After Tuesday’s 6.60-mile lumber, I was feeling pretty good and ready to go again on Wednesday morning. The temps were a bit colder, coming in at just 19˚, but I was warm (enough) and ready to go.
I was pretty sure that a hike over 5 miles was probably out of the question. But, as I lumbered on, I felt increasingly stronger, and I had no real desire to stop, so I ended up with 7 miles in my feetz. Not bad for a 19˚ day in January. Actually, for me, that’s not bad for 70 degrees in May.
***
Saw this frozen mouse. I put it on the ground to preserve its dignity. RIP
Thursday would be a different story, and while I felt good, the 1˚ temperature had me questioning my sanity. Thankfully, I quickly remembered that any shred of sanity I had exited my mind long ago, and I lumbered on to get a 5.52-mile loop in.
For being just 1˚ (3˚ during hike according to Garmin), I felt plenty warm and was happy to have a closet full of old cold weather cycling gear to put into use (hello, old, lined, chamoisless tights), as well as the normal collection of cold weather gear that I’ve accumulated over 30 years of hiking, riding, and goofing off outdoors.
It was great to see some actual sunlight, but any prolonged stoppage for photos or removal of gloves for trailside bladder emptying had Ma Nature quickly reminding me that her abusive ex-husband, Jack Frost, was back in town and joyfully violating his restraining order. My camera also did its best to remind me when my fully charged battery died roughly halfway through.
As it stands, I’ve lumbered 24.65 miles so far this week and should easily hit 30 miles on Friday, something I haven’t done for a while so as to avoid overuse injuries. But, as long as the trails are clear of ice, I’m gettin’ the miles in while I can.
Later.