Biking

Ever since I moved I haven't biked as much as I would have liked.  Nothing beat going to central park and biking the loop or part of the loop.  The first summer I moved to LIC I went out once or twice and really couldn't find any place I liked biking too.  Last summer I went biking in Central Park once but otherwise didn't do much in the way of biking due to lots of work deadlines.

This summer I want to get out and do more biking and exploring.  Today I rented a bike right by the Intrepid (I didn't want to deal with traveling on the subway with my own) and biked on along the west side highway.  There is a great bike path all along the water.  Went from 43st down to the World Financial Center and back.  For my first outing of the year that was enough for me and my bike partner.

We opted for the by the water since central park is so hilly.  I am glad we did.  It was a great flat ride.  Only problem was a bunch of wind on the way back that was against us.  Overall a great afternoon out.

I need to find someplace in Queens I can really get to easily to bike around…

Today I finally took my bike (a Trek hybrid) out for the first ride of the season. That meant I needed to air up the tires since the bike sat dormant in my bedroom for the entire winter. Yes, you read this right it sat in my bedroom. When I moved into my new building they didn’t have a bike storage spot, so i found a corner in my bedroom for it to go. So in addition to taking the bike out for my first ride of the year, I got a space in the new bike storage room that opened in my building. It is now safely hanging on a wall somewhere. it is actually kind of cool.

I didn’t ride around that much on my first trip out. It was a beautiful day and I rode down by the water near my apartment. It was nice. I have to find a good route to ride for a work out. When I was in Manhattan, I just rode to central park and biked half the loop. I am too far to feasible do that now. I will need to explore a bit.

I also checked out the pool in my building. It wasn’t as nice as I thought, compared to other apartment complex’s I have been in. Oh well, this is still one of the nicest buildings I have ever lived in. If the weather is nicer I will take a dip next week.

The weather cleared up today enough so i was able to get a good ride in Central Park in the afternoon. I don’t know why (maybe the lack of any exercise all week) but i was more tired after my work out than i can remember ever being on the same route. Even last week wasn’t that bad. I guess that means i need to do my own self made course more often to build up my stamina. Hopefully i can get out a few nights this week.

Technorati Tags: Biking in Central Park, Biking

I headed out to the bike store today to get air in the tires of my bike. Sitting in my apartment all year left them needing a quick refresh and then I was off on my first ride of the season. I took it easy today since I know I am a bit out of shape and I don’t want to over do it. I rode a bit in Central Park, and then headed home. If the weather stays the way it is I hope to get a few more rides in this week.

So far I have gone for 3 rides on the new bike. I just got back from one a while ago. Man I was tired. I think if you feel like you are going to puke you did a decent work out? I remember that feeling when I was in training for the life guard test my senior year of High School.

I think I have a routine I am going to follow until I get more stamina and build up the cardio. I leave my apartment and head over to Central Park. I take the bike road/trail up to the 102st service road (cuts the look down by a mile or so), then I cut over to the west side. I ride on the west side until just 72nd street (i think). From there I can cut back over to the east side and ride back uptown to the exit from the park by my apartment. From there it is all down hill back home. The hardest part is the big hill south of 102st on the west side, and another incline on the east side north of 72st. those two areas alone give me a crazy work out. Well honestly I can’t make it up the hill on the east side just yet. I walk the bike each time I have tried it.

My goal is to get in decent enough shape that I can expand my ride to eventually include the entire 6+ mile look of the entire park. From my progress so far I need to work on my condition a bit before I can try that. The good thing is the last 2 times I rode I actually looked forward to the ride. That is a good sign to me!

Technorati Tags: bike riding, exercise, bike riding in Central Park, Trek Bike

Today I finally went out and did something I have been saying I was going to do for a while. I bought a bike. Since the winter time I have wanted a bike to ride for a few reasons. First I need to exercise a bit more (aka at all). Second as a backup mode of transportation. I was fed up with walking during the transit strike. The funny thing is that biking for me is not something new. When I was a teenager and younger I used to bike everywhere. I did it all the time, and I enjoyed it. Even when I was old enough to drive I still would use my bike to go places locally.

Since college my off and on outdoor exercise has been roller blading. It is fun, but it is not something you want to do if you want to travel long distances. The more I think about it, I don’t know why I didn’t go out and get a bike sooner? After recommendations from friends I bout a Trek bike. The model I originally wanted was out of stock. It was a bike specifically designed for urban areas like Manhattan. I ended up with something similar in the same price range. So far it seems great.

My goal is to ride a few times a week, weather permitting. I have one ride down today! I need to force myself into this, since I think I need to exercise!

Technorati Tags: exercise, Trek Bike