Smart Commuting- No Excuses!

Posted on June 9, 2010 by inspiringactiveliving

By Pam Darling

I made the initial foray into participating in the Smart Commute Week 11 years ago when my son was in the toddler program at the Montessori Children’s House, then located on North Royal Drive. After seeing the weekly breakfast locations and determining that we could attend Thursday’s breakfast hosted by Munson Medical Center on Sixth Street and be half way to his school, we decided to give Smart Commute a try. With a caboose attached to my mountain bike we set out for our first Smart Commute Week breakfast. Game for any adventure, Clay was delighted to have a bagel and juice served by Meagan of the Munson communications department. We met another parent and child, who was even younger than my son, and enjoyed sharing our experiences on the trails with kids in tow.

The Munson breakfast became a much anticipated annual event for the next two years. Meagan, the Munson host, marveled at how much Clay had grown each year. He wasn’t the only thing growing; his school grew too and had to relocate to a new campus on North Long Lake Road. The annual tradition took on a new twist and one big hill! Clay had progressed to a tagalong, since turning 5. That year, he had an extra bagel at breakfast to ensure he could help peddle up the long Long Lake hill. The exhilaration we both experienced when we crested the top is something we’ll never forget. Cruising past cars idling at the stop light at Barnes Road was memorable too.

After four years of only attending the Munson breakfast on Thursday, we decided to commit to smart commuting other days during the week. We added Tuesday at Oryana to the mix and Mustards on Friday. We quickly realized how much fun we were missing out on, by not attending the other breakfasts, not to mention the great food! A little powdered sugar from the beignets at Mustard’s was the icing on the Smart Commute cake!

Our next challenge for smart commuting came when Clay had outgrown the tagalong. He was able to ride his own bike but I wasn’t willing to let him ride it on North Long Lake Road during the morning rush. The solution to this dilemma was to get a tandem. Tim Brick was happy to loan us one for the week so we could continue the tradition. The first week of June was one we both looked forward to as a signal to the end of the school year and the start of summer.

For fourth grade Clay made the move to TCAPS Montessori at Central Grade School and the logistics of smart commuting became much easier. He was able to ride his own bike and get to school on his own. Looking back on the past 11 years, I never would have guessed that attending one breakfast during Smart Commute Week could have lead us to our current lifestyle. I smart commute year around to work and he walked or rode his bike through sixth grade before moving on to the middle school. Riding the bus is now the much anticipated highlight to the end and start of his school day. Unfortunately his schedule doesn’t allow him to attend the breakfasts this year. He’s looking forward to high school when his schedule will once again allow him to. Circumstances have changed in our lives and instead of using them as an excuse we both have chosen to see them as a challenge to keep smart commuting.

Give it a try!

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From Smart Commute Week to Smart Commute Life

Posted on June 7, 2010 by johnrpaul

With yet another Smart Commute week upon us, I thought it a good time to reflect on the transition from simply participating in Smart Commute week (taking a full week of your life to experience an alternate form of getting to work) and focusing on the transition from a one-week experiment into a full-blown lifestyle change.

For me, the switch came three summers ago when I decided to focus on getting healthier and saving money. A noble enough endeavor, I thought, and a good way to get outside during the week. Little did I know that, three years on, this would become an entirely new lifestyle, completely at odds with my previous, slothful state of laziness and relying solely on my car to get me from point A to point B.

It initially came about as a bit of a dare in that no one seemed to believe that I would be able to follow through with the routine of getting up, preparing for the day and riding the eleven or so miles one way into town each day.

Admittedly, I found the adjustment a bit jarring at first; not quite sure how best to time my departure based on the weather, temperatures or simply how my body was feeling. I quickly learned that the Weather Channel was my new best friend: the first person to greet me in the morning and the last before drifting off to sleep at night. I became so aware of and dependant upon the Weather Channel’s forecast for my daily preparations that I couldn’t help but feel betrayed when the forecast proved inaccurate.

But gradually I adjusted to the new relationship and life outside the car, quickly learning that you do not want to push too hard on the way into work in the middle of summer, lest your co-workers wrinkle their noses in disgust upon your sweaty, stinking arrival. Also, despite the stigma of non-cyclists attached to wearing chamois (or, as they prefer, ‘spandex’) shorts and jersey, it was the ideal outfit to ride to and from work, leaving the change of clothes in my backpack the dry, workday alternative.

