Pedaling to Preschool

For a fidgety, can't-sit-still type like me, the question isn't "Will I exercise today?" it's "How will I fit a workout into a day booked with deadlines, family, and chauffeuring three?"

Surprisingly, car time became the solution instead of the problem when I simply re-thought my mode of transportation. I have two bikes and had recently bought an outgrown bike trailer from a buddy in my book group. Why not ditch the car and bike Talie to preschool?

It's just two miles one way, but factoring in Talie's body weight, a monster hill, and my slow, fat-tired mountain bike, the four legs of the journey add up to 48 minutes of serious heart- and leg-pumping motion. That's three days a week that I don't have to get to a gym or go running at the crack of dawn.

And pedaling doesn't take much longer than driving, so it only cuts into work time by about 20 minutes. I even feel a little greener for leaving the car behind, even for this short journey.

But the best parts? The fresh wind on my face that's better than the strongest cup of coffee. Listening to Talie shout out "Jingle Bells" as we zoom downhill and then cheer me on as we climb up.

Mother Nature can be challenging. But with a breathable, waterproof jacket for me and our Burley trailer's plastic curtains snapped down around Talie, we can handle light rain. A mild start to last winter even let us roll into January, with the addition of a fleece blanket tucked around a well-bundled Talie and winter cycling gloves for me.

As Talie graduates to kindergarten this fall, it's time for her to help pull her own weight. We've adopted a neighbor's Trail-a-Bike, a nifty half-bike that attaches to my bike for an instant tandem that gives Talie the option to pedal or coast. And with the possibility of riding to school every day now, I might even be able to toss my gym card.