Just a Tiny Taste

A few years ago, my brother Troy and his girlfriend Kristin decided to move from Los Angeles to Austin. They had moved from Chicago to LA about a year prior, and we never thought they would move back to Texas. When we found out they had decided to move to Austin, Victoria and I were really happy.

They lived with Victoria, Betsy, and I (Lola wasn't born yet) for a few weeks until they found an apartment. We swam, laughed, ate, and enjoyed communal living with extended family. We all got hooked on HBO's Deadwood together, and we ate at Chuy's every chance we got. Once they moved into their own apartment, we didn't see them quite as much, but we were still together all the time.

About a year later, they were married. It was bittersweet, because while the marriage added permanence, at about the same time I found out that I was being transferred away from Austin. Permanence for me was destroyed.

While we were away, both Troy and Kristin had a son Osby, and we had Lola. Two and a half years passed, and I found out that my company was transferring me back to Austin, except we didn't get to enjoy even the thought for very long. Before we could relocate, I was laid off and our dream of getting back to Austin seemed distant again. The economy was weak, and jobs were hard to find.

Fortunately, job growth in Austin is strong. As of today, I have a very strong lead on an Austin job. A professional network contact referred me after a long discussion, I've interviewed extensively with the company's contracted recruiter, and today I found out I will have an extended on-site interview this Monday.

Coincidentally, we were already planning a trip to Austin to attend an Independence Day party being hosted by Troy and Kristin, and to spend the rest of the long weekend with them. Having a long weekend visit with a strong possibility of a permanent move in the background will be just a tiny taste of what it will feel like to move back to Austin and be close to Troy, Kristin, and Osby. It's very exciting. I'm looking forward to the weekend, and many weekends after that.

The Burn of Running, Mowing, and Riding

After a long, strenuous ride on Saturday, I took a rest on Sunday. Vic and I watched TV, then watched the latest X-files movie, ran a few errands, but in general tried to stay out of the oppressive heat and humidity. By the end of the day, I was restless and ready to exert some energy on Monday. I set my alarm for 5am, and planned on riding intervals.

Lola decided to be an insomniac Sunday night / Monday morning, and around 4:30a on Monday I abandoned my early morning exercise plan, and reset my alarm for 6:45a. I woke up tired, thinking that maybe I would take Lola to the park later that day. Instead, I took the cat to the vet, and it was another long day without exercise. That night, I set my alarm for 5:30a, and planned to get up and go for a run.

Lola cooperated, so yesterday I got up on time and ran 3 miles, albeit at my plodding ~10 minute mile pace. I knew I would be getting a little more exercise later, as I planned on mowing the grass, so I didn't push hard during the run. The run felt good, and after a shower and breakfast, I felt great and ready to face my daily job search.

Typicall, right when I wrap up my job search, Lola cooperates and naps from 11a-12:30p. I planned on mowing the grass while she napped, but a recruiter called me at 11a before I could get Lola in her bed. We talked until 12p, so Lola wasn't asleep until 12:15p. I threw on my work clothes, then walked outside into the south Texas oven and mowed the grass for 1.5 hours. We have a 20" human-propelled mower and a large lot. It ain't easy, and I was literally cooked after being in the midday sun for over an hour.

Speedo e-mailed me shortly thereafter and asked if I planned on riding our Tuesday evening ride. Since we're planning a family trip this weekend, and I knew I wouldn't get in a long ride, I said yes. I felt tired, but I wanted to ride.

We left from our usual start point, and put in 31 miles. The 15mph ESE wind was stiff, and we had a long, tough stretch of chipseal riding directly into it. We averaged 17 mph, but it felt like 20 mph. Once I made it home, I asked Vic if she would take care of Lola's bedtime activities. I was pooped.

I added up the calories for the day, with data from LIVESTRONG and GarminConnect. Here's the burn:

Running, 6 mph, for 0.5 hrs: 381 kCal

Mowing, Push, for 1.5 hrs: 907 kCal

Cycling (GarminConnect for my ride): 1963 kCal

TOTAL: 3251 kCal

I didn't feel guilty at all when I drank my MGD 64 while watching the Strangers with Candy movie on DVR, and I definitely felt no guilt when I did not set an alarm to wake up and exercise this morning.

I Want to Cycle, but It's Unsafe

I have very little concern for my own safety when road biking. When I'm alone, I ride defensively. I hug the outermost edge of the shoulder, taking the lane at the right time so that I don't get "right hooked". When I take the lane, I make sure cars don't try to lane-share. I use a headlight and 2 tail lights when it's dark. More importantly, when I can, I ride with a buddy, or even better, a group. I have fallen before, but never been hit by a car, and while it might happen one day, I don't worry about it.

On the other hand, I won't expose my children to the same danger. For the last two weeks, my oldest daughter has been with grandparents. That leaves me and the little one, who I can haul around in the trailer. There is a major shopping center barely 2 miles from my home. It houses a Target, an HEB (major Texas grocer), PetSmart, my bank, an OfficeMax, and several clothing stores. I could easily tow her to the shopping center instead of driving, but I'm afraid.

I'm afraid of the danger presented by motorists on busy roads. Shary Road, which is the only reasonable way to get to the shopping center, is a 55 mph road. Additionally, when I reach the intersection of Shary Road and Expressway 83, it's busy and dangerous. There is always traffic, and lots of cars entering and exiting the stream of traffic from the shopping centers along the road. It looks a little like this, only usually busier:

There's a huge shoulder, and I've seen ONE other cyclist towing children on the road, but it still scares me. The shoulder on most of Shary Road looks similar to the Google Street View photo that I've inserted below. It's a shoulder that many bike commuters would love to have, but I still can't bring myself to tow my 2 year old on the same shoulder.

I believe that bikes will play a larger role in transportation as our dependence on oil continues to create problems for the American consumer (and the worldwide consumer too). I believe that we all have a responsibility to reduce our reliance on oil. As such, I want to ride my bike for more than just recreation. I want to use it as real transportation. To use it as transportation, my circumstances require me to take along at least one child, and I want to feel safe towing my daughter to the store. But I don't, and I'm sure my spouse feels the same way multiplied by maybe 1 gazillion. Yet, that doesn't make me feel like less of a hypocrite.

What do you think?