Changing Up the Commute

I'm lucky enough to live only a few miles away from where I work. So, I really have no need for a car. Right? Well, truth be told -- my area isn't exactly bike-friendly. Yes, there are bike lanes and sidewalks, but they involve trekking across busy highways with loads of traffic. A non-auto commute, needless to say, is certainly not for the faint of heart. But I decided to give it a try earlier this week when the temps were high and the clouds were few.

The result: I am still in one piece. I got to work. I got home from work. I got some good exercise. And I'm planning to do it at least two to three times a week -- weather permitting.

Commuting to work by bus, bike, or on foot requires a certain level of planning, however. So, if you're fortunate enough to live close to your place of employment, you might consider taking alternative transportation for a day or two. Just to try it out. For the purpose of this post, I'm concentrating specifically on biking and walking. Not only is it good for the environment, but it's also good for your wallet and waistline.

Here are just a few tips to get you started:

1.) Plan out your route considering safety, ease of travel, and time. There are likely multiple ways to get where you need to be. Figure out the good, bad, and ugly about each. For me, the long way around is definitely quieter, but involves more hills and several more miles. As a compromise, I take the short way -- but in the area where I feel least safe, I ride on the sidewalk. I see others doing the same thing, so it's not a horrible thing to do (I know bicyclists need to obey traffic laws -- but until they improve the bike lanes around here, I'll break them for the 1/2 mile that makes me feel uneasy). But look at all your options and plan accordingly.


2.) Dress appropriately. The temps in our area were in the high 80s this week. So, I knew I didn't want to be a mess when I got to work. I dressed in layers. Packed a cardigan for the inevitable office chill (too much air conditioning). I wore spiffy shorts one day, a stretchy skirt the next (and, yes, it's possible to bike in a skirt and still be descent . . . practice makes perfect). If you're especially self conscious about sweating, etc., pack another shirt. Wear sensible shoes. If you're walking, flip-flops just won't do. And high heels on a bike? I don't think so. If you're concerned with fashion, think about bringing a change of clothes. Ultimately, you don't want to sacrifice safety and comfort for fashion.


3.) Saddle up with a backpack. Include other key gear. If you're walking, having a backpack will help alleviate back problems. You can stow away lunch, a laptop, your purse, change of shoes (if necessary), etc. If you're biking, same thing -- but you'll also need to throw in a bike lock. Oh, yeah. And don't forget a HELMET. I never, ever, EVER ride without a helmet. When you're on the road with cars buzzing past you going 1,000,000 miles an hour, you'll be happy you're wearing one, too.


4.) Pack all your supplies. As I mention above, you want to pack smart. But this doesn't just include the basic necessities. You'll also want to be sure to bring a bottle of water with you. (Hydrate, please!) Furthermore, if it's hot outside, you may even want to consider bringing your getting-ready routine on the road with you. Nothing's worse than melted makeup with asphalt embedded in your pores. I pack a small toiletries bag so that I can apply my makeup and fix my hair in the bathroom at work. I also bring deodorant and some face soap so I can lather up a bit beforehand. If you don't feel like carrying all of this in your bag, you may want to keep a supply kit in your desk.

5.) Leave yourself enough time to get to your destination. I was completely surprised to learn that it takes me exactly the same amount of time to bike to work as it does to drive and walk from my car to my office. Astounded, in fact. But I didn't know this the first day, so I was sure to allow myself a full half hour just in case. You may even wish to do a test walk or bike ride on a weekend to see how long it takes to get from point A to point B.

But leave yourself enough time to get to your office so that you won't be rushing and perhaps ignoring the rules in the following step . . .

6.) Obey the rules. Yeah, I'm not going to lie. I do break a biking rule on my route. But, unless there's a reason that is particularly compelling (seriously, folks -- that part of my route is DANGEROUS, so I'd rather take my chances with a couple pedestrians on the sidewalk), you must obey traffic rules on your ride. This includes hand signaling. Both walkers and bikers must look both ways a.) for your own safety and b.) for the safety of others. Think about when you're in the driver's seat in your vehicle. It's frustrating when you see cyclists, etc. not obeying rules (or just being confusing and oblivious). So, you want to be the model . . . less frustration for those in cars, less chance of accidents for you.

One more thing: Just like you would for your vehicle, be sure to check that your bike is in good working order being heading out. Check the brakes, tire levels, etc. And consider carrying a bike kit with you for any unforeseen emergencies.

One of my friends describes biking to her place of work as "empowering" -- and I certainly agree with her. The days I chose to get here without my car, I felt liberated. I felt happy and strong. I was also happy about the extra exercise I was squeezing in. And despite the relative difficulty of my particular route, it was fun! So, if you choose to travel an alternative way to your 9 to 5, be safe. And let us know if you have any other tips to add! Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker@gmail.com.

