was not an option for me. I decided I was going to lose the weight and I became super-focused. There were plenty of plateaus and challenges and ups and downs but I just kept doing what was working. Eventually it stuck.
Jess
We are heading into winter here, so my workouts are moving inside! I won’t run in the rain, so I am running less. That leaves more time for boxing and weights, which I also love.
Lisa Eirene
Sounds like me!I head inside. No nasty weather for me.
Erin
My schedule doesn’t change too much with the change of the seasons. I run outdoors all winter, really I prefer the cooler seasons for working out. So, running comes later in the evening at sunset or later when it starts cooling down. I also hike a lot more in the summer time. In about a month I’m going on my first backpacking trip!
Lisa Eirene
I would love to hear about your backpacking trip when you get back. I used to do that a lot as a kid but haven’t as an adult.
I don’t mind running in winter cold, I just mind the rain!
Erin
The rain is no fun, but I found if you invest in the right kind of gear it is tolerable. One of the goals I set when I got serious about losing weight was to run consistently after I finished the C25K, and since I HATE the treadmill and live in Oregon that means putting up with the rain.
I’ll let you know for sure. We are doing the Eagle Creek to tanner butte trail in the Gorge. Its a 25 mile hike and will take us about 3 days. The last few hikes I’ve been on we’ve packed our packs to get used to the extra weight (I was packing close to what I’ve lost, 40lbs. It was amazing how much heavier I felt!). I’m both nervous and excited!
Lisa Eirene
Oooh Eagle Creek! My nemesis! I know several people that have done the backpacking trip you’re doing and it sounded like a blast. Please let me know how it goes when you get back.