Author Topic: Struggling with commuting  (Read 7382 times)

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: Struggling with commuting
« Reply #25 on: 12 January, 2016, 08:22:04 pm »
A break might recharge the mind.
'Eating all day' might be a feature of boredom/frustration.
A break at 10 miles (preferably somewhere nice) might do more to re-energise those legs than nibbling at your desk.

Re: Struggling with commuting
« Reply #26 on: 12 January, 2016, 09:14:28 pm »
My commute is 25 miles each way. Did it twice last year.
Mine's 37 miles each way into central London. I did it twice too last year too, plus half a time when I started to explore the way home on my folder one pleasant evening, and just kept going. Rode in yesterday but crashed on a submerged pot-hole where I chose a quiet back road. No real harm done, but too 20 minutes to get going again, then found that the traffic had got heavy and got delayed even more, then the chain came off twice so I had to fix that. Ended up an hour late.

I'm hoping to do it again when there's less surface water (and the snow and ice have passed), but it does take some determination some times!

Re: Struggling with commuting
« Reply #27 on: 13 January, 2016, 08:56:26 am »
I commuted from Hillingdon to Acton, west London. Great! No hills.
My commute for several years was from Castle Bromwich, east Birmingham to RAF Higham ( M.I.R.A. ). That was up and over to Atherstone 17.5 miles e/w.
My strangest commute was to ride to Water Orton railway stn to get there at 05:57. Get on a train for 10 minutes to get off at Wilnecote on the A5. Ride to M42 J10 Tamworth services and stay there watching the morning news for 45 minutes. Then ride along the A5 to M.I.R.A. to get there at 07:50. Most mornings, the guard waived the fare for just one stop. He couldn’t be bothered walking along the train to me.

Before this, I commuted from Castle Bromwich to Hockley, west Birmingham; and back with the slow moving motorcars under Spaghetti junction.

The secret with commuting is to allow plenty of time, ride steadily and observe what’s happening. Sometimes its comical being overtaken by a youngster on an old MTB deliberately trying to ‘scalp’ me.

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: Struggling with commuting
« Reply #28 on: 13 January, 2016, 12:58:40 pm »
My commute was Golders Green to Hillingdon Hospital.
On the fast route,(A406 A40 Long Lane) the high point was the top of the Staples Corner flyover. I went hell for leather on midsummer mornings). It was FUN!

There were about 60 traffic lights on the slow route (Cricklewood, Willesden Harlesden Acton Ealing Southall). I plodded. It was dull.

velosam

  • '.....you used to be an apple on a stick.'
Re: Struggling with commuting
« Reply #29 on: 15 February, 2016, 12:28:15 pm »
A break might recharge the mind.
'Eating all day' might be a feature of boredom/frustration.
A break at 10 miles (preferably somewhere nice) might do more to re-energise those legs than nibbling at your desk.

thanks

'Eating all day' might be a feature of boredom/frustration. - yes I think there maybe a lot of that at the moment, buts it more the latter than former.

A break at 10 miles (preferably somewhere nice) might do more to re-energise those legs than nibbling at your desk. - I do sometimes stop at my parents which is around 5 miles in.  After that its a haul more. TBH that bit isn't too bad as there are fewer lights and on some stretches can get a good lick going.

Re: Struggling with commuting
« Reply #30 on: 12 March, 2016, 05:38:48 am »
What rpm are you doing?  Are you churning along in a big gear? I find that a couple of easy days where I really concentrate on getting a high average cadence, say 90-95 rpm really freshens my legs up.
There's always time for a second slice of cake.

velosam

  • '.....you used to be an apple on a stick.'
Re: Struggling with commuting
« Reply #31 on: 12 March, 2016, 07:33:30 am »
My average rpm is mid 80s but I spin around 95 ish.  Going much lower hurts my knees.