TIME THERE: 33 min. (woot!)
TIME BACK: 38 min.
WEATHER: partly cloudy, -12C, 7km/hr wind there; clear, -2C, 7km/hr wind back.
WHAT I WORE: boots, regular socks, fleece pants, turtleneck, fleece mid-layer top, running gloves, scarf
NOTES:
On Biking
I'm learning through trial and error the best route to take to work when riding on sidewalks. It's quite a crap shoot, really, given that some (rare) parts of the sidewalk are bare as bone while there are other parts covered in a foot of hard-packed snow and ice with a narrow, uneven path trampled through it (not the best biking terrain, especially with a spindly road bike).
Today I learned the hard way that I really do need to turn north at 142nd St, then pedal west through the neighbourhood of Grovenor to get home. Otherwise, I'm stuck biking up 149th St., which has inaccessible sidewalks on both the east and west sides (at least it's consistent!). Given the heavy traffic on that road I have no interest in taking my bike to the street, so I've been stuck having to carry my bike over some unkempt parts of the sidewalk, cursing under my breath the whole way.
I think what's really adding to my ride time now is all the slowing down and stopping I have to do. After all, I'm negotiating my way across massive, concrete-hard tire ruts at every intersection, slogging my way through poorly shoveled areas of snowy sidewalks, steering around pedestrians, sign posts, and street lamps, and avoiding snow boulders (these are one-foot-diameter chunks of snow that are often rock-solid, filthy from car exhaust, and somehow strategically placed directly in my path on the narrowest trails through Snowbank Alley). Once in a while I can get up to a decent speed, but the stretches of sidewalk over which I can do this are quite short, and within the block I have to slow down - sometimes to a crawl, or even a stop - and try to build up my speed all over again. It's not that big a deal - it keeps the ride interesting, as though I'm playing chess and trying to predict the next challenge the terrain might throw my way, always trying to think two steps ahead so I can avoid whatever pitfalls might come. And it's a hell of a work-out!
On Me
And those work-outs are paying off. I haven't weighed myself in a while, and I don't plan to until next week sometime (I am not going to subject myself to the sadness of weighing myself on New Years morning after a week of Christmas cheer - aka, overeating and free-flowing libations!). Still, I know this biking thing is working. Today I wore a flattering, clingy scoop-neck black top and a decent pair of dark jeans to work. When I went down to the cafeteria to buy lunch, I couldn't help but feeling eyes on me. I noticed several young gentlemen noticing me. As much as I hate to admit that it made me feel good to grab the attention of some exam-weary undergrads at the university cafeteria, it did make me feel good - damn good! I haven't felt so "noticed" in a very long time, and on this occasion, I liked it!
Call it a victory for vanity, perhaps, but feeling good about myself and how I look sure keeps me motivated to keep biking!
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