Run, Bike, Eat

Sounds like a great day, right? I thought so! Woody was golfing today with a friend from college who lives in the area and with only a few weeks left of the Cherry Creek Farmers Market before the end of the season, I wanted to get there. Plus it was a beautiful day, perfect to be outside!

I started the day with a run! It poured all day yesterday – which makes people a little nervous around here right now – but it was beautiful this morning! It was cold, but beautiful. I got to wear my Oiselle Lesley Knickers (they have magic sewn in them!) and my vintage Oiselle jacket because it was all of 39 degrees when we walked out the door. Brrr! Woody and I haven’t been running together often. He is faster than I am and likes to take a different route. Somehow though we tend to run into each other (no pun intended) at some point as we did today. I was nearing the end of my run, heading down Wynkoop towards 16th Street and I noticed Woody at the intersection! I yelled his name, thankfully he heard me, waited for me to catch up and we finished our runs together. I’m sure he had gone a bit farther than I had but I was really happy with my run this morning and felt good! I’m loving fall and wish it would last just a bit longer.

After my run it was time to get going again. While Denver has a pretty good public transit system – especially for a mid-sized metropolitan area – with local and regional buses and a light rail system, it’s lacking in some respects. For instance, the 4.5 mile trip from our apartment to Cherry Creek would take about an hour via public transportation. Thankfully Woody and I went for a bike ride a few weeks ago so now I have an option for going places when he has the car.

I got there and back without any incidents although I was a bit nervous at times and my senses were on high alert. Thankfully I can take the busy and beautiful Cherry Creek Trail rather than the busy and hectic streets almost the whole way. Tonight I am definitely feeling a new sense of freedom and with growing confidence and experience on the bike I’ll have a new way to burn some calories!

Tomorrow I’m off to Longmont bright and early for Venus de Miles 2013: Rising Above! My goal for next year is to be one of the riders!

What have you been up to this weekend? * I am loving all the fall fruits & veggies at the market, which are your favorites? * What are your favorite things about fall?

A Weekend Success Story

Wow, okay is it just me or did this weekend go by really quickly? Personally it was a nice balance of busy and relaxing; productive and lazy, but I wish I had another day (or two) before I have to get back to the whole commuting thing. But I guess that’s how it always is after a long weekend! I hope you enjoyed yours!

One thing I accomplished this weekend has been on my to-do list since we decided to move to Denver! It’s a little known fact, but one I’m not ashamed to admit, that I haven’t been on a bike (one that actually moves forward) in probably close to two decades. I can’t recall the last time I rode a bike, but I’m pretty sure I gave it up in middle school.

Bikes are very prominent in Denver and Boulder. I wouldn’t go so far to say that they are super-bike friendly as I’ve felt/seen/heard of a certain level of animosity between drivers and bike riders. This seems incredibly odd to me though because so many people are on bikes! Nevertheless, one goal I had in moving to Denver was to start riding a bike again! I could close my eyes and see myself gliding down the bike trail with a basket full of farmers market goodies and a huge grin on my face on a crisp Colorado fall day!

I can officially say I am two steps closer to that dream! First, as you may have read last week, Woody and I went helmet shopping at REI and purchased helmets after trying on quite a few. Safety first!

Then today, we rented Denver B-Cycle bikes from a stand near our apartment. It was downtown but on a quiet street so we spent the first 15-20 minutes just riding down the sidewalk, practicing turns and stopping. Yes, I needed to practice all this. Remember, I hadn’t been on a bike in nearly TWO DECADES! I think Woody was just about as nervous as I was about me riding a bike.

Finally I got up the courage to hit the streets and we rode around downtown Denver for a while. Thankfully it was pretty quiet given the holiday so we didn’t have to contend with a ton of people and cars. I can report with absolute truth that I did not once fall off the bike, run into anything or anyone or even have any near incidents! I may take out the B-Cycle once more though before I invest in a bike of my own. But I’m getting closer to realizing a dream!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What were the highlights of your Labor Day Weekend? * Do you ride a bike? Did you ever take a hiatus from riding? If so, why? * What are you looking forward to this fall?