When you bike to work, it’s easy to forget crucial things. Especially if it’s not something you do on a regular basis. When I was biking a lot I was much better at being prepared. I kept a change of clothes at work, I tried to bring in everything I’d need the day before I planned on biking in. For the most part it worked. One time I got to work and realized I forgot to pack my bra in the backpack. I ended up having to wear my sweaty sports bra all day long. That was not fun and I definitely double check now!
On Monday of this week I decided I’d bike (part way) to work on Tuesday. As I was leaving work I had the odd urge to double check my drawer with spare clothes. Thank goodness I did! Apparently I had taken home my spare pair of pants to wash and never brought them back! Had I not checked, Tuesday I would have been wearing my bike shorts all day. 😛 As attractive as that is…no thanks. Recently Michael had a similar experience. He biked to work and texted me that he forgot his underwear. I had to chuckle. Been there, done that. I texted him back and told him to go down to Macy’s or Ross and buy a pair of underwear (one perk to working downtown). He was so grateful and hadn’t thought of that; so he went to Macy’s and bought some underwear.
It reminded me of another time I had a clothing mishap. It was when I first started to lose weight (I’d lost about 30 pounds so far) and I was at a new job downtown. I had just gotten to work and my work pants split. It was horrifying. I didn’t know what to do! My boss at the time told me to take my break early and go down to Ross and buy some pants. So I wrapped my sweater around my waist and bought a skirt. Too funny!
Tuesday I got up early and it was brutal. I did not sleep Monday night. I think I was having major anxiety about riding to work. I’ve been having fairly good knee days lately and was scared to ruin that. So I was pretty groggy when I got up. It was 65 degrees at 7 a.m. so I didn’t need pants or long sleeves. It was nice!
I forced myself to go slow and not push it. It was definitely frustrating to be passed by EVERYONE. But oh well! I was happy to be able to ride.
My heart rate was really high the whole ride in the morning. I’m positive that anxiety had something to do with it. But I’m happy with how it went. When I got to work and cleaned up, I iced my knees for a few minutes just in case. God, these knees are making me neurotic! (Or, more neurotic than I already was…)
Ride Home
As the day progressed, my knees got a little tight but nothing too bad. I iced a few times. By the time it was ready to get back on the bike, I was hopeful but nervous. Instead of going the route I usually take, over the Morrison Bridge to the East Side, I wanted to avoid the hills if possible so I took the Steel Bridge over.
I tried to take it slow but muscle memory kicked in and found myself pushing harder and going faster than I should have. I reminded myself to slow down. Then I got to the Springwater Trail and was cruising a long. There was a girl on a mountain bike ahead of me that was going a pretty good pace, nicely matched with me. Then we got to the small hill and the girl on the mountain bike slowed way down. She struggled to get up the hill and tried switching gears. I had to pass her. She was just too slow. I made it up the hill without any effort, so that was nice!
I passed by Oaks Park (the amusement park on the waterfront) and then all of a sudden Michael passed by me. He slowed down to bike side by side for a moment and then took off! He was riding all the way home and I was almost to the car.
My total miles for the day: 12.23.
Definitely not the same as last summer but it’s better than not getting on the bike at all. I had a similar calorie burn on the way home (almost identical) and I felt pretty good all in all.
That night my knees were slightly tight but okay. I foam rolled. I drank a lot of water. I iced. The next day they were still tight but I wasn’t having any flare ups! I hope that I’m over the worst of it and can start biking once a week. Maybe by the end of summer I can bike from home!
QUESTION: What is your worst clothing mishap?
Marc
In a bar in Tucson going the distance on a mechanical bull being an urban cowboy, when my blue jeans ripped open on the inside seam from one knee, up to the crotch and back down to the other knee. I stayed on and finished. I really didn’t realize what happened until I got down. But I was too drunk to care. But that was a long time ago:)
Lisa Eirene
That’s a GREAT story. Anything including a mechanical bull is funny!
Roz@weightingfor50
I’ve had far too many clothing mishaps over the years. Just recently was going for a lunchtime walk with a co-worker and my tights kept slipping down (guess I had silky undies)…I spent most of the walk either hauling them up, or walking like Frankenstein ’cause the crotch of the tights was basically at my knees. Oh well..in the big scheme of life, no biggie. Have a great day Lisa.
Lisa Eirene
Haha I hate nylons and tights for that reason!
Leah
Since biking to work, the worst I’ve done is forgotten my belt and been hiking up my pants all day. Thankfully it was nothing worse.
Lisa Eirene
That’s good. Nothing too embarrassing.
FreeJulie
I bike to work and it’s about 50/50 whether I end up wearing underwear during the day or not! 🙂 I should stock my office at work with some more clothes…
Lisa Eirene
HA! I totally get it. I’m obsessive now checking to make sure I have it packed.
Jess
I’m champion at forgetting my socks when I go to the gym. Or my bra. Luckily if I forgot my socks I can still workout (it’s just a little gross), and, since my boobs have shrunk thanks to weight loss, if I forgot my bra I can get by with the built in one in my tops unless I’m doing heaps of running.
My worst clothing mishap was when I was overweight and my pants split at work. So embarrassing. I locked myself in the supply cupboard and sewed them up (there was a needle and thread in the first aid kit).
Lisa Eirene
Oh yes, I forgot my sports bra at the gym once. I just wore my regular bra. It was uncomfortable and didn’t really work but it was better than nothing.
Sewing up your pants is smart! Good idea.
Deb
When I was much younger, and much less well-endowed, I went horseback riding, not thinking it was that big of a deal that I had forgotten to put a bra on that day. It was at my house, who did I have to impress? LOL
A few hours later I was putting band-aids over my then bloodied and raw nipples. Not a pleasant experience, and one I never repeated again! Lesson learned!
Lisa Eirene
OUCH! That is truly awful. I know I’ll jinx myself by saying this but….I never had to deal with raw nipples from running like a lot of people do. Thankfully!!