the pros and cons of biking

i took the schwinny-schwinn for its second ride tonight, which OBviously makes me a complete expert and therefore perfectly positioned to wax poetic on the topic (especially the part where i emailed my biker friends to ask them whether or not they thought my tires were flat. um, yeah).

so then! the great thing about biking is that it's healthy enough to make me feel reasonably productive, but it's fun enough that i won't punk out every time i'm tired like i sometimes do when i'm planning on running. you get to enjoy the weather while still doing something that's somewhat good for you. you get to see all the people sitting out under congress bridge, waiting for the flight of bats (yes, bats) at sunset (side note: did you know that austin is home to the biggest urban bat colony in north america?). you huff and puff up the hills but still get to coast down. i get to be the conscientious biker who calls out "passing on your left!" as i whiz by you (but not too close, b/c i hated it when bikers did that to me).

there's a considerable con, though. you know when you go on long road trips (especially to rural areas) and at the end of trip your windshield looks like a bug morgue? yeah, see, the same problem comes into play when you're biking. it's dusk, you're near the water, there are trees. pretty picturesque scene, no? the issue with the bike is that it there is a speed factor -- whereas when you're jogging, let's face it, you really aren't going all that fast (or at least i'm not anyway). so you have the speed factor, and with greater speed comes increased... bug collisions. yes, bug collisions. i felt them zooming right into my face throughout the entire ride and it was insanely distracting. happy bike ride, BAM! picturesque scene, BAM BAM! little bugs running straight into my poor, defenseless face.

short of rocking a balaclava-type situation, i guess i just need to suck it up and accept the fact that i might get a bug or two up my nose every once in a while...