Yes. In that case it would count as multi-modal since there was some cycling involved.
On Tuesday night, there was not even an attempt at cycling--I never swung a leg over the saddle, never clipped-in--so it doesn't count.
Yes, I could have had my boss drop me a block from home, ridden the block and called it multi-modal. That would have been to the letter of the rules, but not in the spirit of them.
For reference, the rules I play by are those of the
Commuter Cycling Century Challenge (CCCC) over on
BikeJournal.com, where the goal is 100 commuting round trips in a year, with several other bonus recognitions for other achievements. Join us! I've been doing that challenge for seven years now, and did two years as the recording secretary.
And seriously, four inches of unplowed snow with road tires and close fitting fenders? What sort of ride would that have been? It was easier to carry the bike. Pushing it jammed up the tires in the fenders within a couple of revolutions.
Most importantly, what would that say about my integrity?
Certainly I could bend the rules to fit my numbers. Worse, no-one here or on the CCCC would have known about it at all had I not fessed up. Yes, I could lie.
See, integrity is something that's really important to me now. It matters to me even if it doesn't matter to anyone else. Time was when, without any thought at all, I would lie, cheat, or steal to get what I wanted. What many here don't know is that I'm a recovering alcoholic and crackhead. As of today, I have 4,924 days clean and sober (13 years and change).
One day at a time.
One slip and it all goes away.
I don't put nearly as much weight on cycling as I do my sobriety, although cycling goes a long way towards keeping my sanity, and thus my sobriety. I've always given myself permission to not ride the bike. I've just never done it. I don't give myself permission to pick up a drink, or have a bump. Or to lie, cheat, or steal.
And I don't take today for granted, let alone tomorrow.
Life for me is much better this way.
