If you’re already biking you may be doing the 30 Days of Biking challenge. To keep myself on track I thought I’d better set up a weekly check-in on my 30 days of biking/blogging, similar to an earlier post I did to demonstrate a typical week in outfits and mileage. You’re my friends–you’ll help me stay on track with my good intentions.

Thursday, Sept. 1: Typical commute day, forecast a little on the cool side. Tan capris, apricot sweater, tan jacket, scarf, high-heeled dark bronze lace-ups. Rode to work; midday yoga class close to my office; downtown to meet with Eldest Daughter, fiance, and caterer to plan their wedding food; then home in the dark with my headlight, taillight, and spoke light all going. Miles: 6.9

Friday, Sept. 2: Took the day off work because I had a Bike Style shopping event. Rode down in the morning for the back/shoulder treatment I’ve been getting at Revita Rehab to counter the effects of too much computer time and old shoulder injuries, then back home up the hill. (Whenever I tell someone how short my commute to work is I hasten to add, “But it’s uphill on the way home!”)

I had to drive to the event to haul all the goodies, so once I got Hubby’s truck unloaded I parked it away from downtown to save money and biked back, then reversed the process at the end of the event when it was time to pack out. Wore a Ruu-Muu and Pedal Panties for the day–comfy, cute, and practical for a day that combined physical exertion with fashion. Miles: 6.59

Saturday, Sept. 3: Met up with Eldest Daughter and her future MIL with the lovely Welsh accent to go shopping for my mother of the bride dress. Scored in the Nordstrom dress department.

Yes, the beautiful fancy dress is one I could bike in. Yes, I thought about that. No, I’m not biking to the wedding (although, come to think of it….). Yes, I plan to wear the amazing silver stilettos I found at Neat Old Stuff in Bikespedition #2 to SoDo. I carried them with me in my Po Campo Logan Tote so I could try them on with all the dresses, and I carried the dress home–hanger, protective bag and all–in my Donkey Boxx.

Wore a skirt, tank, and white platforms so I was dressed appropriately for trying on dresses. So glad to be on my bike, given the ginormous crowds in downtown for Pig Out in the Park! No way could I have found a parking spot for anything but my bike. Miles: 4.87

Sunday, Sept. 4: Beautiful fall day! Rode with Sweet Hubs, the young ‘uns, and Second Daughter to Perry Street Cafe for breakfast. Had to wear the Pedal Panties and Ruu-Muu again–honestly, those dresses are just my go-to for any sunny-day activities.

After breakfast we rode our bikes in circles on the basketball court at Grant Elementary for no particular reason other than that it was such a beautiful day and riding a bike in circles is fun, then rode home in a row like a family of ducks with Sweetie in front and me bringing up the rear. Miles: 1.74

Monday, Sept. 5: Another gorgeous day for the three-day weekend, another wedding-related errand. Rode to one of the venues we’re considering (a sudden change of plans the Friday of the long weekend led to the need to scout new places) with a stop for an iced coffee at a Rocket Bakery, then rode back with a stop at Rosauers to try to find the last essential bit of school supplies for Second Daughter (no luck). Predictably, I wore a Nuu-Muu & Pedal Panties. Miles: 5.56

Tuesday, Sept. 6: First day of Second Daughter’s senior year of high school. I don’t normally drive my kids to school; our annual exception is the first day of school, which is actually the worst possible day for vehicular traffic, confusion, and delay. It’s worth it to fix her breakfast (another thing I don’t do very often because our schedules don’t sync) and see my pretty pretty princess off.

Then I drove home, got my bike, and rode to work. Outfit: tan capris, black tank, little leopard-print cardigan over that (borrowed from my princess), brown sandals. Temps are starting to be a bit on the cool & crispy side in the morning but the forecast is in the 90s all week. Miles: 5.22

Wednesday, Sept. 7: I woke up, got ready for work, then realized I had a touch of the flu or something like it and was not strictly ready for prime time. I phoned in, booted up the remote desktop access to my office computer, sat down to work, and thought, “Dang it! There goes my 30 days and it’s only day 7!”

But as the day wore on I felt better. I made soup (always restorative), worked lying down on the couch, and recovered. By the time the appointment to look at another wedding venue rolled around mid-afternoon I was ready to ride downtown with Belles and Baskets founder and licensed wedding officiant Betsy Lawrence (she of many talents!).

Since we were on our bikes it was easy to pop into Atticus for an iced Roast House coffee, and then on to the venue. (And we have a winner! Booked and all set.)

Miles: 5.24

Things I notice about the week:

• A little bit of mileage every day adds up. My total for the week: 36.12. Eight years ago if someone told me I’d be routinely biking 35-40 miles a week without even thinking about it I don’t know what my reaction would have been. I know it would have sounded like a far more athletic accomplishment than it is in the day-to-day reality.
• My life–possibly like yours–includes plenty of little errands and short trips. These are perfect for the bike because they’re not long enough to make me sweat and I cut out all the parking and payment hassles associated with driving. I don’t like hassles.
• I appear to be fueled by iced coffee. This is not an inaccurate assessment.
• I prefer biking to driving for most transportation needs. If that weren’t the case, on the first day of school I could have simply driven on to work. But then I’d have to see if I have a parking permit, buy one if I don’t, find a parking spot, remember the parking spot….

————–

Posts in our 30 Days of Biking Blogging Inspiration & How-to Series for Sept. 2011 30 Days of Biking

1. 30 Days of Bike Commuting: You Can Do It!
2. Why We Ride/Resolve to Ride–A Blogspedition
3. Preparing to Commute by Bike: Get the Worry out of the Way
4. Buying a Bike for Commuting: Some Questions and a Blogspedition
5. How to Bike Commute: Getting the Gear Together
6. Bike Commuting 101: Carrying Stuff
7. On a Roll with Wilma Flanagan
8. 30 Days of Biking: Week One Report
9. Ride with your Community: SpokeFest Rocks!
10. There and Back Again: How to Pick your Bike Commute Route
11. Intro to Bike Commuting: Route Selection Part 2
12. More Bike Commuting Route Selection Tips: Part 3
13. Thinking Like a Driver vs. Thinking Like a Bicyclist
14. Biking as Downtime and other Musings on Overproductivity
15. 30 Days of Biking: Week Two Report
16. On a Roll with Katherine Widing
17. I Shouldn’t Assume
18. Falling Down on Your Bike. It Happens. To Grown-Ups.
19. Pretty Handy, Gloves. The Blogspedition Assumes You’ll Get ‘Em.
20. What to Wear for Your Bike Commute? Clothes.
21. How to Get a Dropped Bike Chain Back On, Grease-Free
22. 30 Days of Biking: Week Three!
23. It’s All in the Attitude
24. Things I Now Do on My Bike Without Having to Think About It
25. Mental Essentials for Bike Commuting: Risk and Trust
26. More Mental Essentials for Bike Commuting: Friendliness and Openness
27. Even More Mental Essentials for Bike Commuting: Tolerance, Humor, and Persistence
28. Bicycling Rites of Passage, Spokane Style
29. Dear Reader, I Chicked Him
30. 30 Days of Biking: Final Report!

Your Turn

• Did you ride every day for the last 7 days? How did it go?
• If you’re not ready to ride yet, did you make some progress in planning and getting the things you need?