Taking On Old Man Winter

So yesterdays attempt at a long ride was cut short. I lasted 1.5 hours out in what felt like minus 30 with the ridiculous wind chill. In that time I rode to the top of the canal locks, went up and down three more times, then headed back home. I had no choice but to head home because my fingers and toes were so cold that they were hurting big time. One gust of wind on the way home was so strong that it made both of my tires slide a few inches to the side as it his me from the left. I was riding through slushy snow and only stayed upright by leaning way over into the wind.

When I got home I told myself I was not hopping on my trainer and admitting defeat to old man Winter. With the day off work I had to keep going so I decided to throw on my running shoes and go back out for another hour. I got some nutrition in me, did some stretching and core work, then I was off. I learned that a Clif Builders bar and an ab workout before running is a guaranteed recipe for cramps. About five minutes of light jogging and they were gone, but I won't do that again. I felt great running but didn't want to go too far because I didn't want to go through the knee pain I had after my last 10km run again. To use up the hour I stopped at a 70 set of stairs to do some agility work. There is a stair set like this at every lock on the canal and I used the one at lock 3. There is a short flat halfway up, so its perfect for switching betweem left leg and right leg leading with double taps. To see a video of what I was doing, check out Adam Morka's post from a month or two back. This workout challenges your mind just as much as your legs; try it yourself.

This morning Winter threw everything it had at me; snow, wind, slush and temps below minus 10. I lasted for hour on the slushy roads, but will admit that I wouldn't have lasted any longer if I continued to ride, rather than head into work. I thawed my toes in front of a heater and got ready to work, but it was so cold and there was nothing urgent to get done, so we all took the day off. I took a ride home from Derek and was shivering in his Jeep the whole way home, so I was thankful that I wasn't riding.

I'm looking forward to long rides this weekend and hopefully warmer temps.

Hopefully.......