More Pedal, Less Car

An accidental snapshot that I liked!

I recently made it my priority to accomplish one of my 2011 goals that I didn't make last year. That is biking to and from work! Unfortunately, I cannot bike commute the whole way to my job and back. It's not the distance, I have biked much further before. The difficulty lies in that it IS far but also, there is no shower where I work and I work with clients all day so I cannot easily show up sweaty, stinky and gross and be working with clients all day. I needed to find a happy medium.

The Greenway - on a much more sunny day than today!

I decided I needed to commit to a partial bike commute. One of the things I most despise on my drive back home is when it's a beautiful day out and I see bikes passing me by left and right while I'm stuck in traffic! I want to be out in the sun! I had to join them! I wanted to REALLY commit myself to this. Thus - wind, rain or shine, I will be biking part of the way to work. I think I have even more than proven my commitment in that this morning, in the pouring rain, I made the nearly 5 mile trek down the Midtown Greenway with only 10 other people (I counted)! Even though I got drenched, I'm glad I've stuck with my commitment to myself. Plus, it wasn't so bad anyways! I actually found it to be quite refreshing! I also learned that I need to invest in some rain gear! Mainly just a jacket - I think pants would be uncomfortable. However, I found that the water type shoes that I bought over a year ago and thought I would never have a use for, actually came in handy! Yippee!

This is how you'll find me on the Greenway! Happy as can be!

What I have done for this plan is this: I drive my car down to the parking spot I chose by the freeway every Sunday evening. I bike back home. Throughout all of my work days, I bike to my car, lock up my bike, hop on the freeway to work. Drive back to my bike and bike the rest of the way home. It's a nearly 5 mile bike ride so I am saving about 10 miles per day. That doesn't seem like much but that's 40 miles a week (I work 4 days right now for my day job), 160 miles a month and if I did it all year round 1,920 miles a year! It really does add up! I've already noticed the gas saving this first week! I only had to fill up one time! Most of my gas is likely spent on the city streets anyways. Not only am I getting gas savings from the commute, but when I get home, I have no car as an option. Biking wherever I go is a must! This has really helped too! It has made it a bit more difficult strategically to get errands done that are farther out, but I have been working on planning accordingly and making do! No car during the week!  Most of all, I'm really enjoying being in the sun with the wind through my hair (or helmet)! It's fantastic and puts me in such a happy mood!

Since my near week and a half commitment, I'm crossing this off my goal list. 

I have finally joined the ranks of the bike commuters! :)