Once my knee felt better, I was determined to continue bicycling to work. I picked up a new part-time job at the Beer Store's Distribution Center on Dewitt Rd near the QEW, and felt this was a challenge I was up to after successfully commuting to McMaster for a brief period. Cycling in the heat has (as expected) been quite a different challenge. The trip is about 12km each way, slightly downhill on the way there and slightly uphill on the way home. I am fortunate enough to be able to take Lawrence and King Streets for most of the route, and am on bike lanes to Battlefield Park in Stoney Creek, minus the patch over the Redhill Expressway which is often a bit of an adventure. Sadly Stoney Creek's roads are not nearly as bicycle friendly as the East End's are, and this makes for a difficult commute through downtown Stoney Creek, but I've learned to adapt and make pretty good time through. I occasionally bike from work to work, and take Barton for the duration from Dewitt to James St N (or vice versa) and find it to be an enjoyable ride. Fortunately at work I again have a locker, or else I would be lugging steel-toed boots with me and the trip would be considerably less enjoyable.
Through doing this commute 4-5 times a week over about two months, I've found my strength and cardio have benefited more than I had expected. My ankle having been in bad shape since October (which was an original impetus to biking as it is low impact), I was concerned that I had lost the progress I had made in running the previous summer/autumn. Cycling apparently helped, however, when I started running again and recently bested my previous record for 5km (now sitting at 23:42), and have picked up on distances in the 10km range which is where I was when I stopped running. The fringe benefits of cycling never cease to amaze me.
Volunteering for Bike for Mike in April, which I was connected to through Kate Whalen and the McMaster Sustainability office, was an excellent experience. My friend Drew and I were able to be part of an event in which ~450 bicycles were given to students and their families at Queen Mary School in the East End. The recipients were also given helmets, locks, and lessons on the proper use of each. We also advertised the Mike's Bike Fest happening the following week at the school, and showed students the bicycle school bus route we would be following to help ensure they made it in to school safely on a good route through their neighbourhood. I would like to talk more about these events, and so will likely do so in their own post.
Right now I am in Borden, as I said, without a bicycle. Either the last weekend of July or first weekend of August I am planning to bike here from Hamilton, a distance of about 160km. My goal is to succeed in doing this in one day, however I will have two to do it. I currently just need to bring my bike into New Hope, replace my wheels and tires and perhaps buy some additional parts such as panniers to ensure success on my ride. My friends and family have been supportive so far and I am excited to push my comfort zone and see where it takes me.
This seems like a good stopping point for now. I have a lot I want to talk about so hopefully that will help me build better habits for updating this blog, and therefore bring me back on track with my original goals of writing more and discussing the things that make me happy, such as this city of ours and the great things you can do here.
Stay positive,
~Ken
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