Friday, November 30, 2007

November Recap

I wrapped up November on Hybridzilla, got off at Nieman and did the death slog over the viaduct which I so brazenly conquered this morning. This afternoon? Slow-o-rama.
Remember what I wanted November to be like?
  • Clear 4,000 miles for the year (300 miles in November)
  • Get acclimated to the cold
  • Know when to make compromises using public transportation if I feel like I'm going to get sick.
The last one's pretty ambiguous. I certainly used the bus more than I needed to, but this time of year, it's just the smart thing to do. With sub-freezing temperatures in the morning, and blinding sun in the evening, both directions are more trouble than they're worth for a full round trip by bike

What actually happened in November?
  • I had another 400+ mile month
  • I commuted by car 0 days
  • I commuted by bike 21 days for a total of 268 miles
  • Only 3 of those days were without bus assistance in one or both directions
  • I ran 93 miles worth of errands by bike
  • I went on 6 recreational rides totaling less than 50 miles
  • I cleared 4,000 miles for the year
  • I had tons of fun, and got really cold a few times while getting acclimated
  • I got my first-ever blog comment troll, just a few days away from a year of blogging almost daily. Insults are the best flattery.
December is going to be November on steroids. In weeks, it'll be dark and sub-freezing for both my morning and evening commutes. My bike, my clothing, my resolve, and my lighting will all be put to the test.

My goals for December:
  • Not use the car for my normal work commute at all. Regardless of the errands I need to run before or after work. Regardless of the weather. No car for getting to or from work. This may mean a few trip on the Dreaded bus (the one that basically picks me up at my doorstep)
  • Go on at least 3 mountain bike trail rides. Maybe try another park I haven't visited before. Kill Creek and Blue River parks are both pretty close.

4 comments:

  1. I would love to try the trails with you at either Kill Creek or SMP, with one caveat...NO NIGHT RIDING! Drop me a line and time.

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  2. Congrats on the great month!

    I wish my bikes had cool names like yours :-)

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  3. Haha... Well, Hybridzilla's the only one that's got a funny name, and it's because she's such a mash-up of parts. She earned it when I actually threw my panniers on the seat-post mounted rack with no frame to keep the bags out of the spokes, and attached to the rear dropouts with some little metal tabs.

    This is where the christening took place.

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  4. Wow man, impressive month, especially given that it's a cold, dark one. The dark is the thing that really tends to keep me from riding, much more than cold weather.

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