Biking to Work
Just before Bowen was born I blew a tire on my bike. I made a few efforts to fix it – but couldn’t quite get the job done. Then, after he was born I started rowing once a day with the Canadian team and became even less interested in fixing my bike.
Rowing against the national team, with three hours sleep at night, then heading into an eight hour work day just didn’t pan out. I think I made it two and a half weeks on the water before I had to pack it in. I’ve since borrowed a friend’s erg and have been getting great workouts in each morning.
Now that Bowen is eleven weeks old we have a bit of a routine set in the house, including the daily erg. On Remembrance Day I finally got around to fix my bike, well enough to ride it to work each day. Mind you there are no front brakes, the chain skips and can’t go in the hardest gear and I need a front light! Anyone know where I can get a safer bike for cheap?
Racing Again
I ride with my music on – and I visualize racing again. Sometimes it’s the 2010 Worlds in New Zealand; sometimes it’s the 2012 Olympic Games in London – but I’m always pushing hard, always winning and always happy.
In the few weeks since I’ve added my ride back I’ve seen my splits drop significantly on the erg, I’ve felt more energetic and healthier all around. And if you can believe it, I even feel physically warmer throughout the day. I still struggle to stay awake when I read bedtime stories to Mira though.
I can’t wait to train full time again.
Dave
Social poster
Downloads
- No documents for download.
Track comments via RSS 2.0 feed. Feel free to post the comment, or trackback from your web site.
Dave,
) I have a number of frames laying around and a number of spare parts. If you wanted to pay the shipping, then I would be willing to send a bike your way. I’d need to know how tall you are including your inseam versus your torso length so that I could get the appropriate frame size to you. I’m down in Kansas, but I’d see what I could do about getting you a decent commuter bike for cheap (cost to ship). I enjoy working on bikes and have not had the means by which to do it, aside from tinkering with my own…which don’t require much work at this point. If you’re interested, send me an email. Congrats with the child, and hope rowing and everything continue to go well for you.
I’ve been a longtime rower and avid cyclist. I spent 3 years as a bike mechanic at a local bike shop and have 5 bikes that I ride (at different times
Wow, what an offer. I will definately take you up on it! I’ll get the information you need and send it to you in an email. Thanks Craig!
Dont worry..
If you have front brakes its easier to grab only them and fall on your eye
The scar seems to be healing – I don’t hardly notice it at all any more!
It’s sometimes profound the giant walls that can grow out of small barriers like a flat tire. For me, your blog speaks to the ongoing challenges I have with inertia and shifting equilibriums – I get used to taking the easy (vehicular) way into work and very quickly the desire to pull on the riding gear, throw a leg over and head down the [cold] [wet] [insert demotivating adjective here] trail ebbs to zero. Then occasionally something happens, perhaps a shift in the space-time continuum (I watched the new Star Trek movie last night), and I get back on the bike. A few shudders and a grimace down the road and suddenly the world’s a better place. Why can’t my reptilian brain remember than next time it rains?
…and then someone reminded me that the final countdown has started, and, with the odd trip with loved ones to random tropical destinations, anything seems possible. Even the bleakest, wettest, most English-like winter morning that my Granddad ever knew seems like an exciting challenge pointing me towards the pinnacle in 2012.