Bike/Walk Week in Minneapolis

This week in the Twin Cities is Bike/Walk Week. My workplace honored this occasion with a watered down version called Bike/Walk Week Day, which was today. For me, this week wasn’t much different than any other week. Two to four days each week, depending on the weather and my work calendar, I light out on a 8.5 mile commute at 6:45am with my red Bianchi Boardwalk, dressed in bike shorts and Danskos with a helmet and a backpack full of work clothes and a packed lunch.

Most days I cruise up the West River Road along the Mississippi River, crossing over the pedestrian bridge on the University of Minnesota Campus, and cut north through Dinky Town and the Como Neighborhood. Other days I follow the Minnehaha Avenue bike path and meet up with the bike trail running parallel to the Light Rail, then bank right to the Mississppi River and pedestrian bridge. The ride takes 35-45 minutes to reach work. I pedal up to the bike rack at the back of the building, lock my bike, then head inside to grab a towel and toiletries at my desk before heading to the women’s locker room for a quick shower.

The only difference is that today I received an extra casual dress day for my biking contribution. Others in my organization were recognized for parking in the large parking lot of a retail complex and walking less than a mile to work. Listening to some overweight colleagues talk about this experience, I heard them describe their Bike/Walk Week Day contribution – the half-mile walk – as both intimidating and physically demanding. “I was huffing and puffing, but I made it!” recounted a woman in my department.

While celebrating alternative work commute options is great, I’m worried because walking less than one mile or biking to work is still physically difficult, if not prohibitive, for many of my colleagues. In my department, for example, half of my coworkers are overweight or obese. Walking less than a mile requires a profound effort for many of them and this makes me anxious about their health status. It just can’t be easy to carry that weight around.

Recently I joined the department’s “Fun Committee” - an oxymoron, I know. We’re tasked with proposing activities that our two teams can enjoy together on a weekday afternoon outside of work. I suppose, in a nutshell, we’re developing team-building ideas that involve 3.2% malt beverages. My ideas included four-person bicycles, 2-3 mile day hikes, canoeing or frisbees. These ideas were quickly shot down, however, because they involved movement. It seems like a successful idea must include ample parking less than a quarter mile from the destination, sitting and eating fatty, saucy and/or fried food.

This leaves me feeling dejected. I think too many adults - or perhaps too many Americans, regardless of age - have lost touch with how movement can make us feel energized, exhilarated and free. When I pedal hard on my bike or pick up speed riding downhill, I feel this childlike sense of complete joy, as the wind rushes past my body. A big grin plants itself across my face and I inhale deep breaths of cool morning air. I’ve gotten the same feeling on a few memorable runs when I’ve run faster or further or stronger than I’ve ever run before and, more recently, during yoga class. Some days I stretch into a position, typically an inversion, and feel like I could hold that pose forever.

I wish more of my colleagues were able to share these experiences with me. Hell, I wish more of my friends were open to sharing these experiences with me. Shaking up familiar routines and inertia is hard. I get it. Once we can do it, though, we get to discover new strengths and connect with forgotten joys. And I think that’s pretty darn cool.