Originally Posted by
Drv1913
...Today, however, between the temperature and the fact that I was traveling against the wind, the ride itself was slow going. About halfway through, I realized that I had overexerted myself, but I slogged on. It was exhausting, and I ended up riding on the sidewalk for most of the last 3 miles and walking the bike up the last 2 hills. Once in my neighborhood, I took off my helmet and pretty much just coasted the rest of the way home, where I staggered through the door and into the cold embrace of sweet, sweet air-conditioning. Experiment over.
On the surface, this might seem like a negative carfree experience, but it wasn't. I accomplished everything that I wanted to without using my personal vehicle or taking a friend up on her offer to drive me, and even though I had difficulties (which were mostly my own fault), I was none the worse for the wear. After a second shower and a couple of chocolate chip cookies, I was back to my old self and ready to sit down at the computer and get some work done. What I learned today, however, is that, once the temperature gets into the 90s and beyond, 3 miles is my limit for any individual bike trip. I don't think that there's really anything that I could have done to make the bicycling segments easier. So, I will have to keep that in mind as I plan for total carfreedom.
Remember, it really does get much easier as you continue. You will get better physical conditioning, more acclimated to the heat, find better equipment and clothing, and just generally get more organized and efficient.
For example, before I started walking and riding everywhere, just getting from the car to the door seemed like too much work in the hot summer. I constantly needed air conditioning. At this point, i no longer am bothered much by the heat (although I still prefer cooler weather). I have gone 5 or 6 summers without AC. Even when I had central air in my house, I didn't use it. Now I don't even have AC. I just use a fan on very hot days.
So hang in there! The learning curve is pretty steep, so it will get easier and more comfortable in a very short time.