Yesterday I planned to ride to work and left my apartment at 8:52. I got to the Cleveland Park station and there were ZERO bikes there. So I started the walk and called my boss to let her know I'd be a little late. It was no big deal but a little disappointing to know the bikes aren't 100% reliable. But I still believe in the bikeshare and I know they have people working constantly to move bikes around an ensure that no stops are left empty. And it was good that I had to walk. I need to not become lazy and stop walking the measly 8/10 of a mile just to save an extra five or ten minutes. I am so very lucky that my options are a fifteen minute walk or a five minute bike ride. Or a three minute bus ride if it's raining. My commute coats nothing or next to nothing and I am not affected by the continually rising gas prices. I read this morning on NBCWashington that those prices are boosting bikeshare popularity. So maybe more and more stations will pop up around town.
In other bicycle news, I read on that Washington, DC has been upgraded to a silver friendly bicycling community according to the League of American Bicyclists "bicycle friendly community program". Until now, DC was ranked as bronze but the introduction of two bikesharing systems, new downtown bike lanes, bike boxes, the bike station, the Wilson bridge path, and more, have bumped us up to silver.
The city continues to be a great place to live, to bike, and to run but, for now, I'm leaving it for New York City where I'll be riding my bike 42 miles through the five Burroughs tomorrow morning. More on that to come.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Bikeshare Day 2
I promise I won't do this every day I ride a bike. But I rode to work today so it's day 2. It was uphill so I sweat a little more which is less favorable to sweating on the way home. But there's not much else to tell of my ride. This post is one for reminiscing.
Yesterday, I mentioned my turquoise helmet that is better suited for a twelve year old girl. My parents have tons of these cheap-o target helmets in their shed in blue, pink, silver, and more. It's a bit frivolous but it is nice to be like a free local bike rental shop when any friends or family come in town. And it's nice when one of us signs up for a helmet-less bike sharing system and wants to store one under their desk.
But I remembered that one of these helmets, this very turquoise one in fact, was once so much more than an extra collecting dust in the shed. It was once my armour on a great bike ride across Iowa, the Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa, actually. It was only a four day ride, when my parents and I joined the last half of the week in 2007, but it was still significant. I went looking for pictures of this helmet on Ragbrai and this is all I could find, apparently I was aware of how dumb it looked or I just took less pictures of myself then.
I was such a dorky biker back then. I rode the whole way in sambas purchased in or around 1998 and soccer shorts. I also rode this trusty hybrid Bianchi that is now owned by my friend and co-worker Kate. She rode her first triathlon in it in September so it's still livin' the life. Maybe I wasn't a dork but just less of a poser. My dad however, has never been a dorky biker or a poser.
I was also a little chubs back then, despite all the biking. But still not afraid to hunch over handlebars in my sports bra. I have ditched the sambas and soccer shorts on my long bike rides but I'm bringing back a piece of history with the turquoise helmet from Ragbrai 2007.
Yesterday, I mentioned my turquoise helmet that is better suited for a twelve year old girl. My parents have tons of these cheap-o target helmets in their shed in blue, pink, silver, and more. It's a bit frivolous but it is nice to be like a free local bike rental shop when any friends or family come in town. And it's nice when one of us signs up for a helmet-less bike sharing system and wants to store one under their desk.
But I remembered that one of these helmets, this very turquoise one in fact, was once so much more than an extra collecting dust in the shed. It was once my armour on a great bike ride across Iowa, the Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa, actually. It was only a four day ride, when my parents and I joined the last half of the week in 2007, but it was still significant. I went looking for pictures of this helmet on Ragbrai and this is all I could find, apparently I was aware of how dumb it looked or I just took less pictures of myself then.
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| Nope, still took pictures of myself. |
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| Avoiding pictures of the helmet? |
 |
| #1 Dad, #1 Biker |
My Uncle Tony has always been cool as well.
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| Cool and Strong. |
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| And a child at heart. |
As the story goes, we rode a lot, we ate a lot, we slept in tents and we had fun.
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| Me and all the fifty year olds :) |
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| They love their field of dreams references. |
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| Betsy bikes so she can eat. And more.. |
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| Finish. |
I was also a little chubs back then, despite all the biking. But still not afraid to hunch over handlebars in my sports bra. I have ditched the sambas and soccer shorts on my long bike rides but I'm bringing back a piece of history with the turquoise helmet from Ragbrai 2007.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Bikeshare Day 1
I received my key for Capital Bikeshare a few weeks ago but have been holding out on activating it until I had set plans to ride. The one year membership begins the day you activate your key. Well, today I ended up working until 5:50 but wanted to have time to run after work. So before leaving, I signed into Capital Bikeshare's site, activated my key, and grabbed the helmet I have stashed under my desk for just such an occasion. I walked across the street and stuck my key in, watching the light change from orange to green, and struggled a little bit to pull the bike out of it's locked stand.
