Necessity, the mother of…action?

Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later, but it was today that I had my first flat tire while bike commuting.  I suppose that for the first time, it’s better that it happened on the short ride into work than if I were on a longer ride, by myself and far from anything.  It just didn’t feel very scary.  As it happens, I was on the home stretch riding on Scholl’s Ferry over 217.  It’s my favorite part of the ride in and I was pretty close to my office.   I was riding fast and feeling good when I hit a bump and it was clear by the hard “ka-chunk” under my seat that there was no air left in my back tire.  I stopped and immediately tried to pump it back up for the short ride remaining to my office, but it just wouldn’t hold any air.  Since I was so close, I walked the bike in rather than attempt to change my tube out there on the noisy overpass with all the morning rush hour traffic.  I was only 10 minutes late! 

Now, I planned to take care of the flat during my lunch hour, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it when a bowl of soup and and a good book were calling me.  I mean, who wants to eat lunch with chain oil and dirt on their hands?  I told myself that I’d just stop working around 4:00 and get it done.  Well, 4:00 rolled around and I had fleeting thoughts of getting a ride home.  Alas, there was no way I could swallow my pride enough to call for a ride, and I don’t know who I thought I might call anyway.  Finally at 4:38, I resigned myself to the fact that the flat tire wasn’t going to fix itself, and would either need to be changed, or I would no longer enjoy the health, fitness and money-saving benefits of commuting to work by bike.  Despite having only done it twice before in the last year and a half, with supervision and help at hand, I simply had to take care of the messy problem myself.  There was no way I could let someone else do it for me.   I rolled up my sleeves, bit my proverbial bullet, and did it.

Of course, it had to be the rear wheel - the rear wheel with its cumbersome gears and its close, filthy and confusing relationship with the oily chain.  Ick.  My sweetheart tells me that, statistically, it’s more likely that the rear wheel tire will go flat rather than the front one.  (GREAT – so much for thinking that next time it’s likely to be easier!)    After around 25 minutes of pushing, pulling and pumping,  I stood there with blackened hands and an oil smudged face looking proudly at my functioning bike with its repaired tube and wheel back on.  Even better, I was able to ride it all the way home without a hitch – or a “ka-chunk.”

It was a great milestone, actually, and when I got home I immediately set out for a local bike store to get new tubes, so I can keep riding with confidence –  and even more of it!  While I was there, I crossed yet another threshold in my cycling journey.  I made a  purchase which truly shows my now solid commitment to cycling.  I finally, after nearly a couple of years of resisting, bought a pair of cycling shoes.  There is at least one lovely person out there who knows what a milestone THAT purchase really is for me.  I’m absolutely ready to feel the extra power and efficiency of the right shoes and clip-less pedals.

I’m ready to love riding even more – and a certain someone is probably very ready to at least think the words, “I told you so!”

Good things come in threes!

Well, this is the third morning in a row I’ve ridden my bike into work in this first real effort I’ve made toward improving my health and fitness this year.  It feels fantastic!  I could drink 3 cups of coffee when I arrive at work, and never feel as pumped up as I do after my 30 minute ride in.  Today I was rewarded with yet another gorgeous sunrise as I rode Scholl’s Ferry over I-217 on the final stretch to the office.  I felt so alive and well. 

In addition to just feeling better as I start and end my work day, I have found I’ve lost three pounds, too.  Considering I’ve put on about 12 in the past three months, this is a nice turn in the other direction!  Plus, I know if I keep it up, this bike ride will get quicker. Heh. 

I’m pretty slow up the hills right now, but I plug away.  I can’t help but laugh at what passersby might be thinking when they see me trudging up hill on my racer.  Right now this bike is far more elegant and quick than I am, but my goal is to look like I belong on this bike by the end of this third year of owning it! 


(This is not my bike, but is the same year and model that I own.)

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Kee-yaw, but I scared the heck out of one of the owners of my company this morning!  I had ridden my bike to work and because it was raining out, I decided to bring my bike inside to store in my cubicle before heading over to the gym next door to shower.  I didn’t expect to bump into anyone in MY cube so early in the morning, but I was surprised myself when I nudged someone just as I  pushed the bike past the cube wall.  I heard Cathy let out a startled yelp just before I saw her surprised expression.  She was standing there with a feathered Mardi Gras mask in her hand, looking sort of sheepish.  Turns out I busted her hanging Mardi Gras decorations in my cube! 

It took me a minute to sort this out in my head, but I quickly remembered that Cathy is aware of a trip I’m planning to go on if I hit my personal sales goals for this quarter, and she wanted to help provide incentive!  My friend, Shellie, and I are going to take a long-talked about trip to New Orleans during the Jazz Heritage Festival in May of this year.   Our sales trainer has been encouraging us sales people to set personal goals above and beyond our quota numbers, and to make it more real and more fun by coming up with a reward for accomplishing those goals.  Makes sense to me! 

He has also encouraged us to tell other people and even include them somehow if we think it will make us work harder.  I figured he was on to something, so I told Shellie that I was ready to take that trip if I hit my personal goal of hitting 130% of my quarterly quota.  Well, she was all for it and immediately started sending me a steady stream of links of places we could stay and things we could do.  The pressure was on to hit that goal, because I couldn’t risk letting Shellie down!

I don’t know how, but that extra pressure HAD to have some influence over my focus or something, because I’m at 110% of my quarterly  PERSONAL goal right now, and it’s only February 1st!  We are definitely going – and boy are we excited!  Just one more sale before the end of March will do it.  I think I need to set some supplementary goals to keep this drive going!  I want to visit my family in the heart of Cajun Country, too, so I will need to earn a little more for that part of the trip.

I’ve wanted to go to the Jazz Heritage Festival since my early 20’s.  This is going to be a dream come true, and I can’t wait to “pass a good time, cher!”