I Got on the Slippery Slope: No Bike Ride for TWO WEEKS

The good kind of Slippery Slope that we use
when we bike home.

What do all the things in this list have in common?

My work got busy.

I had to travel.

I had to lug equipment.

I was tired.

I worked from home.

I had errands to run.

I overslept.

These are all reasons (excuses) I gave over the last two weeks that prevented me from riding my bike to work.  

My son even asked, “Ride bike?” and I said, “No, not today.”  I missed a lot by not riding my bike.  I especially felt the effects of not getting exercise.  I am not sure if there was more stress but I do know that it was harder to shake the stress.  It took longer for me to fall asleep and wake up and I was tired and less motivated to do anything.

I sure missed the whimsical time with my son on the ride.  We do things like stop to look at a dump truck, ride over a bridge that is out of the way, sing Take Me Out to the Ballgame together, talk about the boats we want to ride and what seaplane we will take to the islands someday.  My son wants to take a blue plane but it looks a little rickety to me and I am pushing for a white one that looks like it has a few less miles on it.

My car commute is about 10 minutes one way; my bike commute is about 30 minutes one way.  I spend about an hour each day riding my bike or 20 minutes each day in my car. For a working mom, 40 minutes is a lot of time and time is the most valuable thing to me.  For my birthday, I just want a little time, time to do something or even do nothing.

When I look at all the effects of not riding, the 40 minutes that I added to my commute could be the best 40 minutes of my day. When I am behind or overwhelmed, it seems so beneficial to drive and I get that 40 minutes back. In reality, the benefits of the exercise are what really help me stay on top of things and help me deal with stress, and I get more done with a better attitude.

That’s what I mean by slippery slope -- I am running late so I drive, so I do not exercise, so I take my stress home with me and my stress causes me to toss and turn in bed, and I get to sleep late so I have a hard time waking up, and then I am running late so I take the car, again, and again, and again. 

This week, I will now break the cycle and ride my bicycle.  

Riding Solo: Riding Home

I did not stop for Happy Hour.  I had to get home and start my shift as a caretaker for the little one.  Grandma had been watching him for about six hours and even Grandmas need breaks.

I did decide to try and new route.  The route I usually take is more scenic than direct.  There is a very direct route that even has designated bike lanes and I have not taken it because I like the scenic route.  We go by seaplanes on the south side of Lake Union, ride through South Lake Union and count the scooters at Scoot About.  More importantly the scenic route does not have very many inclines. Sometimes, with my baby on the handle bars, I can go two blocks on an incline.  Even so, usually I walk the bike after half a block.  On my own I decided that I was ready to try the hills.

Downhill was GREAT!  I forgot how much fun downhill was.  On the uphill, I made it over two blocks but ended up walking my bike.  I am not really proud
of that.  I have to consider that the baby is a good excuse for not being able to ride uphill but there is a chance that I am not strong enough to even get my own self uphill.

I am going to stick with my usual scenic route.  Downhill is pretty fun and I am sure my son would love it but I am not comfortable going that fast on a busy street with a baby.  I would have to break the entire way.  That would not be great for the bikes behind be and the joy of downhill is gone and then I still have the uphill to face.