Things I've learnt from commuting

[ChrisF]

5 hours ago, Albatross said:

Don't just grab a pair of jeans from your cupboard at home and assume they are yours. Had an unexpected surprise after this mornings commute to work when I realised that my teenage sons jeans had somehow found their way into my cupboard. Middle aged man waddling round the office in jeans so tight the zip won't even close. Its a day for letting your shirt hang out 😁

 

Closest we have come this this ....

 

Maritz is busy tying his shoe lases .... notta dem can I get going with my socks ....  jip, he was ready to go riding in my socks .... 

 

 

One Sunday morning I quickly grabbed my cycling kit out of MY drawer .... semi-dark, not wanting to disturb the family .... took a moment for my groggy mind to figure out I am NOT going to fit into a 10-year olds cycling pants ..... 

 

 

 

Reading the previous posts, it seems it may just get worse in the years ahead ... 

Edited October 24, 2022 by ChrisF

[DJR]

2 hours ago, Hairy said:

 

Experience has taught me that in these types of situations you don your cycling kit and head off to the nearest store in order to buy what you need 🤣

I was quite proud of the fact that I could still get into a skinny fit shirt belonging to a teenager - discomfort or no discomfort.😁

[ChrisF]

Lesson for the day ....

 

Dont trust the weatherman ... 

 

PERFECT morning commute !!!

 

And now it is bucketing down, even some rolling thunder .... 

 

 

Sal maar sien of ek vanmiddag huis to trap of swem ... 

 

[Skubarra]

On 3/4/2022 at 11:45 AM, cat-i said:

Nothing beats commuting for endurance! It's that afternoon ride in the bad weather to get home that I wouldn't have done otherwise.

When I was at Unisa there was a cyclist colleague who regularly told me he does not commute because he prefers quality training. It was only after I've beaten him multiple times (because the first few were luck) that he later also started commuting.

(I know its an old post) but curious what peeps on here thinks about commuting as training.

I am kind of with your colleague that commuting is not great training, especially if you want to take your fitness to a next level. However at the times when commitment is wavering commuting really helps to just keep some base fitness levels going you can build on again later & I find it really helps to lose weight (more so than hard training when I tend to over-indulge afterwards because I'm super dehydrated & hungry!) 

[The Ouzo]

2 minutes ago, Skubarra said:

(I know its an old post) but curious what peeps on here thinks about commuting as training.

I am kind of with your colleague that commuting is not great training, especially if you want to take your fitness to a next level. However at the times when commitment is wavering commuting really helps to just keep some base fitness levels going you can build on again later & I find it really helps to lose weight (more so than hard training when I tend to over-indulge afterwards because I'm super dehydrated & hungry!) 

I found it did wonders for my fitness. 2 rides a day instead of one, once you're at work there is no option but to do the second ride to get home.

Having a backpack with work clothing adds a bit more weight and drag so you're working harder.

And its easier to justify the commute ride vs a training ride during the week.

It also encourages you to ride in conditions you would not normally ride.

 

I loved commuting by bike.

[Skubarra]

1 minute ago, The Ouzo said:

I found it did wonders for my fitness. 2 rides a day instead of one, once you're at work there is no option but to do the second ride to get home.

Having a backpack with work clothing adds a bit more weight and drag so you're working harder.

And its easier to justify the commute ride vs a training ride during the week.

It also encourages you to ride in conditions you would not normally ride.

 

I loved commuting by bike.

I agree 100% about the afternoons - way better for the marriage to add a few miles to your afternoon commute than getting back home by car in the afternoon and then inform your tired wife surrounded by nagging children that you are now off again on a training ride while she is preparing dinner....

[ChrisF]

34 minutes ago, Skubarra said:

(I know its an old post) but curious what peeps on here thinks about commuting as training.

I am kind of with your colleague that commuting is not great training, especially if you want to take your fitness to a next level. However at the times when commitment is wavering commuting really helps to just keep some base fitness levels going you can build on again later & I find it really helps to lose weight (more so than hard training when I tend to over-indulge afterwards because I'm super dehydrated & hungry!) 

 

It helps me to stay consistently active ... when I can commute.  (days like today I need my car to drive to project sites)

 

My normal commute is too short though.  So I often try to add an extra loop to it.

 

In the mornings an extra 10km really helps to clear the mind and focus you for the day.

 

After dealing with issues on site .... nothing like an extra 20 or 30 km to get home in the right frame of mind.

 

 

My only other option would be to use the IDT more often .... I will much rather do a commute.

[Naidy]

Things I've learnt recently and it was a hard lesson, make sure to check what shoes you packing in you bag. Got to work Monday and noticed i had 2 left shoes, all I saw was black shoes and grabbed them, sat in the change room at work for an hour while my wife dropped of the right side. 

[Hairy]

50 minutes ago, Naidy said:

Things I've learnt recently and it was a hard lesson, make sure to check what shoes you packing in you bag. Got to work Monday and noticed i had 2 left shoes, all I saw was black shoes and grabbed them, sat in the change room at work for an hour while my wife dropped of the right side. 

LOL ... you do that a few times till you realise you need to keep a few pairs of shoes at work.

1. you do not need to lug them around everyday on the bike

2. you do not end up with two left shoes

[DJR]

2 hours ago, ChrisF said:

.....My normal commute is too short though.  So I often try to add an extra loop to it................

I used to to 2 things:

On my direct route I always obeyed traffic signs and stopped when and where I was supposed to, then raced like mad for the next stop. It made a short commute into a high intensity interval training session and it worked like a bomb. I also added a bit of the scenic route, especially after work, to add distance.

Sadly, my only safe route to work (from a traffic point of view) has now deteriourated into running a gauntlet of homeless encampments, pee, poo and muggers and I no longer feel safe doing it alone. 

[peetwindhoek]

Do you ever weigh your backpack? The other day I was really struggling with my load and the first thing I did when I got home was weigh the backpack with all my stuff in.

17kg! Sheesh, surely it has to make you stronger!

[The Ouzo]

2 minutes ago, peetwindhoek said:

Do you ever weigh your backpack? The other day I was really struggling with my load and the first thing I did when I got home was weigh the backpack with all my stuff in.

17kg! Sheesh, surely it has to make you stronger!

definitely makes you stronger carrying the extra weight. You can feel it if you do the same route sans backpack.

[ChrisF]

Sometimes you get lucky .... 

 

Weather forecast was for light morning rain .... but it was already clearing up .... so I got on the bike and cycled to work.

 

Last 50m it started raining.  As I look out the window it is raining nicely now ....

[Hairy]

7 minutes ago, ChrisF said:

Sometimes you get lucky .... 

 

Weather forecast was for light morning rain .... but it was already clearing up .... so I got on the bike and cycled to work.

 

Last 50m it started raining.  As I look out the window it is raining nicely now ....

I was in bed, heard the rain bucketing down ... looked at the time and went back to sleep ... woke up later, made some coffee and walked a couple of meters to work.

Got lucky I missed the rain.

[ChrisF]

53 minutes ago, Hairy said:

I was in bed, heard the rain bucketing down ... looked at the time and went back to sleep ... woke up later, made some coffee and walked a couple of meters to work.

Got lucky I missed the rain.

 

Come now .... be honest .... you MISS it 

[Hairy]

9 minutes ago, ChrisF said:

 

Come now .... be honest .... you MISS it 

More than you could possibly imagine 😭