I rode .7 miles south on the sidewalk and it was efficient but it was quite an adjustment from Lucy. As expected, it was like riding a beach cruiser but a little weirder. The seat is really low to the ground, which is good for riding in skirts, and the handlebars are really high so you are basically sitting upright. The wheels are small and really thick so it feels pretty heavy to ride. There are three gears so you can't get going too fast. All these features make the bike safer and easier for the average person to ride, and they make it possible to do so in a suit or a skirt. But it did feel kind of hard to balance in the front because of the handlebar height and their distance from the front wheel. This might just be me, used to a road bike, but I'll adjust. I don't think I'll adjust, however, to the lack of speed and, therefore, can't imagine being comfortable riding on the street, especially during rush hour. But, come to think of it, I rarely see these bikes ridden on sidewalks. I hope it's not too illegal but, like a true girl scout, I'll put [my] safety first.
I was surprisingly glad to be rained on as I rode home. I wondered how silly I looked riding so upright in my sunflower skirt and flip flops, with a turquoise helmet that's better suited for a twelve year old on my head. I locked the bike by the library and crossed the street to my apartment, amazed to be home within five minutes of leaving work.
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| Bike Station, Van Ness |
I rode .7 miles south on the sidewalk and it was efficient but it was quite an adjustment from Lucy. As expected, it was like riding a beach cruiser but a little weirder. The seat is really low to the ground, which is good for riding in skirts, and the handlebars are really high so you are basically sitting upright. The wheels are small and really thick so it feels pretty heavy to ride. There are three gears so you can't get going too fast. All these features make the bike safer and easier for the average person to ride, and they make it possible to do so in a suit or a skirt. But it did feel kind of hard to balance in the front because of the handlebar height and their distance from the front wheel. This might just be me, used to a road bike, but I'll adjust. I don't think I'll adjust, however, to the lack of speed and, therefore, can't imagine being comfortable riding on the street, especially during rush hour. But, come to think of it, I rarely see these bikes ridden on sidewalks. I hope it's not too illegal but, like a true girl scout, I'll put [my] safety first.
 |
| Power suit, power bike |
I was surprisingly glad to be rained on as I rode home. I wondered how silly I looked riding so upright in my sunflower skirt and flip flops, with a turquoise helmet that's better suited for a twelve year old on my head. I locked the bike by the library and crossed the street to my apartment, amazed to be home within five minutes of leaving work.
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| Cleveland Park Library |
I could definitely get used to this.
Monday, April 25, 2011
30 Minutes Out and Back
In less than six days, Josh and I, with Betsy and Sandy, will be riding our bikes forty two miles through the five burroughs of NYC. So we thought it might be a good idea to do a little training. We had a hearty breakfast yesterday morning then got on our bikes and rode an embarrassingly short .2 miles to our first pit stop, the zoo. It was nice to walk down and uphill on a sunny Sunday but, otherwise, it only confirmed my dislike of the place. I’m not a big fan of zoos in the first place, though I can be a sucker for the vast savannahs and the snake tanks (snakes are probably the only animal I don’t feel bad seeing in captivity) at Busch Gardens, and couple that with the hoards and hoards of tourists at this one and I go a little crazy. But it was a short visit- we saw some unhappy looking animals L and Josh got some decent pictures. But crazy from the madness, I was ready to move my legs! We rode to our usual Frisbee spot, uninhabited by the Somerset Frisbee crew on this holiday Sunday, and got on the trail there. We had never ridden south through Rock Creek from there so had no idea where it’d take us. We had a little over an hour to ride so I, naively, decided that we’d ride 30 minutes out and then turn around, and that we’d ride hard. About 7 minutes in, we were passing the four seasons and it was becoming apparent there wouldn’t be 30 minutes worth of trails laid out before us to ride, unless we wanted to cross the river and ride in Virginia, but there probably wasn’t time for that. So within ten minutes of leaving Woodley Park, we were in Georgetown and we stopped to chill for a few minutes in the grass by the Watergate. We sat on the wall, Josh took a few pictures. There were people fishing and grilling and sleeping. We headed back and barely broke a sweat… until we reached the Frisbee field, where we rode up the grueling hill to Calvert Street and that was enough training in and of itself. So we’ll go into next weekend not having ridden more than a few miles at once. But we’ll be totally fine, it was more of an excuse to take a long ride yesterday than a real need for training. In the end, it is so great to know how insanely close we are, via bike path, to Georgetown and to the mall. We can ride to our soccer games on the Polo Grounds in ten or fifteen minutes. And I found a place where I can run and breath a little less smog. I can’t think of anything better. And next time we want to try a long bike ride without crossing the river, we’ll know to turn left at the park and head north.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Happy Inna, Happy Running, and Happy Easter
Yesterday I ran 8.42 miles through the district. It was the furthest I have run since the half. And it was further than all but one of my runs leading up to the half, which is a testament to how poorly I trained for the thing. But it felt really good and it made me think more about my ability to run 26.2 with Nikki in October. Nikki's 26.2 deserves it's own blog post and that will be coming soon. But for now, happy easter and, much more importantly, happy golden birthday to my best friend Inna. Josh and I are celebrating with a delicious (kinda Jewish) brunch, a trip to the zoo, a bike ride through rock-creek, and dinner with my parents and Nathan. Have a good day!
