Consecutive bicycle work commute number 2333:
The wind blew hard all night. The temp and humidity was at a good level last night to open up the windows of the house and let things air out. That is until the wind slammed a bedroom door shut and made everyone in the house poop their pants.
This week I started getting up early to do some walking before my ride to work. One would think that riding to work would be enough exercise, but I've noticed in my 19th season of commuting that I'm at the point where my body hardly counts it as exercise; it's just "normal." So during the warmer months I like to supplement my riding with walking. Being that I'm just getting back into it, I only walked a total of 6.5 miles this week. I'll slowly work up to around 12-15 miles per week.
The temp was 51°F when I left on my walk. Today's high happened at midnight, and the temp is supposed to continue to fall to below freezing by this evening. I started walking and as soon as I felt the 20 mph wind I felt cold. I thought maybe I just needed to get warmed up, but I was cold during the entire walk. By the time I got back home, the temp had dropped to the low 40s. That explains why I felt like I never warmed up.
I got on the bike for the 4.5 mile ride downtown to a client. I took the road bike. I had to fight the wind, and once again I think I under dressed. I was wearing a sweatshirt and shorts. I froze the entire way to the office. I probably should have worn a windbreaking jacket, long pants, warmer gloves and toe covers. I also arrived about 10 minutes late due to the fierce headwind slowing me down to about a 9 mph average.
The ride home tonight will probably be a colder temp, but with the wind pushing me I'm hoping I'll actually feel warmer.
I enjoy hearing about everyone's home/family problems. Please don't read that as me enjoying that you all are having home/family problems. It means that when people share their struggles, it reminds me that I'm not alone. These last eight years have been the most challenging of my life, taking care of family members with mental health issues and a father-in-law with dementia. It's easy to start feeling like I'm the only person in the world who has problems like these. In reality, the vast majority of us do struggle. Knowing this keeps things in better perspective.