Winter Bike

Winter is coming. At this point in the game there is no denying it. Skis come in by the dozens at the shop and I have moved from talking about tire options with customers to wax options and ski lengths.
Living a mile away from work now means I don't have to drive at all, though I find myself running late at least once a week and have to drive. :( The mile cruise down hill, through the Avenues neighborhood of Salt Lake makes for an easy morning commute. The mornings that I walk I some times stop by one of the three coffee shops I pass for a mug refill. Going home isn't always as enjoyable, though I do like it. A one mile hill climb with what feels like an 18 percent incline is what greats me on my way home. I live on A street and about 9th ave and work two blocks from I street and South Temple. The closer I get to A street going up hill, the steeper the the hills get. I use to wiggle my way through the aves to get home, up one block, over one block, till I realized I should really just grin, bare it, and get my ass in gear, literally, because hills aren't going to get easier any time soon. This way of thinking has actually been helpful. By the time I get to 9th ave I am usually over the fact that I am slightly sweaty, breathing heavy, and utter a small matra of success under my breath. The hills have gotten slightly easier the past few weeks. The more time I spend on the bike, the faster I seem to get. Funny how that happens.... (sarcasm intended)
As the months get colder I will cling to my bike a little harder. I just lost 10 lbs. You think I want those back? I'm not going out looking for them so for now I will stick to riding my bike during the cold months, don a pair of warm gloves, marino wool base layers, and good shell jacket with pit vents.
Dear winter,
I'm going to kick your ass.

-Punkin Pants

I'm back!...on two wheels

There is no string of sentences I can bring together that is going to explain my absence from the interweb the past few months. I will say this as my only disclaimer; I do all my best thinking on my bike and when you aren't able to ride your bike for three months because of a broken humerus, there isn't a whole lot of good thinking that happens.
But now I am back and making a goal to blog at least twice a week. For real. I am serious this time. Tuesdays and Thursday maybe? Who knows. But I am back with a vengeance and my veins pumped full of bicycle fueled words.
Lately bicycles have meant so much more to me than they have in the past. Perhaps my three months sabbatical is the cause of this. Even as the temperatures drop and we usher in yet another cold Utah winter, I can't get enough of the one mile hill climb to my house, the feeling of cold cheeks, and the ultimate feeling of untrammeled freedom I get from riding a bike. The feeling of my legs: hips, quads, knees, ankles, feet, all taking me where I want to go. My lungs, gasping for oxygen, feel so much better at the end of the day when I have strained them for air and asked them to be stronger. My mind feels clearer and my waist line is noticeably smaller. I currently don't fit into about half of my clothing because it is all to big. I have three pairs of pants that actually fit. One pair are Carhartts, the other are electric blue skinny jeans I bought during my quarter life crisis.
Regardless of my ill fitting clothing problem I am happy to be back on my bike and hope that with consistent updating I can inspire a few of you to get ahold of two wheels and enrich your lives.