Sorry for the hiatus

Okay, okay, I know; it's been a couple months since my last entry. The reasons are many and lame. With the new year came a new schedule (which seemed to change almost daily), not to mention at staying in a warm, cozy bed seemed to be a better option than peddling 10 miles in the cold, dark morning air. Then there was March, which seemed to become more of a lion as the month went along. We had several major thunderstorms roll through and, quite frankly, I'd just as soon not die by drowning in a torrential downpour. Oh, and windy?!?! If someone went out kite surfing, I would half expect them to end up in Oz before the day was over. The prospect of riding 10 miles into a 20+ MPH headwind when your average speed in only 15 MPH makes my legs hurt just thinking about it.

The fact is, I needed a break, if only to keep from turning stale. There is such thing as too much of a good thing. A common complaint among bicyclists is reaching a plateau. That is, you ride and ride, but you don't see any real changes. In fact, it can often be that you regress. That is when you should take a break and try something different for a while. This is one of the reason many bicyclist often take up running and/or swimming. The technical term is cross-training, but I simply call it breaking out of a rut.

The problem comes in knowing how long is too long of a break. The old adage "if you don't use it, you'll lose it" applies. Don't get me wrong, it's perfectly okay to stop commuting for a month or two (or more, if needed), but soon what was a regular routine before the break becomes a chore when you pick it back up. One way to ease back into the old routine is to slowly build it back up. Take a ride around the neighborhood once or twice a week. Nothing requiring great effort, or even your normal riding clothes. Just explore some of the side streets that you passed along the way before. Get some fresh air. Ride down to the beach or the local park. Better yet, head on over to the local bike shop and test ride a few bikes, even if you're not in the market to buy one yet. If you're currently riding a commuting bike, try a road bike or a mountain bike. Heck, take the top-of-the-line road bike out for a quick spin and see how it feels.

As for me, I am planning on commuting again starting this month. During Spring Break last month, I rode to work on Thursday to conduct a workshop for a couple new employees. I swapped weekends with another librarian this weekend and rode to work today. Both rides felt great, and reminded me of why I love to ride. Tomorrow should bring some scattered thunderstorms, but I may still ride.