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Tri Cross-Training for Runners: No Swimming Required

There's no question that triathletes are amazingly fit and hardcore. Swimming, biking, and then running -- all in succession -- work all the major muscle groups (and then some) as well as promote incredible endurance. I've been reading blogs and following a number of triathletes (like Healthy Ashley, who recently completed a Half Ironman!) in wonder.

I'd love to get into triathlons. But I have a small problem. The swimming part. It isn't a matter of not being able to maintain a stroke for any given time. I actually don't know how to swim efficiently. I haven't ever successfully done the freestyle stroke. Instead, my "stroke" is more of a frog style. When I was young, I failed out of my swimming class. It's for a variety of reasons, but mostly because I got 1,000,000 ear infections . . . almost always after swimming. So, I developed this fear of (and now habit that keeps me from) having my head under water (to this day, I've never done a dive of any kind either!). Eventually, I'd like to take a swim class.

For now, I developed this fun workout that gives runners at least some of the benefits of triathlon training -- all on land!


The workout is simple: Push-ups, biking, and running. Before you start, lay out all the stuff you'll need. For me, this meant just getting my bike and helmet out, stashing a water bottle in our yard, and grabbing a pair of sunglasses.


PUSH-UPS: (Of course, this is subbing for the swim portion -- Swimming is a total-body pusher for sure. Push-ups are good because they work your arms and core. Not the same, but still challenging.) For this workout, I did 100 of them. It's sort of my favorite non-running workout, and I've been working on them for a while. So, if you haven't, don't feel you need to start this high. I did one set of 60, waiting one minute, did a set of 35, waited one minute, did a set of 15. So, actually, as I'm now writing this: I did 110.

If you're new to push-ups, do enough sets to get to 15 or 25. Intermediate? Try to get up to 50 or 75 or more. Don't wait too long between sets -- that way, you'll be sure to feel the burn. And make sure to stretch when you're done.



BIKE: I planned to bike 20K (about 12.4 miles), which is the distance of the bike portion for a sprint triathlon. Problem: I was doing this workout at rush hour, and I don't live in the most bike-friendly area. Traffic got in the way (and cars didn't seem to notice or care that I was there -- I even got cut off at one point!), and as I made my way through three loops for a 4+ mile course, the traffic got heavier and heavier.

So, I stopped at about 8.3 miles (30 minutes total). No shame in that. It was mother-flippin' dangerous.

As you'll notice, I don't have a fancy road bike. I don't have fancy bike shoes. I don't have fancy gear. I rock a hybrid that likely makes me look like more of a wannabe than anything else. But it's a bike, folks! All you need is wheels. Oh, and a helmet. Ride on!

RUN: Again, I planned to run a 5K (3.1 miles), which is the distance of the run portion for a sprint triathlon. Respect the workout, though. If you're not used to biking and then running, even you cocky runners might have some trouble. My legs felt tight -- I was maintaining an 8:11ish pace the whole time, but didn't feel like going the full distance would be good for me (Also, I ran 12 miles the day before . . . So, too much, too soon after a hard workout -- I listened to my body).

In the end, I ran 2 miles in around 16:23. Then I returned home to stretch.


Total workout time: Approx. 50 minutes. In the coming weeks, I'm hoping to improve on my times and distances (eventually working up to maybe 200 push-ups, 40K bike, 10K run). It's a great cross-training activity, and it's actually a lot of fun. Something different for those of us who would rather run than do anything else.

What's your favorite cross-training workout? Are you training for a triathlon? Have any swimming tips for me? Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker@gmail.com.

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Weekend Adventure

Stephen and I biked to a nearby town this weekend -- a ride totaling 42 miles in all. This may not seem like a lot to you bike folks out there. But, as you'll see in a moment . . . we're not exactly serious cyclists. So, 42 miles is a trek for us, for sure.

Stephen has a mountain bike and I have a hybrid. And along our way, we ran into (well, were passed on the other side of the road by) "real" cyclists. Many of them waved. A few ignored us. I was the only female of the entire bunch.



Stephen's Garmin died on the way over, but we estimate our speed to be somewhere between 16 and 18 miles an hour. Not too bad considering the route was all rolling hills. Oh, and we each hadn't put our butt to bike seat in over a year. Truth be told, we didn't ride nonstop -- our "ride" took place from 9AM to 1PM, which included some walking across construction bridges, etc.


It was super sunny, hot, and humid, so when we got to our destination, we took a much-needed break.



