Seventh Heaven

Hello and happy 2021, everyone. It may seem odd to be reading a happy new year wish on January 27th, but believe it or not, this is my first check-in on this blog since November of last year. Consider this an attempt to "catch up," if you will.

So, what have I been up to? In a nutshell, the holiday season was quite busy, and it began shortly after my most recent post. The family and I went on a memorial cruise over the Thanksgiving holiday. The travel and lack of available outdoor cycling options for parts of the trip resulted in my decision to end my consecutive days of biking streak on day 608:

And so just as the streak began unceremoniously, so it ended in the same fashion. No big celebration, just a normal ride around the neighborhood. Forgive the pun, but it was quite a ride. I do not desire to pore over the thousands of photos I took during those 20 months, so here's an abridged list of some of the random places I've visited on 2 wheels since March of 2020, in no particular order (and associated blog posts):

• New York
• Cleveland
• Philadelphia
• Toledo
• Chicago
• Detroit
• Harrisburg
• Pittsburgh

Of course, there were many more in between (including Columbus, of course). When I first posted on Instagram about the streak potentially ending, I received quite a few messages telling me to keep it going, but I gotta be totally honest with you, I was ready for it to be over. I was actually thinking those thoughts once I passed 500 days, and yet I somehow kept going for another 108. Simply put: by the end of it, a daily ride had started to feel more like a chore than an achievement, and that ruined the spirit of why I started the streak in the first place.

That said, I still had an appreciation for willing myself to get outside every single day, even if only for a couple minutes. I also accomplished the only real goal I had at the start of the streak: riding a bike every single day for 365 consecutive days. I'd wanted to do that for years, and I totally smashed it. I did a much more in-depth write-up of the first 365 days back in March of last year, if you are interested in reading more about the experience.

I began another streak as soon as we returned from Thanksgiving. I mean, would you expect anything else? If you're new to this space, I have a tradition of riding my bike every day in December to celebrate my birthday, and I kept it going this year. Some photos for your enjoyment:

You may have spied a 63-mile route in those photos. I noticed that I was close enough to hitting 2,500 miles for the year entering December that I decided to push the envelope in hopes of reaching it. I'm happy to report that I did indeed get to 2,500 miles, which was 500 miles more than I'd set to achieve on January 1st, 2021. Go me!

As we headed into early 2022, I took an extended holiday break to recoup, relax, and spend some more time with family back in Pennsylvania before returning to my full-time life back in Ohio. Oh, and I've continued riding. In full disclosure, I have taken a day off here and there, but I've been on a bike more days than I haven't. You all know by now that single digit temperatures don't frighten me:

I probably won't ever attempt another 600-plus day biking streak again (at least not on purpose), but you can believe I will keep riding. One thing I would like to be better about in 2022 is writing about my adventures on my two-wheelers. Consider this my pledge. I fully expect you to hold my feet to the fire on it. As I type that, I'm realizing that we are about to go on a long-anticipated Disney vacation on Saturday, so I will be absent from this space once again for a brief time, but after that...I'd like to return to the spirit of why I began this blog way back in 2015 - seven years ago today, if you can believe it.

So, happy new year once again. I hope your holidays and your January have been stellar, and here's to a healthier and happier 2022!

50,000 Words

I didn't do a year-end post for 2019. Considering how bizarre 2020 was, I felt I had to do one this time around (side note: I realize it's January 1st, 2021 by the time this is posted). Rather than try to string together a bunch of words, I decided to do what I feel I do best: share the story with photos. Besides, pictures are worth a thousand words, right? You've probably read all you need to about 2020 by now anyway. So without further ado, here are some of my favourite photos from the past 12 months, and occasional commentary if I feel it's necessary.

January

First ride of 2020 on January 1st, Philadelphia, PA

Bike share in Cincinnati, OH

February

March

A short ride to the gas station on March 22nd that started

a consecutive days of riding streak that still continues to this day

April - 30 Days of Biking

May

I found myself helping our company in Indianapolis for a couple days.

I brought my old folding bike out of retirement to tag along with me.

Our family was forced to visit NYC to see our daughter's surgeon.
Not ideal during a global pandemic, but it was quite eye opening.
Thanks to CitiBike for helping me keep the streak alive.

Biking is a great way to spend time with friends while

also maintaining social distance!

June

My girlfriend and I found ourselves in Amish Country for a weekend.

There was no better time to explore the trails - they were mostly empty.

We found ourselves back in NYC for a lengthier visit and surgery for Faith.
This picture is from my 100th consecutive day of riding.

July

There's no real significance to this picture of Yankee Stadium.

I literally rode up there just to say I did it.

In the process, I was able to ride in 4 of the 5 boroughs

during the week we were in NYC in July.

Before 60 miles on the last Saturday in July

After 60 miles. Endorphins, man...

August

The folding bike came along for another trip, this time

when my girlfriend and I went camping - another great

socially-distanced activity.

September

After more than 6 months away, we were finally able

to return to my hometown for Labor Day weekend.

October

After a very positive experience on my long July ride,

I decided to make a lengthy ride a monthly thing

for positive mental health. Needed in 2020.

November

Another brief visit home, which unbeknownst to me

would be my last trip home of the year

Before leaving PA, I stopped down to Philly

for a quick 11-mile ride

I finally got around to organizing the garage!

Maintenance is an important part of being a cyclist, ya know...

Thanksgiving was day 250 of my streak, and Rachel's sister

helped keep it alive by letting me borrow her bike while

we were visiting them in Cleveland.

December - Bike Your Birth Month

One final brief jaunt to NYC to visit Faith's surgeon

for a follow up before the end of the year

I like to dress for the seasons.

On day 285 and the very last day of the year

So, wow. That's a lot, right? 50 photos, to be exact. The benefit of having smartphones at the ready is that we can document all the small activities we do on a daily basis. I know it could seem like a depressing exercise, but if you haven't already, take a look back and see what you've done over the previous year. You might surprise yourself. Case in point...

I rarely set mileage goals for myself, but I do like to check in from time to time to keep up to date with my progress and see if there's anything within reach that I can obtain. I ended up with just over 2,000 miles of overall activity in 2020 (including hikes, walks, kayaking, and so on). On a bike, I totaled 1,891 miles, which is far more than the 1,523 I had logged in 2019. That was only possible by making a concerted effort to do just a little bit every day, and that's the biggest takeaway I will have from 2020. Small efforts can add up to make a big difference.

I'm not much for resolutions, but I will make one of sorts, and that is to keep doing the things that make me happy. Spending time with family, and riding a bike are tops on that list. Oh, and I'd like to get to 365 days of biking, if I can. ;)

Happy 2021 to you, and I hope you're also able to do the things that make YOU happy this year.