1: Sleep is CRITICAL (especially to me)
Think this through with me. You wake up early enough to bike into work (for me that's 6AM.. not bad really I woke up at 5 to drive in so really I get an extra hour of sleep these days), and the first thing you think is, alright I need to get up! I have a 40 minute battle with traffic and hills ahead of me. Ughhhghghghgh I am so tired, maybe I should just call in sick today... followed by WHAT THE HECK HOW IS IT 7:30!
There is seriously nothing worse to think about when you wake up tired and groggy than having to bust your butt to get to work when you know you can take the day off and still get paid.
2: Sleep is CRITICAL
Wait didn't you just say that.... yep! Your body needs time to rest to rebuild those muscles you are tearing up... you'll be sore every day of the week (because you don't get a break from biking!) You need as much sleep as possible so your body has time to rebuild
3: Food sucks...
All the sudden you look at that free doughnut in the break room and think all you're going to do is weigh me down and make my job harder... BUT YOU LOOK SO GOOD. You suddenly fight with yourself over what food/drink you will have because each one makes a difference in how your ride will go. For some that doesn't matter because you already eat healthy. (And cue off subject rant...3...2...1... and GO) One look at my frame it will tell you I haven't been Health Conscious for some time. 2 years ago I was 60 pounds lighter and could ride 4 more miles to work each day at 4:30 AM without a problem and work a 12 hour shift on my feet. 10 months ago, I worked 2 jobs from Thursday to Saturday my schedule went, wake up at 7 get to work at 8 get off at 5 go home eat and change go to work at 7 get off anywhere from 3-5am sleep until 7 wake up go to work at 8 get off at 5 go home eat and change, go to work at 7 get off anywhere from 3-5 go home sleep until 12ish get up take some time to relax and connect with the wife. go to work at 7 get off anywhere form 3-5. I also worked Monday nights. so 5 days a week at my day job and 4 days at my night job. I was away from home about 100-110 hours a week and put in about 95 hours of work. Now I am beat up from 5 days of work and an hour of exercise... anyways moving on.
4: Sweating this much sucks...
I sweat like a pig sitting still. Imagine what I look like after my bike to work each day... wait you don't have to look here. It's disgusting to see, and even worse to feel and smell
5: Showering at work sucks...
The way the showers work at my job is they're inside the men's bathroom. I don't know about you but, I don't feel 100% clean after showering with umpteen guys coming into the bathroom and doing their business just a few feet away from me while I shower.
6: Biking is not easy!
If I had a car right now I wouldn't bike to work everyday... trust me. Every morning I wake up I think... man I wish I had a car right now, I need a day off from biking. I would think that every morning with a car too and drive in. It's so bad that if I see a car that looks like someone I know I HOPE they stop to pick me up haha. There is a truck on our block in a empty parking lot that has some paint pen writing on it that says "Please Move" and I couldn't read the rest. But I was hoping I could move it to work... with my bike in the bed.
That's not all the bad stuff there is but, I will just stop there. I will, however, give you why its worth it and rewarding and just incredible and what outweighs all the negatives.
I am loosing weight and feel so much better every day. I got to work and another bicyclist and I were talking and he said something so true.. "You're definitely awake by the time you get here" and that's true for the whole day. I am so much more alert and my mind is so much clearer each day. My wife can attest to it too, I have SO MUCH MORE energy everyday. I used to get home and just want to sit on the couch and be a lazy bum because "I was so warn out". Now I get home, help with the baby, make dinner, do the dishes and get ready for bed, without feel warn out most days.
I get to see my constant progess. Remember those hills I could only climb two of. Tuesday was the first time but, today I climbed them all and look at my time! 35 minute (if you don't have it Moves is a great activity tracker that you don't have to do anything to use... just leaving it running.)
Also I get to see things that generally you won't pay attention to in a car. Look at this view I got this morning!
(Click any of the images to make them larger) (also as a caveat to the 35 minutes that's with stopping to take this picture...)
I would not have stopped to appreciate this view. (I'm no photographer but you get it) also I get a lot of time to reflect and spend time thinking, meditating, and contemplating about life, my day, my family and everything in between.
All in all its a give and take but, from what I've seen it gives much more than it takes.
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