My Life Before the Bicycle versus My Life After the Bicycle

I haven't been feeling well today, as if I have some sort of stomach bug.  I notice I don't feel comfortable at night and have trouble sleeping.  Still, this morning I rode my bicycle commute to work - National City to Kearny Mesa - and this evening I rode back.  15 miles each way, stomach bug or no stomach bug.  And that includes a couple of pretty steep hills.

If I had been driving a car - which is how I used to get to work - I would have debated long and hard this morning whether to go into work when not feeling well or just stay home.  One significant difference I've noticed since I began bike commuting one year ago is that I don't let feeling a little under the weather stop me from riding.  I'm not sure why that is.

Today's Downtownie

Most Sundays I ride my bicycle with a group of people who are kind enough to let me tag along.  This Sunday morning ride is known as The Downtownie because presumably downtown is the destination of most these rides (in fact often we don't get out of North Park or Normal Heights).  The ride begins in front of Velo Cult on Fern St. at 9:00 am and, as I understand it, anyone is welcome to come along.

This morning I rode my folding bike, the Dahon Speed D7.  I just recently bought this bike.  I got it because I want to try breaking it down and putting it in a suitcase and taking it with me when I visit my brother in San Jose.  The next visit is scheduled for November, so I have awhile to get used to how the bike rides.

This Morning's Bicycle Ride

I try to ride 50 miles every Saturday and for the past couple months I've kept to the schedule. 

Now, that might seem ambitious... riding 50 miles every Saturday.  I can only imagine how that is perceived... spandex, bulging muscles, a sleek and lithe racing bike, sweat, some stupid looking helmet...   Believe me, none of that describes how I ride.  Quite the opposite.  In a future post I'll describe my philosophy on how to ride a bicycle.

Anyway, for purposes of today's post let me describe my route.  For those who are interested it might help if you open Google Maps to follow along.