Biking and Running

I've gotten really into biking lately, even trying to do much of my commuting via bike. I'm starting to love the freedom and speed and the ability to see new things. As of now, I do not commute to work, mainly because it's 17.5 miles one way via car on the freeway, so on bike would probably be close to 20. I'm not to that point yet. I could probably do it one day a week, except I work out in the fucking suburbs, and the farther out of the core you go, the worse it is to be on a bike or walking. The city of Minneapolis, and many of the "inner ring" suburbs, are set up quite well for bike commuting. In Eden Prairie, which, as far as I can tell, is comprised solely of on ramps, off ramps, dead end streets, and generic strip malls, bike commuting is difficult, at best. It's one of those places that probably brags about it's parks, but they're the kind of parks where you have to throw your bike into the back of your truck (you live in Eden Prairie, you own a truck, right?) and drive to the park so you can bike around in circles for a while. So for now, my bike commuting has been reduced to getting downtown to go to the gym or go out to eat. Or getting to Uptown to see the lakes, get some grub, or one of the best caramel rolls ever. Even so, I've had a noticeable drop in my gas usage doing this, which has been pleasant. Especially since I really do it mostly because I enjoy it. I can afford the gas, and I can't honestly say that I bike to save the environment. But both of those are great bonuses, right? The icing on my huge caramel roll ;)

So last night my roommates and I headed out on bikes. Kyle has a nice mountain bike, and Brain borrowed mine. We headed down 45th, crossed the river, and biked down through Northeast and ended up in Seven Corners. Tom at Bullwinkle's greeted us with a pitcher of beer, as he has been known to do. Then we headed down the street through Cedar-Riverside to check out Freewheel (where Brian's cousin works, incidentally). I wanted to take a look at the Surly Cross-Check, one of the bikes I am considering purchasing. Then we headed back up the river and home.

So here's the question of the day. Assuming I buy a new bike sometime soon (good assumption), what do I get? Do I get a better road bike made of carbon and better components, to improve my experience -- which I really want to do -- or do I get a really good bike that is best geared toward the commuting I'm doing, like the Cross-Check, or something based on that frame? I already have a road bike, and the Cross-Check would be great for grocery getting, or getting downtown, in days where the weather is sub-optimal. These days are plentiful in Minnesota. Plus, it would save me roughly $1000. But, I really want a faster, lighter road bike because, well, they're fun ;) I have to think this one through.

And... the other half of my topic: running. My running seems to be reduced to four days a week now. This is because of two things, I suppose. First, I run better with more days off. While training for my last marathon, I logged at least five, usually six runs a week. I got pretty burnt out. By reducing it to four, I seem to be able to run faster and farther each run than I could the last go round. Second, I think it has something to do with the other half of the topic, biking. That's been taking up so much of my time and leg strength, that my running has fallen of. But it was refreshing that I biked about 25 miles last night, and was still able to get up this morning and run approximately 10k, and felt great doing so. It's all about balance. I just have to make sure I log enough miles on foot to prepare for the Twin Cities Marathon. But I'm feeling great, having fun, and most of my runs are faster and farther than I think they should be, so I guess that's good, right?

On that note, my morning run felt fantastic. And therapeutic. Lots of crap was floating through my head as went to bed last night and got up this morning. Any time you go through major changes in life -- and the last couple months of mine have seen some major changes -- your brain can get cluttered. Waking up and going for a good run really clears my head. It gives me a chance to process everything and get focused for the day. Not to mention how great I feel when it's over. Endorphins, I suppose ;) The problem with morning runs is that it usually takes me a mile and half or two miles to get warmed up, and loose. It can really suck to start out. This morning though, miles four, five and six felt awesome, and I really wanted to keep going. However, I was lost in thought through most of the run, and really had no idea how far I had been running, or what time it was, so I felt it best to head home. I had to get to work, too!

Morning Run: