Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Scenes from Last Night's Ride

Last night was one of those picture perfect nights.  The temperatures were in the 60s and it was bright and sunny.  I know that nights like this are numbered so I decided to make the most of it and went for a bike ride while Phil played softball. 

I left without a real plan for how far I'd bike or where I'd go and let myself just decide as I went along.  Luckily I am super familiar with the trail system in Minneapolis after logging hundred of miles running along the paths so I had plenty of options.  Here are some pictures of what I saw!

Heading out along the Mississippi, which was smooth as glass!

After winding around a couple of lakes, I headed back into downtown.  I love the prairie grass that grows along this trail!

My favorite view of the Minneapolis skyline!  It was even more beautiful in person!

Biking makes me happy

The view of St. Anthony Falls at the end of my ride.  I feel so lucky to call this neighborhood home.
A little over an hour later, I had covered about 14.5 miles and felt calm and refreshed.  Like I said in my post on Monday, running will always be my first love, but biking is going to become a close second.  So far one thing I like about biking is that I have zero expectations besides having fun and enjoying the sights.  I wear my garmin so I can track how far I've gone, but the pace of each mile means nothing to me whereas when I run, each mile split will elicit a feeling of pride or disappointment, even on casual runs. 

Maybe with time I will form expectations for biking, but I hope that is not the case.  I put a lot of pressure (too much pressure, some might argue) on myself in many/most other aspects of my life, so I am really hoping that biking will be something that can just be plain fun.

17 comments:

Kelly (She Wears a Red Sox Cap) said...

I am not in a biking phase right now, but I agree with you that one thing I love about it is it is just something fun to do, especially if you do it with people because you can talk etc (well, at least I can because I go absurdly slow and only on bike paths ha ha)

Becky said...

LOVE these photos!!!

missris said...

Wow these pictures are gorgeous! I wish we had more places in Pittsburgh to bike that are bike only (and not having to fight traffic, which is pretty anti-bike) but alas, we do not. For now I'll stick to mainly running and live vicariously ;)

Jeanie said...

Wasn't last night beautiful? Looks like you are truly enjoying your wheels! Many smiles!

Marlys said...

Amen! You need a calming fun "release" and this sounds perfect! What a beautiful night so I'm happy you could take it in! We have to make the most of the beautiful days while we can!
Beautiful photos!

Emilie said...

I always think to myself that you would be a great asset to the Minneapolis tourism industry because you make me want to visit so badly! I am glad you've found an activity where you don't put pressure on yourself. Hopefully it can remain a fun hobby for you! I agree -- running is definitely a hobby where I have certain expectations for my performance and I am disappointed when I fall short.

Jolene - EverydayFoodie said...

Minneapolis is so nice! I've only been once, for a very short weekend trip, and I was sick for a good chunk of the time, so I didn't get to see much. What I did see, was gorgeous, however!

Amber said...

Beautiful! What a perfect night for a bike ride! I'm so glad that biking is becoming an amazing, fun outlet for you.

Carolina John said...

How fun! You're getting up to road bike speeds too, 15 mph is a typical average on group rides. That looks like an amazing route!

Caroline said...

Beautiful photos! Looks like a gorgeous night for a bike ride : )

Nora said...

Gorgeous photos! Glad you're enjoying biking around your neighborhood and love that you have a place to call home that you love =)

Gracie said...

So lovely. Having attractive areas to bike in is a blessing.

Charis Faith said...

Such a beautiful course!!! Can't wait to see it in person!!! I've noticed with tracking my running with my phone I now am so much more aware of pace.

Leigh said...

You have some gorgeous scenery near you!

Stephany said...

I'm so glad you have a fun, no-pressure hobby to do! It's nice to have an outlet like this, especially with a stressful job and busy life. :)

Nilsa @ SoMi Speaks said...

Looks like an outstanding, leisurely ride. Fun!

Abby said...

I'm envious of your temps!! In a few months i should have that, too though. So I need to be patient....

The colors are just breathtaking!!

Swimming is my 2nd favorite sport. Biking 3rd. I initially just did it with zero expectations, but now pace has become a big part of it. I like to be about 15 mph - the competitive people are 20 mph. (Just to give you am idea). It's hard to be consistent where I bike since its SO hilly!!!