Bike update

Biking is still a painful exercise but the difficulty is decreasing each day. So far I have biked approximately 3.5 miles over three sessions. Hills are currently my enemy but they are becoming less challenging each time I ride. My goal is to be capable of traveling 6 miles without too much effort. I am finding it difficult to practice during the week because it is normally dark once I arrive home. I am tempted to ride before I leave for work; however, I really enjoy my sleep as well.

I am still unsure about riding on the major roads outside of my neighborhood. Many of the drivers, soccer moms driving over sized SUVs in particular, believe that they own the road and show a terrifying amount of hostility towards bikers. I hope this is due to living in the suburbs rather than the city.

Yesterday I discovered that my rear will is slightly warped. The brake is lightly touching in one spot and needs to be addressed soon. I have thought about purchasing a second bike when I travel to San Francisco this April but I'm not sure about shipping it back to Georgia. I will be staying a half mile from the office so I will probably just walk instead.

New bike: Giant Rincon

Last night I was given a slightly used Giant Rincon bicycle by one of my previous neighbors. I had been researching commuter bikes, like the Trek PDX, anticipating to spend several hundred dollars so this was perfect timing. The Rincon is an entry level mountain bike that will be excellent for getting me back into cycling; however, I will probably purchase a road/hybrid bike in the future.

Today was the first day I biked in approximately two years. It was painful and really showed me how much work and practice I need. I only lasted about 15 minutes on the hills of my neighborhood before I returned home gasping for air. Hopefully tomorrow, and the following weeks, will be better.

Weekend photo

IMG_1017, originally uploaded by schrierc.

This weekend Jenna, Logan, and myself went to Zac's house to celebrate his birthday and watch the super bowl. One of our friends arranged Logan in this position which I happened to capture. I think this is one of my favorite photos of Logan so far.