Biking 2 Work!

Bicycling: 12 miles in :48:00 min. @ 6:00 a.m.

Pace: 0:00 min/mi.
Weather: Partly Cloudy, 58°F, 72% Humidity, Wind: From WSW @ 7 mph; feels like 58°F.
Course: Bike 2 Work Day Route 1 made using USATF Map It!

This morning I woke up early and, despite having run 26 miles yesterday morning, decide that it was time to attempt to ride my bicycle to work again this school year--partially in an effort to prepare for National Bike-Walk to Work Day, but mostly to challenge myself. I pedaled myself to school from my home in the Park Avenue neighborhood of Rochester, adhering (for the most part) to the scheduled route referenced above.

Though I did this last year, I was once again struck by how much more opportunity one has to "see" things that otherwise go unnoticed on any trip when rather than the more traditional mode of transport, driving in an automobile at anywhere from 30 to 60 mph.

The route I took this morning was not unlike the one I drive on occasion except for the little bike paths and side streets I found along the way which were not part of the original plan. Of particular interest was the Greece Interstate Trail , or "Bike Path," which ran parallel to the expressway. Stretching from Ridge Road to Olympia High School, the bike path is not readily noticeable from the expressway due to trees and bushes which make the path seem much more scenic than it actually is. On Trails.com the Trail is accurately described as:

This bike path slices through the town of Greece giving the cyclist a sample of its diversity from busy Ridge Road, to suburban backyards, to deep woods, and fields. On the way you may see rabbits, great blue herons, turtles, and ducks, not to mention the usual birds, squirrels, and chipmunks... In addition to metal signs reading “390 biking” on posts, at each crossing you’ll see the silhouette of a biker painted on the asphalt. We jokingly call this marking “the roadkill biker.”

Though I have worked in the district for over three-and-a-half years, I had not previously taken the time to "bike it," and clearly I had been missing out on something worthwhile. It is amazing how many resources we in our larger county-wide community have available to us!

Breathe in, breathe out… YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!