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!
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| Heading out along the Mississippi, which was smooth as glass! |
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| After winding around a couple of lakes, I headed back into downtown. I love the prairie grass that grows along this trail! |
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| My favorite view of the Minneapolis skyline! It was even more beautiful in person! |
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| Biking makes me happy |
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| 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:
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)
LOVE these photos!!!
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 ;)
Wasn't last night beautiful? Looks like you are truly enjoying your wheels! Many smiles!
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!
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.
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!
Beautiful! What a perfect night for a bike ride! I'm so glad that biking is becoming an amazing, fun outlet for you.
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!
Beautiful photos! Looks like a gorgeous night for a bike ride : )
Gorgeous photos! Glad you're enjoying biking around your neighborhood and love that you have a place to call home that you love =)
So lovely. Having attractive areas to bike in is a blessing.
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.
You have some gorgeous scenery near you!
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. :)
Looks like an outstanding, leisurely ride. Fun!
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!!!
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