Spring 2009, I came out of hibernation, but felt like I was starting over from scratch. Couple people that I ride with had ridden indoors over the winter, and they were whipping my tail. I had to work like crazy just to get back to where I was just a few months prior. I got back into the groove, and ran two tri's by the end of the year.
I mapped out a plan to avoid falling into the same hole during Winter of 2009/10. I got cold-weather gear, and even-colder-weather gear, and continued to ride daily right up til the holidays.
Then Mother Nature totally whipped me. She can be a real mother sometimes. The blizzard back in December started it, followed by a couple weeks of insanely cold temperatures. My daily riding habit was broken. Add the lack of exercise to a very heavy workload in the office, and throw in lots of tasty holiday foods, and I turned into a fat-bellied-sloth in just a short couple of weeks.
The weather and my schedules started easing up last week, so I got back on the bike with a vengeance. I'm twice as dedicated to keeping up with the routine now that I've already been de-railed once this season. I'm already registered for two triathlons this year, one of which is bigger than anything I've done before. I need to be prepared and stay in focus.
Which brings me to the title of this week's Waster. It was 17 degrees when I left the house this morning. SEVENTEEN EFFING DEGREES. I had no idea just how ridiculous that number is until about 6am this morning.
I've got the cold-weather gear, and have ridden in some pretty bad weather, so I really didn't give it too much thought. 30's, even 20's, haven't been much of an issue. I wore an extra layer both top and bottom, threw on my balaclava, and figured it would be all good.
Boy, was I wrong.
Leaving the house on the bike in the winter always starts with a chill. Nothing awful, just like going out to play in the snow when you were a kid. You know it's cold, but with enough layers and bundles, you only get the exposed parts of your face frostbitten. ("I can't put my arms down!" "You can put them down when you get to school, dear.")
I made it most of the way to the office, only about a mile left, when my covered-up parts started going numb. I left the house with 20 fingers and toes, but must have dropped 'em by the side of the road along the way. For lack of hands, I stopped shifting and stopped braking; running traffic lights and stop signs like the bicyclists that everyone hates. No worries in my mind though, bc getting run over wouldn't hurt until sometime after I'd thawed out in the ambulance later.
My stubbornness and dedication are easily forgotten at 17 degrees. Never again.
('til next time, of course.)
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My buddy Jon tells about his tour of the Pontarlier absinthe distillery in his Friday4theFoodies report.
Tetris, with a twist. I'm still not all the way sure how to play, score, or win, but it's worth a bit of your time.
Use the Force, young Jedi. Here is your Jedi Trainer.
("I see your Schwartz is as big as mine!")
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Brett Fav-ruh's off-season daily planner.
I used to have a Troll pen for a long long time. My absolute favorite. Now I'm all insecure about what that said about me...
(click to enlarge)
Ow! Quit it! Ow! Quit it! Ow! Quit it!
Hundreds of uses around the home!
Whatchu talkin bout Officer Willis?
TMZ will tell you all about it...
Lamebook continues to find the idiots who make my day.
(btw, ( . )( . ) make my day, too.)
Do, or do not. There is no try.
Godfather-in-chief?
From Moronail. (Best site name ever, btw. I'll giggle every time I think of that stupid train at Disney forever.)
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