Today was my first commute in about a month. It had been really windy for a couple weeks, then it got cold and my mini pump broke (got a new one for Christmas) so I didn't want to ride and get stranded after a flat. While I'm proud of myself for finishing out the commute, I don't think I want to do it again any time soon.
Strong head and cross winds plagued me the entire ride in and extended my commute time by nearly 30 minutes. I just put it in an easy gear and spun my way through it. The ride home was cold. My fingers were numb a majority of the ride which led to lots of discomfort towards the end of the ride. 3 miles from home I started to get cramps in both of my calves. That could've slowed me down, but I was amped to get home and open my new camera that the UPS man brought me, so I just grit my teeth and kicked through it. Then about half a mile from my front door, I realized I left a gift for my girlfriend at the office.
I just kept telling myself "a bad day on the bike is still better than great day off it" but I'm not so sure I'd volunteer to do it again.