Bike to work(out)

It's a bright sunny day here, and getting warm enough to push the limits of comfort this afternoon.  But this morning was glorious.

My friend Meghan wanted to get together and paddle this morning and she was on a tight schedule, so I'd been leaning toward driving to the river to make sure I didn't keep her waiting.  But then, looking at this morning's paper, I remembered that this is National Bike to Work Day, and decided I couldn't not ride.  I also had to ride a mile in the opposite direction to feed my mother's cats (she's out of town), so just like that I was on a tight schedule.  But in the end I made it to the dock with a few minutes to spare.

My bike is a pretty basic one.  It's a mountain bike, but not a "fancy" one with the shock absorbers and all that stuff.  And I don't do much trail riding with it; I mostly just ride around Midtown and Downtown Memphis.  Years ago, after I'd finished college and graduate school and settled down back in Memphis, I knew I wanted to own a decent bike, but I didn't want to spend thousands of dollars on a fancy model and all the accessories like the shoes and what have you.  I figured I had the time, energy, and money to be serious about one sport, and for me that sport always was and always will be paddling.  So I got the bike I'm still riding today, and it has served me well.

There was an interesting interview on NPR this morning (in observance of National Bike to Work Day) with a guy named Grant Petersen, who has written a book on bike commuting.  I thought it was really interesting because he made the same points I had made for myself regarding biking.  He urged the audience to avoid space-age bicycle technology if all they want to do is use a bike to go to work or run errands.  I'll second that.

Anyway... I made my own bike commute today, as I have enjoyed doing the last several weeks.  Meghan and I paddled together for about 35 minutes.  My back was still stiff as we got started but it loosened up nicely as we paddled along on this exceptionally pleasant morning.  When Meghan had to leave, I went back to the dock and did some stretching, then got back in the boat and did eight 2-minute pieces with 90-second recovery.  I did the first two pieces in the harbor (flatwater), the next three going up the Mississippi along the Tennessee bank, and the last three coming back down the Mississippi.  There were some waves out on the river from some towboat traffic that had moved through, but I felt like I was moving the boat well.

I completed my commute with the ride back home.  My back has continued to feel better.