Week Twenty-Four - Day Five: C-c-c-cold!

BIKE: Mike
TIME THERE: 29 min.
TIME BACK: 29 min.
WEATHER: overcast, -18C, 7 km/hr wind there; overcast, -11C (-18C with windchill), 15 km/hr wind back.
WHAT I WORE: warm-up pants, turtleneck, waterproof shell, running gloves, balaclava
NOTES:

Oh my GOD - I did not dress for the weather today!! It's been so mild all week, and the weather forecast predicted that today would have similar weather to yesterday's. Given that, I dressed just as I did yesterday. The difference is that it was about 10C colder today, so the plastic-y waterproof shell and the flimsy single-layer cotton gloves were absolutely not cutting it. By the time I got to work, my thighs were red as cooked lobsters from my knees to my hips and completely numb. My fingers burned with cold for most of the ride. It was - to say the least - unpleasant.

If there is any bright side to today, it's that it's become quite obvious that the days are getting longer again. It was great when I first started noticing the rides home getting lighter, but now even the morning rides are lightening up. Even in the cold and the fog, the rising sun bursts pinkly through the overcast sky and makes me feel better about everything. The cold is a little less stinging, the ride feels a little shorter, even sharing the road with cars feels safer as it gets lighter out because I'm more comfortable that people can see me. Today felt like being back to freakin' winter again, but for the most part, this week has really started feeling like spring.

Oh, I can't wait til it's really spring . . . be gone, snow and slush and freezing temperatures! I'm feeling really, fully, completely done with winter.