My first commute! (boring post)
 

Aloha! I did my first commute this morning... the ride was great - even with a drizzle!
But, man I am drained.

See, Mon-Thu I have to exercise in the fitness enhancement program at work (because I'm fat).
Sooooo... I bike in 3 miles, then warmup for 5 minutes, then 20 minutes of calisthenics (pushups/crunches/jumping jacks/etc), then a 2 mile run. Then I bike the last half mile to my office.

The drizzle kept me cool this morning. I can see that I'm going to be hot on most humid sunny days, though.

For getting my gear in, I carefully rolled up my uniform and put it in a back pack.
I carried my shoes and lunch on my rack in a collapsible nylon cooler bungeed to the rack.\

Worked out ok. I had a dream last night about making a tooled leather trunk and saddlebags... though I haven't done any leatherwork in 8 years.

Anyway, like I said - this was a boring post.
I love the Specialized Sirrus! (except my hands went numb... gotta figure that one out)

They force you to exercise?

Yep, I'm in the Navy. Have to lose another 49 lbs to get in standards by October. (270 - 221).
But, it is for my own good. I let myself get eeexxxxttreeeemmly lazy over the last several years.

B.H.

Good luck with the exercise program and weight loss. I've had very good luck with weight watchers if you need help with the diet portion of things. I lost 40 pounds in about 3 and half months and have kept it off for about a year now. I picked up biking afterwards.

I had problems with numb hands too. Padded gloves worked up to about 10 miles then I found that I needed gel gloves for anything further. Now, I don't have the problems with numbness so I suspect that I've built up the appropriate calluses or strength or technique. I still have to wear gloves to ride though - Otherwise the handgrips get awfully wet and control issues lurk in slippery handlbar grips.

Congrats, bloodhound! :beer:

That was not a boring post, that was encouraging.

Yes! Congrats!

My fingers used to go stiff and numb when I walked or ran long distances. Something about swinging them during walking, and centrifugal-force bloodflow, and such. I used to combat it by wriggling my fingers, elevating my arms, and doing windmills every once in a while during the walk/run. Helped somewhat. Of course, your numbness could be due to the bumpy road. Or maybe gripping the bars too hard because you're excited about biking? :)

You can do it - add a good diet with balanced protein, good fats, and carbs; lots of water and fiber. Eating several small meals a day helps your matabolism and keeps cravings down.

Get some gloves and change your hand positions on the handlebars. Try to not put as much weight on your hands.

All good info. Definitely getting gel gloves - heard too many good things about them.

As far as the diet goes, I've been slowly changing it for the better over the last couple months.
I've noticed that I feel a LOT better. I've made other changes over the last 15 months (but you can read about them in my blog - beware, it's depressing).

Yes! Extremely excited! I should have done this long ago. Just bought my bike on Friday, and I realized that it was 20 years ago (also in June) that I bought my first ever bike (Raleigh Pursuit). So, happy anniversary to me.

Gotta tell ya, I've been sitting at my desk thinking about the ride home all day. I'm even leaving early - just to ride. :D

You might also try setting your saddle back a click. You might be leaning too much forward. Also, move your hands around during your ride. If you don't already have them, think about getting bar ends for your handlebars. I got some, and then put foam grips on them. Cushy.