Stupid? Maybe...

Between November 2nd & January 4th, exactly nine weeks, I gained 16 damn pounds.

I'm not sure how it happened, other than a couple of epic-off-plan days. Thanksgiving. My Birthday, twice. But the real reason is more insidious, and much tougher to eradicate - but I cannot allow this shit to continue!

(More on this subject in a subsequent posting)

So, to kick off my recommitment to the New Year, I decided that a frigid January bike ride in the snow would be a nearly-epic expedition!

I started out just before dawn, with temps in the low 20's, with a light breeze bringing the windchill to the low teens.

I wore a good selection of winter gear - the trick being to dress warmly enough so as not to freeze to death, but not so warm that you sweat & then freeze to death.

My only issue was cold feet! I wore good wool socks inside my insulated Merrill Polarand Moc's, but I think my issue was caused by a thin pair of socks I wore over the wool one - the thin socks were talk, so I could tuck my sweat pants in - and I think that the sweat pant & socks were bunched up, making circulation tough. Maybe? I'm not sure, but damn, my feet started getting cold around mile 7, and by mile 10 felt very uncomfortable.

The fat tires on my bike really glided amazingly well on this hard-pack snow! I didn't know what to expect, but I was thrilled. Ice? No Bueno. I bounce better in the summer.

Question of the day: Puddle, or Pond? (Cracking ice under your feet all sounds the same)

At several points, I realized if I slid off the path, nobody would find me until Spring! I took a detour down an Equestrian path that was astoundingly scenic, but when I came down a hill to a large frozen area, I didn't know how deep things could be, and I didn't want my suburban bike ride to take a Jack London type detour! I worked my way past the ice, but not without falling. My helmet may have paid for itself that day.

Also treacherous were the street crossings, due to the large frozen berms of ice & snow. These were brutal, and at the intersection of Shoe Factory & Higgins, I went down. It was a slow, stupid fall, but it highlighted to me how quickly a fun ride could turn south.

All in all, it was a great ride. I've experimented with two bikes, two sets of lights, three sets of gear, and four different routes. All of that paid off! I was shocked at how quickly my conditioning had atrophied, but I prevailed! Now, a day later, I'm terribly sore, and a bit bruised, but happy that I did it.