Monday, April 18, 2011
Softball
In the four or so years we've been together, Josh has been very loyal to me and seen my play soccer in approximately 230345765 soccer games. And I've seen him play baseball never. Which, as someone who gets bored by baseball, is kind of fortunate but, as a girl who loves her boyfriend and loves action, is very unfortunate.
Last year Josh joined his company softball team. They played on the ellipse, so picturesquely placed between the white house and the Washington monument. It's no baseball but it would have to do. I rode my bike down to one game after work but it wasn't exactly an atmosphere for spectators. It is very very casual, almost pick-up. And it was tough for me to get there in time for games. So I saw just the one but really enjoyed Josh's excitement when he'd come home and tell me about his home runs. The team was always struggling to find enough players but it never occurred to me to become one. I don't work at touchstone but that doesn't stop me from playing on, and helping to lead, their soccer team.
So this year, when Josh told me that softball was starting up again, it dawned on me and I told him to let me know if they ever wanted an extra player. I'm no softball player but I like to keep life interesting and prove my athleticism through my ability to pick up a sport and be decent at it. Because, to me, that's what it means to be a good athlete: to be able to be pick up a sport and be great at it. To Josh, a good athlete is made by a very precise combination of speed, agressiveness, agility, strength, and "ups". This is a very long-standing debate between the two of us which deserves it's own blog post but it's really beside the point. I wanted to play with them if they needed me. They forfeited a game last Thursday so their first was this evening. I had plans to run tonight that I didn't want to fore-go so I sent my cleats and the extra glove to work with Josh, left all of my worldly possessions (besides phone and smarttrip) at work, and ran the 3.65 miles to the ellipse, arriving 5 minutes before the start of the game. We were mercy-ruled, losing 20-6 but it was super fun. We were down three players so there was lots of extra running in the outfield. I played second base and had a few good plays. And was saved by Josh, at shortstop, on a few pop-flies that made me look like Natalie Portman and Zach Braff in Garden State. Most importantly, I got to see Josh in action and, even better, got to play the game with him. He hit a double and a home run leading to three of our six runs. Go Josh.
I was right. Not enough running or exertion in baseball. Or I'm just being a snob and I can't compare 8 v 10 softball on the ellipse to real baseball. But I'm glad to have run down there, setting a personal best as I averaged an 8:32 mile amid all of the hoards of businessmen and women fighting to get home. And then, when it was over, it was wonderful to still feel so close to home. We ate lots at Moby Dick and then rode the scenic L2 back to Macomb Street. So Monday is a success. And I can't wait to see more and more of Josh's stellar athleticism shine through in softball.
Last year Josh joined his company softball team. They played on the ellipse, so picturesquely placed between the white house and the Washington monument. It's no baseball but it would have to do. I rode my bike down to one game after work but it wasn't exactly an atmosphere for spectators. It is very very casual, almost pick-up. And it was tough for me to get there in time for games. So I saw just the one but really enjoyed Josh's excitement when he'd come home and tell me about his home runs. The team was always struggling to find enough players but it never occurred to me to become one. I don't work at touchstone but that doesn't stop me from playing on, and helping to lead, their soccer team.
So this year, when Josh told me that softball was starting up again, it dawned on me and I told him to let me know if they ever wanted an extra player. I'm no softball player but I like to keep life interesting and prove my athleticism through my ability to pick up a sport and be decent at it. Because, to me, that's what it means to be a good athlete: to be able to be pick up a sport and be great at it. To Josh, a good athlete is made by a very precise combination of speed, agressiveness, agility, strength, and "ups". This is a very long-standing debate between the two of us which deserves it's own blog post but it's really beside the point. I wanted to play with them if they needed me. They forfeited a game last Thursday so their first was this evening. I had plans to run tonight that I didn't want to fore-go so I sent my cleats and the extra glove to work with Josh, left all of my worldly possessions (besides phone and smarttrip) at work, and ran the 3.65 miles to the ellipse, arriving 5 minutes before the start of the game. We were mercy-ruled, losing 20-6 but it was super fun. We were down three players so there was lots of extra running in the outfield. I played second base and had a few good plays. And was saved by Josh, at shortstop, on a few pop-flies that made me look like Natalie Portman and Zach Braff in Garden State. Most importantly, I got to see Josh in action and, even better, got to play the game with him. He hit a double and a home run leading to three of our six runs. Go Josh.
