Frozen Toes

Total for this day: 29.7 miles
Total for this year: 44.3 miles

Rode in to work again today. And while the trail was finally clear of snow, it was still very cold - 29 degrees when I left the house. I was layered up again - two under the helmet, two on the hands, four on the torso, two on the legs, and two sets of socks under my riding shoes. This was enough to keep me warm. Except for my feet. Must have been because I was wearing the riding shoes today instead of the thicker sneakers I wore last ride. But no matter what caused it, my toes were painfully cold by the time I hit the half way point, and they just got worse as continued. I toughed it out and eventually made it to campus, but when I got the shoes and socks off at the gym my toes were bright red, and it hurt to walk. It took a good hour before the pain went away.


Other than that, the ride in was great. Because of the switch to daylight savings time I had to delay my departure until it was light enough to ride safely (my light mount is on the off-road bike, which is in the shop...). I hit the road maybe 15 minutes before sunrise. But I made pretty good time. Since I had the road bike it felt like I was flying compared to the last ride. Wasn't going so fast that I couldn't appreciate the wildlife that was out and about that time of the morning, particularly the birds. Saw a few cardinals, a couple of great blue herons, and bunches of robins. Spring is definitely on the way.

And since I didn't need to be "rescued" today, I was able to ride back after work. I don't know what the temperature was at the time, but I think it was pushing 50, so I was able to pack away most of the layers. I actually rode in shorts for the first time since... maybe November? It's been so long I can't even remember. Anway, it was a nice ride. Only way it could have been better was if there had been water in the canal and leaves on the trees. Won't be long...

Although the weather's supposed to be much the same for the rest of the week, my work schedule will keep me from riding in again for a while. If I'm lucky I might be able to get a short ride in over the weekend, but it's kind of touch and go. We'll see.