Bike to work week

Bozeman has a pretty hard-core biking community. By that I mean folks who mountain bike, road bike (despite MT's narrow-ass roads with no shoulder) and are die hard bike-to-workers. Like, they bike to work through the winter in the snow.

I'm not that hard core.

The Bozeman Bicycle Advisory Board sponsors Bike Week every May, in which they arrange for a number of local coffee houses, restaurants and other merchants to offer prizes to people who stop by their shop while riding their bike to work.. You take your helmet in, get a sticker and a free coffee or something.

I've mentioned before why I occasionally ride my bike to work. I'm not as committed as some people. But this week I pedaled my way to work on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, despite a forecast for rain. Since my husband and I work together, I can always throw my bike in the back of his truck and catch a ride home at 5pm if it's raining. My real motivation for biking to work this week has been to be able to go for bike rides for exercise. It's so much more fun than running or going to the gym to ellipticize.

I've learned a few things this week while riding to work:

1. I'd need to have a stash of important things at work. Specifically, coffee, creamer and sugars. It's not easy to ride with a coffee mug, and I can't afford in cash or calories to go buy coffee downtown. 
2. Even if it looks cold out, wearing a jacket is usually too much. Even at 35 degrees. My hands get cold, but pedaling the bike keeps my core temperature up. It's weird to arrive at work both sweaty and cold. 
3. Along those lines, a toiletries kit with deodorant, makeup and other touch up necessities would probably be a good idea for keeping me looking professional. 
4. It is possible to ride your bike in a skirt. I did so on Tuesday in my Mountain Hardwear skirt and on Wednesday in a Banana Republic dress with a really full skirt. It seems the key to not flashing everyone is a full or A-line skirt. No mini's (obviously, since I'm headed to work) or tighter pencil skirts. 
5. It takes a while to break in your "saddle" after a long winter of other activities. Ouch.
6. Knowledge of safe bike routes is key. No need to put yourself, and uncertain vehicle drivers in danger. You can use the City of Bozeman's interactive GIS map to find bike routes. 
7. A good commuting bag is a must. It's impossible to ride a bike with a purse, and really, I'd make fun of you for it. I have a North Face hip pack with a cross-body strap, which was a gift from my dad 10 years ago. It's fine, although maybe not big enough. I like that it clips around my waist since it keeps the bag from sliding around on my body. And I'm to cheap to buy a new one. 
8. Pack light. Duh. Specifically, taking leftovers stored in a heavy glass container for lunch is probably not in your best interests. Not the end of the world, but no need to haul around extra weight. 
9. Have a bigger wallet; one that could double as a clutch purse if necessary. 
10. Give yourself extra time. I'm usually a go-go-go-go-GO bike rider. Why go slow? But when you're wearing work clothes and don't want to arrive to work drenched, it's sometimes necessary to gear down and ride at a more leisurely pace. 

Will I bike to work every day this summer? Probably not. This week just happened to coincide with nice weather and a lack of evening meetings, meaning I could ride home with DJ if the weather changed. It's kind of fun though, and a nice to get outside in the sunshine every day. 

Waking up

I've never been a morning person. I've wished I was; I've tried to be with the help of an alarm, but I'm just not. I wake up drowsy and cozy and just wanna stay in bed. Kind of like Harlow when she gets back from summer camp:

Getting out of bed is tougher for me in the winter, when the light is low or non-existent. I realized how impacted I am by low light this morning, when our bedroom filled with light while DJ was in the shower. I woke up... awake, ready and rarin' to go!

This week is filled with late meetings; one every night, and two this weekend. Whew. Since my boss gave me the "quit racking up comp time" lecture in December, I've been making a better effort to try to balance my in-office vs. out-of-office time. It's been nice this week to be home in the mornings while it's light out. Harlow and I went for a run yesterday morning, and today I get to drink coffee, read the state newspapers and blog.

Now if only spring would spring.

Harlita

Harlow. Harlita. Harlowton. She's already got a little nicknames. Those are only the appropriate ones.

Let me tell you a little about our daily schedule. DJ gets in the shower at 6:42 am, the alarm having gone off at promptly 6:41 am. Harlow hears the shower above and lets you know She! IS! AWAKE!

(Yip! Yip! High squeaky YIP!)

I lie in bed for a little bit, and listen to her YIP! Then she moves to the high pitched whine. eeeeeeeehhhhhhhaaaa. It's a little piercing.

Finally I get out of bed, put on my workout clothes, and trundle downstairs to lift the towel and let her out of her kennel.

She absolutely loses her shit at this point. I like to think we have the following conversation:

Harlow (tail wagging, dancing back and forth): "OhmygoshI'msohappytoseeyou! Wherethehellhaveyoubeen? I'vegottopee! Ohmygoshyoucamedownstairs! OhIjustrememberedthatIhavetopee!"

Courtney (opening the latch to her kennel): "Good morning sunshine!"

Harlow (bolting out of the kennel, headed for the front door): "WowI'moutofthereforthemorning! Yip! Igottapee!"

Courtney (opening front door): "Harlow outside! Go pee!"

Harlow (squats, pees): "OkayI'vepeed, nowwhat? Oooohhhaflower! OooohhhgrassIhaven'tchewed! Ohmygosh, COURTNEY! Letmelickyourlegs!" (Lick lick lick lick lick

Courtney (outside, in her gym shorts): "Oh Harlita, you want some breakfast?"

Harlow (stops licking legs, perks ears, stands up like a gopher): "BREAKFAST?!!!! Iforgotallaboutbreakfast! Quick! Inside! Beforeitgetsaway!" (Sprints up the front steps and into the house).

Courtney (getting food bin out of pantry): "Harlow, SIT!"

Harlow (alternating between the gopher pose, jumping, running around the kitchen island in circles): "Breakfast! Breaaaaakkkkffffaaaaasssstttt! (Bark!) Yumyumyumyuymuyumyumy! Kibble! Whereismykibble!"

Courtney (makes dog sit before putting bowl down): "Harlow, SIT. STAAAAAAYYYY"

Harlow (quivering in anticipation of breakfast, trying so hard to not break her SIT pose): "SayOkay, SayOKAY, SaythewordthatletsmeoutofmySIT!!! I'mHUNGRY! Ican'tholditmuchlonger!"

Courtney (releasing dog from command): "Okay! Go ahead!"

Harlow (jumping towards bowl, gulping down breakfast in less than a minute): "Ohmygoshthiskibbleissogood! BestkibbleI'veeverhad! Delicious! Ican'tstoptobreatheoritwillgetaway! SLURP! CHOMP!"

Courtney (pours coffee, turns around and puppy is done eating breakfast): "Holy moly dog! That was quick!"

Harlow (licks her chops): "Ohmygosh! IjustrealizedIhavetopoop!" (goes running for front door).

Courtney (opens front door): "Outside!"

.... this is pretty much how I've spend every Monday through Friday, 7 am through 7:15 am, Since March 15. Pretty darn entertaining way to start the day!