Bike/Walk Week

Thanks to everyone for the congrats on my half marathon. It's still hard to believe that I did that. And, naturally, I've already been fishing around for more races to run!

I wanted to give a shout out that it's Twin Cities Bike Walk Week! This week encourages people to give their commute a make over and try walking or biking, if possible. I know a lot of people live a big commute from their place of work and obviously biking or walking to work isn't an option.

But you can bike or walk other places too! The grocery store. The gym. To pick your kid up from school. A lot of places you regularly go are completely accessible by biking or walking, but many people don't realize this until they give it a try! Heck, I never even thought about biking to work until one day I tried it. And it takes less time than the bus!

I will admit though that with rain in the forecast all week, it may be hard to give biking or walking a go when you could stay warm and dry in the car. But even if you don't get to it this week, give walking or biking a try sometime when you would normally take your car.

Here are a few excuse busters I constantly remind myself of:
1. I will be sweaty when I arrive at my destination
--You actually sweat biking a lot less than you'd think. Yes, if your route has a lot of hills, you may sweat but chances are good that the breeze from the ride will keep you dry. And even if you are a bit sweaty when you get somewhere, it won't be a ton of sweat that you won't dry off right away.

2. It takes me longer to get somewhere by bike
--If you take the bus from somewhere in the city to downtown, it will probably take you the same amount of time, if not less. My bike ride commute is quicker than the bus because there is no waiting time and I don't have to walk for blocks from my bus stop to my destination. Plus, it is much more relaxing than dealing with annoying people on the bus!

3. I can't walk in my work shoes
--Shoes don't take up nearly as much room in your bag as you'd think. Throw the heals or flats in your bad and wear your tennis shoes on your walk in. Yes, you may feel dorky, but knowing that your walking commute won't impact how your feet feel all day is worth it.

4. I don't know how to get somewhere by bike
--Given the Twin Cities' trails system, chances are good there's a trail that can help you get to your destination. But if you need help, Google has a function where you can put in your starting address and ending address, select that you're going there by bike, and it will tell you the best way--with trails included.

Check out this link for more info.

Other benefits:
1. It's cheaper
2. You get exercise in
3. A bike ride or walk home quickly gets rid of the "end of the day blahs"
4. Morning activity revs up metabolism
5. You won't get groggy on your way into the office.

As I said, I know biking and walking on a daily basis isn't in the cards for some of you, but if it is, give it a try!