Rain, Rain, Go Away

Rain, rain, go away, I’d like to ride my bike today.

If only it were that easy.

It seems like we’ve had several weeks of nothing but rain. We’ve had low pressure systems, noreasters, rain dances, and now we’ve got a hurricane coming that my 12-year-old son says should be spelled more like it sounds. What’s a biker to do?

The rain was hard on the trails. It even toppled this tree.

My goal for riding is 200 miles per month. Sometimes winter weather makes it hard to reach that figure. Some months in the summer and fall I can reach 300 if the weather cooperates. I got in a short 14-mile ride just before the rain started, giving me 271 miles for September. That’s a great total, except when you consider I had an entire week left in the month. It should have been easy to get to 300. But the rain started and looked like it wasn’t going to stop. Luckily there was a break on Sunday. It stopped raining that morning and the sun even tried to come out. The streets and sidewalks dried out, and I began to hope. But just as I got on the bike after lunch, it started to sprinkle. I circled back to the house as it came down harder. I checked the radar on the computer and saw that it was a thin line of rain that would be over quickly, so I waited. Sure enough it stopped and I was able to get in 34 miles. But the rain had been hard on the trails. A tree had fallen down across the Neuse trail south of Poole Road. I had to lift my bike across it to keep going. But it was a ride and it felt great. Less than an hour after I got home, the rain started coming down again, hard.

We don’t usually have this much rain day after day. A friend who has recently started riding asked me what kind of exercises you can do when you’re off the bike for so long. Here’s a short list.

• Walking or jogging: both of these are good aerobic exercises and will work your legs. You’ll want to make sure you don’t overdo it, especially with jogging. Your knees and ankles may not be used to the pounding they’ll receive.  

• Swimming: provides a total body workout with the impact of jogging or walking. You can swim laps or just play.

• Take the steps at work: if you work in a multi-story building, take the steps whenever you can. If your job keeps you at your desk, talk to your boss and taking breaks to walk the steps. It’s great exercise for your legs.

• Hit the gym: if you have access to a gym, rainy days are great for pumping some iron. Don’t just work your legs. Arm strength will help you handle a bike, especially on longer rides.

• Spin class: I’m not a big spin person, but I know other bikers who love it. They seem to enjoy spinning just as much as they do riding. That part’s lost on me, but to each his own.

When rain, work or family commitments or anything else seems to conspire to keep you off your bike, find some sort of exercise to do.  Choose one from this list, or figure it out on your own. You’ll be glad you did. And it might be a good way to distract yourself while you’re waiting to get back on your bike.