Getting Back Outside

Yesterday I was finally able to ride my bike outside again. I think that’s probably only the second time this year I’ve been able to do that. I started a new cycling training program last week and the long rides are scheduled for the weekends. Fortunately the weather cooperated this week and I was able to get outside for the first long ride of the training program.

It felt great to be back outside. The temperature was somewhere around 50. I’ve been doing most of my training rides inside, even some of the longer ones, which I find to be pretty challenging. Getting back outside reminded me why I started cycling.

My usual ride take me from home to Prospect Park, then back home again. The duration of the ride determines the number of laps I do around the park, at about 3.3 miles per lap. The ride back and forth is a through a mix of semi-industrial and neighborhood-commercial neighborhoods, mostly in bike lanes, which is nice. Some of the bike lanes are shared with cars, so it goes without saying that I need to be pretty alert at all times.

The road loop around park itself can be pretty packed too, especially on one of the first nice weekend afternoon we’ve had this winter. The road loop is separated into lanes for walkers and cyclists, although when it gets as crowded as it was yesterday, those lines get blurred more than usual. While these factors make it difficult to sometimes zone out as much as I’d like to, they are usually just small inconveniences compared to the benefits I experience riding outside rather than indoors.

One of those benefits is that I experience riding outside as a great way to feel connected with the different neighborhoods I pass through on the way to and from the park. I also find that it feels great to be connected to the larger group of people doing their thing in the park as a whole, as we all move around the park at our own pace. That feeling of connectivity is a side benefit of the outdoor rides that always seems to surprise me after not riding outside for a while. I especially like riding in the early mornings, as the neighborhoods are just waking up along the way and when I arrive at the park I’m there with people who have chosen a positive and healthy way to start their day. Something about the anticipation of starting the day right, to be ready to enjoy what lies ahead in the day, really speaks to me.