It certainly takes a bit of getting used to and planning but, ultimately, the rewards far outweigh the perceived drawbacks inherent in a smart commute lifestyle. For starters, you simply feel better about yourself; not only from a physical standpoint, but mentally as well, as the endorphins surge through your body both before and, perhaps most importantly, after work. This becomes the ultimate stress reliever and cool down from a long day at the office.

Also, your pocketbook will thank you for easing the strain of weekly or bi-weekly trips to the pump, especially during the summer months. Of course you will come to have new expenses in the form of bike repairs and blown tubes, but I would much rather shell out $6.95 for a new tube than $54 every week or so for gas. I’m certainly no math wizard, but I do believe the following speaks for itself: nearly $200 per month in gas verses $30 a month (on a particularly bad month) for new tubes.

But ultimately it simply boils down to being outside and using the time normally spent in your car enjoying the fresh air, scenery and benefits of a healthier, ‘smarter’ lifestyle. So what are you waiting for? Let Smart Commute Week be just the start of Smart Commute Life!

Filed under: Advocacy, Cycling, Get Active | 2 Comments »

Pedaling pregnant

Posted on May 24, 2010 by carinoga

Whether you like it or not, one of the things you learn when you’re pregnant is how much other women like to tell pregnancy stories.

(Y-chromosome readers, please don’t stop reading yet. I promise I won’t go THERE.)

With two under my belt I have my share, too. But my favorite pregnancy story doesn’t recall tearing up at the first kick, or the ordeal and triumph of labor and delivery. It’s the bicycle commuting I did through both pregnancies. With TART’s Smart Commute Week coming up June 7-11, it’s a good time to re-tell.

Both kids have September birthdays, which meant I was pedaling for two through the dog days of summer. The first one was on an antiquated, single-speed Sears Huffy, inherited from my mother-in-law about the fourth month, when my belly informed me crouching over to reach my road bike’s drop handlebars was no longer advised.) It was a beast: No gears, coaster brakes and at least 35 pounds. But the upright position was comfortable. It was a girl’s frame and thus easy to get on and off. And since bike riding is a non-weight bearing exercise, it was an ideal pregnancy workout. I pedaled to my OB appointments, prenatal yoga classes, and around town on errands. This was all back in 2005.

More than transportation, however, bike commuting was a touchstone to my inner self when my outer self was changing so profoundly. For almost 20 years, biking has provided so many things to me: A way to clear my head. A way to get things done. An adventure. A joy to savor alone, or one to share. Even a means to earn a living, when I moved to Traverse City to work as a bike tour leader. During pregnancy, biking provided precious continuity through the most dramatic change of my entire life. It was a foregone conclusion I’d do it for No. 2.

During my second pregnancy in 2008, however, I did have a scare. I was still riding the old Huffy, now outfitted with a Burley trailer carrying child No. 1. I had just dropped him off at Grandma’s en route to a prenatal yoga class. I was crossing Garfield Avenue at Eighth Street when the chain broke.

As you’ll recall, this was a single speed bike with coaster brakes. Broken chain, no brakes. Broken chain, no brakes. Broken chain, NO BRAKES. I was in the middle of one of the busiest intersections in town, almost six months pregnant, absorbing this reality.

Gratitude that I’d already dropped off my son flashed through my head, followed by terror. Common sense was close on both heels, though. I crossed Garfield, rolled into the parking lot of the garage on the corner, and rode in circles until my momentum halted. I locked the bike up and walked the rest of the way to the yoga class. A few days later I traded in the Huffy at that used bike garage on Locust Street (great place, by the way) for a 10-speed Schwinn that I rode for the remaining three months, and still ride today.

Many of you, especially women, might be shaking your heads now. (“She kept riding? What was she thinking? How foolish!” ) Believe me, I share this story with some trepidation, especially given the question that prompted this post: A pregnant woman asked a mutual friend if she should get a tricycle to use for her nine-month duration. He asked me to weigh in.

Thing is, I really can’t answer that. I don’t know, statistically speaking, if a tricycle would be more balanced than a bicycle, and therefore safer, which is what I assume underlies the question.

What I can tell her – and everyone, X or Y chromosome, who might be thinking of trying bike commuting during Smart Commute Week – is that they key to success isn’t your wheels. It’s your confidence. Given the number of miles I’ve accumulated and my experience as a bike tour leader, mine is pretty high. So in the middle of Garfield and Eighth, between the engines idling with 10 seconds remaining on their red light, I figured out my out.

