Ride Something. Every Day. (New Quest)

Let me just say, before I get started here, that this is probably a bad idea.
I mean, the idea itself isn't bad, but writing about it? Writing about it probably is.

This is me simultaneously trying to keep myself honest
and
at the same time, bank on the fact that this little piece of internet real estate is not tread upon too often, so - if I fail, and fail early....maybe no one will notice.

[I wrote a thing here detailing, rather thoroughly, my distaste for New Years Resolutions. In trying to make this neat button...I deleted it. So, in short - I dislike New Years Resolutions as they imply simple solutions to 'problems' that are not simple. How often do we tell ourselves, "If I could just....Things would be better/great/perfect" Further more it is arbitrary. We made up when the first of the year is. It is tied up with the god Janus, January and the turning of one face to another (Janus was the god with two faces). So, if you want/need to make a change in your life and you can accomplish it, don't wait - just do. For this reason I like the idea of New Years Intention. Still problematic in some ways, but a step in the right direction regarding trying to make changes in our lives. ]

30daysofbiking.com

This all kinda started around the idea of #30daysofbiking, which of course, those of use who participate in riding every day in April each year, have Patrick and Zach to thank for the creation of the event 5[?] years ago. I've done it each year and it is pretty great.

So there is my plug for my friends' excellent event, if by some chance you found your way here and did not know about it previously, there it is.

In any event, this post is, really, in a lot of ways a declaration. Perhaps an intention for myself for the new year. My goal, and we will see how far I can make it, is....

To Ride Every Day In 2015.

For some people this isn't a big thing really, and I'll admit that with as much riding as I do, I'm not terrified of the idea - though I really think that it will prove to be far more of a task than I imagine it will. For this reason I wanted to get most of the way through this month before even declaring that I was doing this. NEW QUEST LINE ACCEPTED!

THINGS TO NOTE:

PITFALLS/CHALLANGES:

• I already ride a lot and I know that part of what comes with that is occassionally crashing. Honestly, when it happens, I sometimes feel that I've earned it, not because I've done something dumb, but because on a long enough timeline, with enough miles underneath you, it happens to everyone. The concern here is if I am at all seriously hurt. If I am able to push on, I will do so, but I won't do so at the risk of long term health/ability to ride.
• A full year of committing to something is a LONG time. Hell, #30daysofbiking is a commitment, but I want to try this, so I'll do it till the wheels come off (metaphorically speaking)
• I also intend to update this blog with my progress. Now entries in the past have been scattered and I even have several entries from last year's #30DOB that never even got published, because keeping a blog going isn't the easiest thing. I have two others, one which was the extension of a research project, and the other, a fun blog about videogames and playing them, both of which are more or less defunct. So my goal is to write about this Quest line at least once per moth, hopefully more and in the process write a bit about my life as well, as that should help keep me interested.
• Conveniently I have a few bikes, so I shouldn't have any issues should damage or repair come up as a problem, but finding time can be even harder to do when the bike you want to ride is busted and you have social obligations..."and you know you could just drive there" blah blah blah. I don't have a solution for this, but I will work to avoid missing any days.

RULES/Guidelines:

• I Will Ride A Bike Every Day of 2015.
• While I will not set a strict time limit for each day, it has to be a "real" ride. It cannot be that I hopped on the thing, pedaled it for a moment and now I've done it.
• Sometimes it gets very cold out, other times I want to make extra time to play videogames...In those situations, This Counts:

Old picture, but seriously...been playing Diablo 3 on the trainer

• Ideally, the ride should never be under 30 minutes, but at the least, if it is it should be because the ride has a destination and that destination (a friend's home, a coffeeshop etc.) is closer than is optimal. 

AND FOR NOW  - that is it. I've got some work/riding to do.
Expect an update very soon on how January has treated me riding thus far.

-E

Soundtrack of the moment: aivi & surasshu - Mabe Village

30DOB Days 3-6 (Group Rides, Blizzards and Concerts oh my!)

The days are flying by and I've made a decided decision (paging the Department of Redundancy Department) that I need to break up the blog posts here a bit...as opposed to doing one post for days...3-12[?]

- There would be too many words for you to read and blogs such as this one, with limited readership to begin w/, can scarcely afford to alienate readers even further by writing a short novel in a single post.

[Editor's Note: Despite Erik's claims to the contrary, the real reason that the posts have been split up in this manner is that he began the post on April 6th, "Day 6" and titled the entry as such, but did not fill in any of the subsequent detail until the date posted, the 12th]

So, Thursday's ride. The group ride on April 3rd. It started out beautifully, if with a mild dusting of snow and I like most...or some...or maybe just me, had decided to believe that the weather forecasters were going to be proven horribly wrong.

