Week Six - Day Three

TIME THERE: 26 min.
TIME BACK: 28 min.
WEATHER: overcast, 1C, 17km/hr wind there; partly cloudy, 3C, 28km/hr wind back.
WHAT I WORE: yoga pants, turtleneck, fleece mid-layer, running gloves, scarf (wrapped to cover ears, cross over my throat, and trail behind over my shoulders, Bubushka style); scarf and gloves in panniers on the way home, though I should have worn them!!
NOTES:
On Monday I went on an after-work jaunt to Mountain Equipment Co-op with my tired, cranky daughter who screamed like a banshee if I tried to restrain her from running around the entire store pulling things off the shelves. Banshee seemed to be happy when given something to do, so I let her run through the aisles pushing our shopping basket around. As long as she was within sight, I was okay with that. Besides, it really was very cute to see this adorable little girl running around at top-toddler-speed, pitched forward over a basket full of cycling accoutrements, looking as happy as if she'd just found her purpose in life.

During that trip, I bought the following:
- a fleece mid-layer to go between a base layer and my waterproof shell on the cold days
- splash pants (that I will return, as they were clearly not made for a woman with thighs as substantial as mine, so they really restrict the upwards rotation of my legs while pedaling)
- a balaclava (or baklava, whichever you prefer)
- running gloves
- reflective stickers for my bike
- lubricant

Wearing just the fleece mid-layer over a turtleneck this morning, I was amazed at how warm it was! I was kind of schvitzing like a chazar (that's a Yiddish-ism for sweating like a pig, which sounds much cooler and a little less gross than its English equivalent). I have a feeling it'll come in mighty handy for the cold days, but for now I'm not sure what to wear, exactly. It's that awkward in-between time that's too cold for a sweatshirt and not cold enough for, say, a fleece mid-layer over a turtleneck. It's all trial and error, I suppose.

While at MEC, I kept a lookout for studded tires, which they don't have in stock yet. I picked up a catalogue and found that I could order them, but - ALAS! - they don't come in the right size for my bike. My current tires are 700 x 28c, and the smallest tires they have are 700 x 38. I doubt a 38 will clear my brakes, but I'll have to look into this further. I'll also have to look into lubricating further, as my attempt to lubricate the chain was a bit messy and I'm not sure how successful it was (especially as I learned a day later that I'm supposed to wipe off the excess lubricant afterwards, which I didn't do - eep!).

Now, my lovelies, I'm going to have to leave you for a few days. I'm off to Vancouver bright and early tomorrow morning for a conference. I return on the Friday night red-eye, just in time to settle in for a nice long weekend with my daughter. However, that means FIVE days in a row of not commuting! What will become of my thighs?? Will I lose all the fitness I've been working up to? Will my bike rust and rot away? Only time will tell . . .

Until then, have a fabulous long weekend!