There were some fun things to do in town. A book shop. A coffee shop. Lots of little shops, really.





As well as a river walk . . .




There was even time for yoga and cookie eating!



Overall, biking away half the day Saturday was a great, inexpensive (in all, I think we spent $4 getting a cookie and coffee) way to enjoy the weekend. We're definitely planning to do it again sometime soon. But now I'm wondering what you all did this weekend. Let us know by leaving a comment or emailing us at neverhomemaker@gmail.com. Up here in Upstate, it was amazing. We spent most of our time outdoors.

Here are a few other pics from the trip. Enjoy!







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Three Cheers for Cheap Gear: Part I

Those of you who follow us on Twitter know we have a new cross-training buddy: our Spinner Sport Spin Bike. What we didn't tell you is that we scored this baby for under its Amazon price (which, if you're in the market for a spin bike, you know you can't really beat their prices/free shipping). Not only that, but we also supported a local business in the process. Smiles all around!

First: Why did we choose a spin bike? As I mentioned above, cross-training is definitely the primary reason. We also were considering starting up (yet another) a gym membership. However, the gyms in our area leave much (MUCH) to be desired. So, we took some time to examine exactly what we like about gym memberships -- again, mostly cross-training opportunities with spinning, yoga, and free weights -- and started researching a bit.

After I injured myself during the Philadelphia Marathon last fall, I was unable to run for over a month. We joined a gym, and I took to the bike. I was pleased to find spinning a challenging workout -- even when I chose to do it on my own (not being yelled at by a fitness instructor). My fitness level stayed stable, and I even gained some speed -- PRing at a 10K in January despite a slick layer of snow. Yeah, indoor cycling gets my heart rate up into the good zone, and I sweat like a pig. No joke.

So, in short: We wanted a spinning bike because it offers us excellent cross-training -- as well as a safeguard in case one of us becomes injured in our primary sport, running. And, at least for me, the bike gives us a low-impact speed training buddy.

Step back, though. We're runners. So, when it comes to equipment for at-home gymin' it, a treadmill is something we certainly want to purchase eventually (despite how hardcore we are about running in negative temps and snowicanes, sometimes we just can't run outside in the climate). We have heard from our friends with kids that when you have little ones, it's hard to get in your run unless you can stay put. One small problem -- a "good" treadmill (that can handle Stephen's speed) is expensive. And I'm not hiding a baby bump, so we don't need to worry about all that just yet.

So, we also went with the bike because of its relative affordability and for its practical application in our lives today, not tomorrow. We found this particular bike, the Spinner Sport, on Amazon -- and it got rave reviews. But we made sure to do our homework before whipping out the plastic to hastily purchase. In fact, we gave ourselves the weekend to think about it.

Then on Saturday morning, we hit up our local athletic supply store (it was the first time we'd even been in there). And -- wouldn't you know it -- the exact bike we'd set our sights on was sitting on the showroom floor. With a $499 price tag (same as Amazon). Best yet, we got to hop on it for a test ride.

• Foremost, I was impressed by the bike's stability. Home models (versus the fancy, pricey) can be wobbly and just feel cheap, for lack of a better description. Not this one, even in the standing spinning position, this thing is rock solid. 
• It also has a water bottle and holder (many of the more expensive models didn't, and I go through gallons of water while riding). This "feature" may seem silly, but it was one of my checklist items.
• It's extremely portable -- just roll and go. 
• It's not too terribly heavy (which may sound like a contradiction, like it isn't solid, but please see above, where I write about how stable this baby is!).
• Did I mention it was selling at the Amazon price? Yeah, that was attractive at the time of purchase, too.

And on, and on, and on. Back to the deal we got. Like I said, the price tag said $499, but since I had done my homework, I told the salesman that I could get it somewhere else for that exact price, where it was new, still in the box (the one at the store was also new, but out on the floor). He said he could lob off $25 -- which essentially covers tax, and we took a few moments to think. We ultimately decided to take it because it was already assembled, no shipping, tax was covered by his discount. Yeah, we are pretty thrilled with the bargain!

If you figure it all out over the course of a year, we're each "paying" a $20 gym membership in order to pay off this bike. Might not sound like we're getting all the benefits -- but if you factor in the number of days we simply didn't make the effort to cart our butts to the gym, we know we have made the right choice. And if you're looking for other ways to bring your workout home, while also saving money, check out this guest post from a few weeks ago.


And later this week, we'll show you all the tent we bought a few weeks ago that was originally nearly $400. And we snagged it up for less than $175! Camping the coast of Maine on the cheap-itty, cheap, cheap, here we come!

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