I, apparently, am no longer content biking in thunder storms. Street bikes with slick tires in blizzards is the new thing. #30daysofbiking
— Erik MD (@Erik_M_D) April 4, 2014

I think that pretty much sums up my experience, and while I don't have picture that accurately depicts how much snow actually fell while we were out and about, Patrick did make a flip-a-gram (I still don't really know what this is) that shows us leaving the dance party at First Avenue, which four of us attended after the ride.



It shows me trying to blow the snow out of the attachment for my bike computer. Losing battle...to say the least. But, we rode...I was one of two, out of the 11 or so, that had slick tires...so when the snow really started to come down, things got hectic for sure and my ride home from First Ave did involve two hills which required that I carry my bike. Now I'd like to say at this point I was carrying my bike cause.. WORKIN' out MAN! YEah! - but that isn't true. The fact of the matter is that I was carrying my bike because when I could not possibly pedal the thing and there was so much snow that when I pushed it, the rear end would get just coated in snow and the rear tire would stop spinning.

But! I did eventually make it home, exhausted from dancing and blizzard biking and proceeded to give my bike a shower. [I could not figure out another way to get all the snow out of the gears without just leaving it to melt, which struck me as the best way to achieve Rust...which we all know never sleeps]

Oscar, The Cat, also thought this was a strange idea.

It was an epic ride that the next few days could hardly stack up against. Now, I know I titled this entry Group Rides [covered], Blizzards [covered] and Concerts [forgot about til now]. To be fair to myself, I wrote that title last week. But watch me work the magic of blogging. I can mark this thing as having been posted 4/6/14 - Now the problem with the concert bit, is that I'm not totally sure what I was referencing. I don't think I attended a concert in those 4 days. I did sing with my choir...maybe that was it.



Regardless. Till next time.

-Erik
Soundtrack of the Moment: Aivi and Surasshu - Distance (Bicycle Trip)

30 Days of Biking 2014 (Day 1 and 2)

Greetings world. Here is me, trying to awaken this old blog out of its slumber.

I've always enjoyed writing here (and writing in general), but I've always done so rather intermittently. This makes sense, given that the self-described subject of the blog is "A blog about productivity and pushing thought into action." A blog about productivity has very little to say when you are not feeling very productive.

But!
Amongst other things, to reinvigorate this whole bit, I've decided to document my participation in this year's #30daysOfBiking movement. I've participated the last several years and if my memory serves me correctly this is year 5 for those who started it (Patrick, Zach, et al.).

I've loved doing it in years past, but this year is the first year that I've decided to try and be more involved with the documenting, social media, process, as well as the group events and group rides.
For those unaware, 30 days of biking is a pledge to ride your bike, everyday in April. All 30 days. For some that may seem daunting, for others not so much. There are not ride length requirements or anything of that sort...just make sure you get on the bike. (To pledge, or for more info see www.30daysofbiking.com)

For those of you who know me, you know I love to bike. I've always enjoyed it and always been big on using it as a form of transport. But a few years back I really started to get in to long distance biking. This required training and a goal. That goal was CANDISC. The trip was awesome and the training and riding that led up to it and followed it were even more awesome. In short, I was hooked.

So, this winter....to be brief, I have experienced what has been the most difficult Winter of my adult life (Now is the Winter of our discontent...). I won't bog down the generally uplifting tone of this post by going into details, but suffice it to say, a couple of personal issues, a few medical issues, a less perfect for me job, and a regular battle with seasonal affective disorder, all got together to try destroy me this winter. They did a good job, but here it is April 2nd, and I'm standing.

Me. Standing. On a thing. Near our campsite, on Candisc.

 So, I've decided that I'm going to wake the hell up for spring and try and push my life a little harder with some positivity and productivity. Part of that will be involving myself as deeply as I can with #30DaysofBiking. I've gotten on the bike for day one and two already, as well days -2 and -1 (There is no zero...) and while there were things worth documenting...The start of this and push I'm going to give are more worthy of the word count. Speaking of, I'm kinda getting into the Twitter thing big, which was not the case previously, if nothing else to teach myself to be more concise.

If nothing else, #Twitter allows me to practice making concise statements, despite liking big words. #LongWinded #twitterFlood #ForHowLong?
— Erik MD (@Erik_M_D) April 2, 2014

So. Here we go. Riding bikes and doing stuff. I've got choir and maybe a concert tonight. Oh and I've discovered my U-lock is missing...30 days of biking and #2days of Frustration.

-Erik
Soundtrack of the Moment: Chvrches - "Strong Hand"