Confidence builds, but you can help it along. Getting back on the horse, er, bike, is one tried and true method. TART’s commuting classes (next one is June 22) are another way. Knowing your ability, comfort level and limits and staying within them are another. Carry a cell phone. I recall another time, a particularly hot day in my first pregnancy, when I’d ridden to my prenatal yoga class. Walking outside afterward, I knew that even the couple miles home would be too much. I called my husband to pick me up.

To come to the point: if that expectant mother feels she’ll be safer on a tricycle, then she’ll be more confident riding it. Likewise for the person who’s overweight/got a bad knee/uses an inhaler/fill in the blank. With your doctor/midwife/health care practitioner’s blessing, do what you have to do to accommodate your particular needs. And then?

Giddy up.

During TART’s 2008 Smart Commute Week Cari Noga won a special award, nominated by her co-worker, for commuting while pregnant and while towing her almost three-year-old son.

Check out these great photos of women riding while pregnant on Copenhagen Cycle Chic.

Filed under: Cycling, Get Active | 2 Comments »

I think I can, I think I can…

Posted on April 30, 2010 by inspiringactiveliving

By Heather Johnson Durocher

Maybe you can relate:

Monday morning, 5 a.m.: alarm goes off, body has enough strength to roll over and reach hand to nightstand to find dream-interrupting noise. Much fiddling is involved as alarm is set through phone and shutting off the (annoying) “marimba” ringtone requires first entering password. Accomplishing this feat, body apparently doesn’t have enough energy to actually get out of bed and hit the road for morning run – a plan that mere hours before was an absolute.

Tuesday morning, 5:15 a.m.: I can do this! Just. Get. Out. Of. Bed. Alas, even switching ringtone to Black Eyed Peas’ “I’ve Gotta Feeling” fails to get body anywhere closer to the neatly assembled pile of running clothes waiting, just wishing to be worn. Sorry, Fergie, I’ve gotta feeling this bed is mighty comfy.

And so it goes, morning after morning. Even with ample sleep, no matter how determined I am the night before, I can’t seem to get motivated enough to make an early-morning run a reality. I keep trying to make it work because what better time is there for a busy mom of three young kids to fit in a run but before the household awakes? And I have made it work in the past, particularly when meeting a running partner. But maybe I need to resign myself to a running schedule that’s not so much of a schedule at all. The 5-milers around the neighborhood, the short-and-sweet routes near my kids’ school and those longer Vasa trail runs on the weekends are cobbled together, a mosaic of moments and slices of time that vary day to day, week to week.

My hodge-podge of a running routine – not to mention lack of discipline when it comes to crack-of-dawn jogging – has got me thinking about motivation. Namely, what really is behind our urge to just get out there, whether it’s to bike, walk or run? What inspires us to fit in exercise when it’s about the last thing we have time for? What’s working for me lately:

  • A Spring we definitely deserved. I can’t recall in recent years experiencing such great weather throughout March and April, and just seeing so many people out and about is incredibly encouraging. Eyeing a runner on my way to work in the morning can leave me fixated on squeezing in a jog somehow, some way. Earlier this week, with a few extra minutes to spare in my day, I made the sudden decision to lace up and run along the water. All it took was a glimpse of West Bay, its brilliant shades of blue sparkling under a cloudless sky, to trigger my desire to run along the shoreline from Clinch Park Marina to West End Beach and back through downtown. I had about 25 minutes, tops, and I showed up sweaty to get my kids, but the high I felt having run lasted the rest of the day.
  • A race on the horizon. One word: Bayshore. Yep, it’s less than a month away. Enough said.
  • A really, really great book about running. If you’re a mom who runs, you must pick up Run Like a Mother (Andrews McMeel, March 2010) by Dimity McDowell and Sarah Bowen Shea. Covering all aspects of running and how to find time for it amid family and work, it’s the kind of book you’ll devour in one sitting, and return to time and again. This kind of says it all, this statement from McDowell early on in the book: “…For an overstressed, overtired, overextended mother, there are few other sensations that rival a delicious run. Once the sweat starts running down my temples, I daydream, analyze, smile, wonder, channel something cosmic. I feel alive, and perhaps most importantly, like myself again.”
  • Fantastically energetic grade-school girls. For the second year, I’m helping coach a girls’ running program at my kids’ school Central Grade. There are so many wonderful things about this nationwide program, not the least of which is watching third-, fourth- and fifth-grade girls discover their inner strength and confidence through running. Having come late to the sport, I’m in awe of these young girls who are committed to doing their best as they runs laps around their school two afternoons a week. Together, we’re working toward completing a 5K – along with 700+ other girls throughout the region – Memorial Day weekend.

