Okay, I've been defeated. Seriously, I'm almost in tears right now.See, I've never come up against something that I didn't finish just to finish it, and prove to everyone...well, you get the point.
Today was supposed to be my first ride on the bike to and from work, just to clock it and see how long it would take me. I got there okay - it took me an hour and a half. I sat at work for an hour, took care of a few things, and ate two apples. I had eaten a granola bar on the way to work. Then, I turned around and started heading back home.
Here is where the rubber met the road. Literally. I lost it - any gumption I had to pedal that bike was gone, and I started convincing myself that it wasn't such a good idea after all.
Talk about a sugar low!!! Wow, I've never wanted to cry so much in my whole life. But to call DH would be to admit defeat, so I kept pedaling. I even got off the bike and started walking for awhile. I ate two peanut butter sandwiches.
I forgot to mention that my route includes a major highway, where people go at least 65mph. Semis were accelerating when they saw me (haters). It was horrible. A semi going 70mph past you on a bike is a pretty big eye-opener.
The Sandhills are called "hills" for a reason. They're huge! It's not as noticeable when you're in a car, but on a bike, even a hill feels huge.
But I'm not an excuse kind of girl, so please don't think I'm whining - I'm just "explaining"!
I got up to the mini-mall right before our road (our road is especially hilly) and broke. I never go out to eat, but I stopped. I ordered an entire pizza and downed it in 2 minutes flat. I called DH and asked him to come get me. I got home, cooked up an entire pan of chorizo and eggs, and ate it all. I think I ate like 4000 calories right now - I'm surprised I'm not having a heart attack right this second!
So, today was the first and last day I ride my bike to work (while I live in this house). I know, 3 hours of cardio - I should have planned better and eaten more. But I think that with the way I felt today, even if the gas cost was $20 a day, I probably wouldn't go through with the 14-mile ride again. It's a shame, but it taught me something: I never want to live in the suburbs again (or at least so far away from work).
I'm sorry if I've let some of my readers down, but I guess I'm just not as frugal as I thought I was. I will ride my bike to work when we move to Arizona, as I will buy a house that I can ride my bike from.
Costs: $59 bike parts, $3 pizza, Brooke's pride
Lessons learned: 1. Don't ride your bike a long distance on hills without eating a ton of food.
2. Don't buy a house in the suburbs. It's dumb as it wastes gas and your precious time.
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