Brrr!
Last week I wrote “I can deal with the cold.” Silly me. I guess Mother Nature took that as something of a dare. This morning I was scheduled to ride for three hours. The forecast called for a cold, but dry morning. Temperatures in the low 30’s with a “real feel” in the mid-20’s. I considered doing the ride on my trainer, but I’ve been having nice rides outside and feel that on the weekends, when I have the opportunity to get outside, I really should get out there. I wore a heavier base layer than I’ve been wearing and brought some handwarmers to throw in my gloves in case I needed them.
Immediately, I could tell that it was colder than I’ve been riding in. Also, there was a little more wind than I expected. I got to the Park and was surprised by the number of runners out there – there were a lot of big training groups or clubs. On the other hand, there weren’t too many cyclists. hmmm….
I felt good riding in the Park – at first, at least. On the east side (heading uptown), it didn’t feel that cold and I was cruising. But then I made the turn at the top of the Park, climbed Harlem Hill and started heading downtown on the west side. And quickly ran smack dab into a headwind – not a strong one, but enough of one to slow me down and make the cold cut into my hands and face. I decided pretty quickly that if I could ride for 90 minutes I’d be happy. I could always finish on the trainer from my warm apartment! I finished my third loop and was about to call it quits when I decided to do one more and make it two hours. I was already out there and I knew I’d be riding on the trainer tomorrow. However, when I finished that fourth loop, I decided that there was no reason to suffer for a third hour and headed home.
Big day for the Chargers tomorrow. They really don’t stand much of a chance, but you never know, right?? Elizabeth will be cheering from Park City and Charlie and I will be cheering them on from here!
Run – January 17
Distance: 5.5 miles
Time: 44:30
Average heart rate: 139
Course: Downtown, Brooklyn Bridge
Conditions: Cold (low 30’s), clear, no wind
Cycling – January 19
Bike #1
Distance: 36 miles
Time: 2:05
Average heart rate: 130
Course: Central Park
Conditions: COLD! (low 30’s), clear, breezy
Bike #2
Time: 1:00
Average heart rate: 113
Indoor ride