Dreaming of that summer bikini? Tell us what motivates you to run?

So what gets you motivated to get moving? Post your story here, in the comment section, and you could win a free copy of Run Like a Mother. (And don’t be shy all you fathers, husbands, brothers and grandfathers out there — this book would make a great Mother’s Day gift.) Get going already – we’ll announce a winner next week.

Filed under: Get Active, Running | 6 Comments »

Look Both Ways

Posted on April 28, 2010 by drnicolerunyon

It’s spring which means we need to remind ourselves to look both ways when crossing the TART in our car.  Since we go by the TART trail several times a day, we make it a habit of honking our horn every time we cross.  This is especially necessary in the summer when people are zooming along on bikes and roller blades.

The responsibility goes both ways though….there are stop signs on the TART at the street crossings so that TART users are reminded to stop.  Unfortunately, we have a beautiful trail and often get lost in our own thoughts without paying heed to the stop signs.  The signs are there for a reason – you do need to stop and look both ways!  Traffic doesn’t necessarily stop for bikers so it’s up to us to be proactive and to watch for traffic.  TART keeps the shrubs and bushes cut back to help increase line of sight but play it safe and stop!

Each spring Kurt and I retrain ourselves to honk as we approach the trail.  At least once a week, it pays off and we get a biker’s attention who might not have stopped at the crossing. I can tell you that this has prevented many accidents.  So – whether you are biking/walking/rollerblading along the TART or you are driving a car that crosses the TART – look both ways and heed the signs!

Filed under: Advocacy | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Spring is Springing

Posted on April 3, 2010 by drnicolerunyon

TARTans don’t seem to be unanimous in their welcoming of Spring!  The cross-country skiers, snowshoers, and other snow lovers are sad to see the warm temperatures and melting piles.  We even had the grooming party at Right Brain Brewery to say sayonara until next year.

The rest of us, however, are just tickled to see the bare pavement on the TART!  The unseasonably warm temperatures mean that we can get out our bikes and blades earlier than ever!

This past weekend, I took my first ride of the season.  Not being particularly active in the winter, I was ready for some fresh air.  It was, as they say…like riding a bike!  I rode up to where the pavement ends on the Leelanau Trail and back.  I was able to wave at my old friends….the fish in the creeks, the barn at DeYoung, the daffies poking through in the gardens planted at the intersections. AND – most exciting, the pair of swans that often have a nest at the pond near DeYoung are back.   Hello old friends!  I’ve missed you over the long winter!

So…it’s time to say good-bye to the Sorels and hello to the flip-flops!  Bring on the Spring!

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I don’t say this idly: Drivers, give my kid a break

Posted on April 1, 2010 by carinoga

Glorying in our mild March, I was ambitious enough to take my four-year-old son on a bike commute a week or so ago. We rode from our neighborhood south of Munson Ave. and east of the Civic Center across that fire-breathing, four-lane U.S. 31 through the NMC campus to his school, Eastern Elementary.

The cupboard was a little bare when I packed his lunch, so en route we stopped at the 7-11 on Cochlin. It’s a regular stop for us, but we’re not usually there during morning rush time. Drivers who let their cars idle while they run errands have always been one of my top pet peeves, and now even more so. Owen’s height makes him just about even with the live engines. He’s a bit noise sensitive already, and the look on his face as he bravely pushed his bike past on the store’s sidewalk, past the bumpers (not to mention the spewing exhaust fumes) drew out my Mama Bear claws.

Fortunately, those claws still allow me to use the best weapon at my disposal – my keyboard. So drivers, do me and my kid a favor. Let him ride to school without blowing out his ears or singeing his lungs. And save a few cents in gas for yourself, too.

Image credit: Inhabit.com in a piece on The Verdant Vigilante, aka George Pakenham, a New Yorker who’s made it his personal mission to enforce the city’s anti-idling laws. Care to take a road trip to TC anytime soon, George?

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Dreaming of Dirt

Posted on March 12, 2010 by inspiringactiveliving

By Heather Johnson Durocher

I knew it was wishful thinking, that the glorious sun and balmy temps of late wouldn’t have melted that much snow. Trail running is at least another few weeks away. It IS only March, a month not always so spring-like here in northern Michigan. We’re all well aware that its mood could on a dime turn lion-like, even as we hope and hope otherwise.

