Welp January is in the books. We were greated this AM by yet another snowstorm and a 3 hour delayed start to the work festivities. I shoveled the freeeeeeeking driveway AGAIN. I think this was shovel the drive of 3 inches of more time number 6 this month...
I saddled the bike around 10am and got into work 20minutes later. The ride started with a bit of slip sliding on the new snow over icy paths in a light snow and ended in a blinding snowstorm. I am pretty sure I beat most of the cars to work who left around the same time as me. Wooo, small victories. Everyone thinks you are insane when you ride in the weather. I aim to cultivate that idea.
Anyhoo, the whole point of this post is the first of a monthly series of updates on my riding totals for the year. I usually keep track of this, probably 3 out of every four years. I took the year off of recording last year as I got bored with it. My yearly totals have ranged between 3500-5000 miles riding and something like 200 miles running. I have tried to hit averages of a mile a day running and 10 miles a day riding for the last few years, but have fallen short in the running, oh, since 2001 or so. Usually because I don't hold up so well running more than once a week of late. but the goal remains the same.
So the total for the month was an anemic 106 miles biking, mostly commuting 100% on the studded tire single speed. Sadly we have had so much snow on my commute route, that the fun offroad part has been mostly impassable via bike this month.
12 miles running, 4 of which were on snow shoes. Of course I went xc skiing 8 times or so and ice skating a bunch too, so the fitness is pretty good, but the tyranny of the spreadsheet tells me to get on it. The weather tells me that I am doing pretty damn good commuting thus far and it is xc ski season, so chill out.
I just found the 2003-2005 totals, I think I was optimistic above, my actual totals were:
2003 2880bike 128run
2004 3667bike 252 run
2005 ~3000 ~250, apparently amidst my dissertation I missed recording Nov and Dec 05.
I am guessing last year was in the 4000 bike range and something in the low 100's running. As I commuted almost daily last year after the dissertation and had a pretty solid summer of riding. 2003 and 2005 had 4 month stretches of living 30 miles from work, so I did not ride as much.
.
Stay tuned, I may even geek out and break it down by bike.
Inktober 2024: Half-way through
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