Going Green
Around 5:40 am this morning I was ready to leave for the gym. Bailey was outside, my backpack was packed and the alarm was set. Time to go. The only thing I didn’t have were… my car keys. I look around the house and they’re not in any of the usual areas, then it hits me. My keys are in Sarahs car.
And Sarah had left for work at 5:20…
Yesterday Sarah and I had dinner with friends and we took her car… I grabbed my keys out of habit and then tossed them in her counsel when I realized I didn’t need them. I forgot to bring them in when we got home.
So here I am with 1 problem and 3 possible solutions:
Problem: How am I going to get to work?
Solution 1: Call a friend and ask if they can take me…
Solution 2: Call in sick…
Solution 3: Ride my bike…
I figured none of my friends would want to drive out to give me a lift so I ruled that out. And calling in sick wasn’t really an option… sure I have sick time and vacation time I could take… but I didn’t really want to, I need to save that stuff for more important things. And what am I really going to do all day with nothing to do? I might as well go to work.
So that leaves me 1 option, ride my bike to work…
I live 15 miles from work, and while I have often wanted to ride my bike to work, the thought of showing up sweaty, dirty and tired to my desk job didn’t really appeal to me too much. Sure I’d save on gas and get a great work out but there are major highways inbetween my home and my work…
At 6:45 am I hopped on my bike and pedaled towards the gas station to fill up my tires. From there I started the 15 mile ride towards City Hall. I figured out a way to take mostly back roads so that I could keep car traffic to a minimum. The ride was amazing, the weather and scenery were beautiful. A cool 70 degrees was a perfect temperature to ride in. I got to work at exactly 8 am, which means I averaged 12 mph. So I’m not exactly ready for the tour de france, but a decent time nonetheless. The only problem I have now is that I have to ride my bike home… in 99 degree heat. At least I saved gas… and helped the environment a little bit!
Hey Lance, how do you do it?
