Short Bursts Beats the Bus.

Now that the snow and ice have made themselves scarce (at least for a little bit), I have taken to biking short distances, very quickly, from where I park my car on the outskirts of campus (I work at a University) to where I work. It's a little over a mile and takes me between 5-7 minutes.

Not much distance in that amount of time, but considering I am climbing two pretty substantial hills, there is a stop light, pedestrian traffic I often have to stop for, and a flight of stairs I carry my bike over, it's not a terrible time.

It's a nice short burst to wake me up in the morning (especially since it's a little colder in the A.M. still) and rev my metabolism a bit for the day. I'm also using it to build up a little consistency for my complete 22 mile commutes (11 miles one way) to work commute that I plan to tackle after I get my bike tuned up and smoothed out.

The biggest benefit to this short burst cycling in the morning is the smug satisfaction I get when I see a "Full Bus" on the road next to me and I arrive at my location before the people I see waiting for the bus that goes to campus.

I wonder why those people take such a short trip on the bus that takes why longer than just riding a bike.
It's really easy. I don't get too sweaty, I can wear all my regular clothes, and I pack my lunch and whatever else I need for the day in my bag, so I really don't see the issue with riding a bike to campus.
The people that live in the apartments across from where I bike... it's like 20 yards to the bus stop, then they stand there and wait for 10 - 15 minutes, then most of the time, the bus is full, so they wait longer, and by that time, I'm already on campus in my office.

So, that keeps me motivated. Not only am I moving, I'm saving myself time, hassle, and exposure to bus-germs.
But I'm kidding about the smug-ness. Really, it's just satisfaction. Sometimes, I race the buses. If i don't arrive before them, I arrive at the same time, starting from the same location.

Someone should really let the people know at the rec center that they aren't saving any time taking the bus.

They save some leg work, I guess. But, long term, that's not a great strategy for one's health.

Anyway,
While I'm at work, I've been conditioning myself a little bit otherwise. I have exercise bands I use to stay active at work.
Sitting all day is such a pain in the ass. Literally. But hopefully, I can combat the pent up energy I have at work to give myself some gains later down the road.

Okay, over and out now.

Thanks for reading/writing (since I'm probably the only person who's going to read/write this).

Although: here is an interesting link on biking times:
http://www.bikeforums.net/living-car-free/445870-minutes-per-mile-explanation-our-non-cyclist-friends.html