Still, I couldn’t resist taking a peek at one of my favorite spots to hop on the Vasa. Located about a mile and half from my house, this trail entrance is especially popular among runners, walkers, hikers and mountain bikers from my neighborhood.

Thankful as I am for the numerous connecting streets around my home, there are only so many variations you can come up with before said routes grow t-i-r-e-s-o-m-e. My version of spring fever: itching to veer off familiar paths and pound dirt rather than pavement. Credit our continuous days of blue skies and sunshine for leading me to believe maybe, just maybe, I could run the trails sooner rather than later…

So I head out on a slightly overcast, warm morning. Half mile in, the roads remain clear and I notice birds chatting and patches of beige grass appearing around mounds of pebble-and-dirt-filled snow in front yards. A slight breeze brushes my cheeks, and I regret for just a moment not wearing short sleeves. But a little extra sweat? Not a big deal. At this point, I’ll take heating up over whipping, cold winds. Spring, spring, spring, I sing to myself. Please stay, don’t let winter bully you into returning.

But as triumphant as I feel the closer I get to the trail entrance, I can’t miss the tell-tale signs that winter’s grip remains, if only a little. I turn left onto the aptly-named Lands’ End, and come face to face with slushy snow covering remnants of stubborn ice. This road is less traveled, and it shows. Half-way along, within moments of the trail, I realize it’s fruitless to continue the run in this direction. As for the trail itself? Undoubtedly blanketed with enough snow to make a run there frustrating as all get-out. A short distance from the dirt path, I turn back toward my tried-and-true blacktop streets. Sigh.

I know it won’t be long before the trails are run-ready. You can feel it in the air, smell it all around. You’d better believe I’ll keep checking.

Filed under: Get Active, Running | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »

Christmas in March? Your Gift Awaits on Bunker Hill

Posted on March 8, 2010 by Swix Chick

by Becky Kalajian

Ah, March. A month that, if nothing else, inspires heavy, bitter commentary from 98 percent of those who survive here year-round. The rest? We’re living large on the 25K.

The peanut butter paths that January laid down become the tastiest corn we skiers could wish for this time of year. Ten-kilometer intentions turn into  20K joyrides even with work deadlines looming…and I know I wasn’t the only one out there playing hooky today.

Spring skiing, for those not in the know, is nature’s secret gift to us folks living halfway to the North Pole. Make no mistake: March is a good time to curse potholes, muddy dogs on the carpet, and sunny, 38-degree teases where it looks warm but isn’t.

However, March is also the time the fun quotient skyrockets on the Vasa. Nobody frowns when they’re effortlessly gliding along at race-pace speeds. Nobody’s crabby after soaking up the rays in a song-filled forest.

Ain’t nobody cursing potholes, muddy dogs, or the weather at the 10/25K split. Just joy out there, folks.

So dust off the gear, get out the shades, and take off a layer. In March, we hardy souls reap our due for living so near the 45th parallel, especially when parallels 0-30 are beckoning so loudly.

C’mon, let’s play some hooky. You can bet I won’t tell.

Like what you read? Visit http://kalajian.wordpress.com/ for more of Becky’s ski posts.

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Style in numbers…the chic of winter biking

Posted on February 26, 2010 by GLHowe

How many of you winter riders out there have friends, neighbors or workmates who look wide-eyed every-time you mention that you love biking in the winter? Or, you might be one of the wide-eyed shaking their head “no way”. Well, maybe the promise of simply looking good will help encourage some of you to ride year-round. It can be done…

Copenhagenize & Cycle Chic have both been posting images of winter riders in the world’s bicycling mecca. Sure, it’s cold. Sure, it can be wet. Still, it can also be stylish and chic.
Copenhagen Winter CommuteLet’s not let winter stop us from Making Northern Michigan a walkable/bikable model for all of Michigan! Get your scarfs and fancy hats out and hit the streets. Remember, safety style in numbers.

Anyone for a winter smart commute week? Day?

And, if you prefer video…here’s a recent profile of winter bike riders from a local PBS station in Chicago that has some chic as well as tech: Winter Biking

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Gary Howe also blogs at www.mywheelsareturning.com where he looks forward to posting Traverse City cycling chic images…once it warms up!

 

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