I was right. Not enough running or exertion in baseball. Or I'm just being a snob and I can't compare 8 v 10 softball on the ellipse to real baseball. But I'm glad to have run down there, setting a personal best as I averaged an 8:32 mile amid all of the hoards of businessmen and women fighting to get home. And then, when it was over, it was wonderful to still feel so close to home. We ate lots at Moby Dick and then rode the scenic L2 back to Macomb Street. So Monday is a success. And I can't wait to see more and more of Josh's stellar athleticism shine through in softball.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Sunshine Day
Having worked all day Saturday, I was due a day off of work so I stayed home today. Actually, I didn't stay home, I took off work and spent as much time outside as possible. It was a true i love lucy day as I biked, I ran, I played, I loved and I explored. So here's a re-cap:
I woke up at 11 and explored the world of yogurt, peanut butter, honey, berries, and banana for breakfast, all in one bowl. A truly successful experiment, it is my new power breakfast. But, before waking up at 11, I woke up around 8 as Josh got ready for work, read my e-mails, and paid $2 for a $10 giftcard to sweetgreen and a $10 coupon to hello cupcake. Living Social is launching their "instant deals" program so, today only, offered $1 lunches to over 150 locations around the city. Then I rolled back over and fell asleep. After breakfast, I rode Lucy to sweetgreen in Logan Circle and got the avacado greens salad to go. I then rode to hello cupcake in dupont and got a carrot, peanut butter, chocolate, and coconut cupcake. For all of this food, I waited a combined 70 or 80 minutes but it didn't bother me. I was just happy to be standing outside in the wonderful sun. I stuffed the cupcake box in my backpack on top of the salad and biked home, happy to see so many people walking the streets of DC. For future reference, transporting cupcakes on a bike is not the best idea- this is what happened to mine.
I woke up at 11 and explored the world of yogurt, peanut butter, honey, berries, and banana for breakfast, all in one bowl. A truly successful experiment, it is my new power breakfast. But, before waking up at 11, I woke up around 8 as Josh got ready for work, read my e-mails, and paid $2 for a $10 giftcard to sweetgreen and a $10 coupon to hello cupcake. Living Social is launching their "instant deals" program so, today only, offered $1 lunches to over 150 locations around the city. Then I rolled back over and fell asleep. After breakfast, I rode Lucy to sweetgreen in Logan Circle and got the avacado greens salad to go. I then rode to hello cupcake in dupont and got a carrot, peanut butter, chocolate, and coconut cupcake. For all of this food, I waited a combined 70 or 80 minutes but it didn't bother me. I was just happy to be standing outside in the wonderful sun. I stuffed the cupcake box in my backpack on top of the salad and biked home, happy to see so many people walking the streets of DC. For future reference, transporting cupcakes on a bike is not the best idea- this is what happened to mine.
I returned home and didn't waste a minute. I changed from biker's spandex to nike dry-fit shorts, from clip in bike shoes to running shoes, and from a long sleeve t-shirt to a tank top. That's right, my friends, a tank top. I was out the door ready to run in five minutes. I ran five and a half miles, one of which was spent on the mile-long mass ave hill between Dupont and Wisconsin, with which I have developed a true love/hate relationship. With the heat, I was much thirstier than I have been running in a while, but I was also reminded of my running days in Florida (even though this heat was nothing in comparison) and it made me even more excited about summer, if that's possible. My music mysteriously stopped for good about 1.2 miles in so that was challenging at first but I love a challenge so I got over it.
I arrived home and spent thirty minutes on the couch, savoring every bite of my delicious $1 salad. Then I played some music, opened all the curtains and windows, and cleaned the shit out of my apartment. I went to buy Vace's fresh pasta, veggies, and a mediocre baguette from firehook (the only mediocre thing about today). I am now sipping wine, reminiscing about the past 10 hours, and awaiting the arrival of my friends Julie and Kevin with whom Josh and I are going to make dinner, play board games, and eat some messy cupcakes.
On this truly lovable Friday, I couldn't help but think how sweet it would be to just be a housewife. To bike and run and eat and to finish each day with a clean home. I am embarrassed to say that because I want to be productive and I want to do meaningful things with my life but damn it was nice to sweat lots and to spend so many hours in the hot sun, rather than stare at it out a far-off window from my desk. And I'm not a wife, nor do I have a house. And ultimately, I want to work and be successful. But maybe I could just work four days a week. More days like today would be wonderful. Bring on the sunshine!!
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