Despite its brevity, February in Michigan can be a long, depressing bastard of a month. February lodges itself in between the death-like acceptance of winter that January offers and the hopefulness of spring that March provides. Most often it’s bitterly cold, windy, and blanketed with ice and snow. However this February was not “most often.” We had several days of temps between 45˚ and 60˚, very little snow, and just a hint of ice at the beginning. While I am the first to admit that it should not be 55˚ in February, I am in no way going to complain about the ability to log over 265 miles as I attempted to jump start my fitness and hopefully some weight loss.
Tag Archives | road riding
Advantage Played
Some light rain overnight did nothing to help the swampy conditions of the dirt roads, but the warm-ish 40˚ temps were enough to poo poo an indoor workout and get out for a quick Better Than The Trainer Ride™ (Plèasant – Bêal – Plèasant road ride edition) before another round of “wintry mix” moves in.
Piling Up
It seems if there’s one thing I know how to do well, it’s pile up junk miles. Rides with no purpose other than to burn off a few beer calories and take pictures. I won’t be setting any distance records, and I won’t be getting back into any of those jeans I have stored away just in case I ever shed those 3o extra pounds, but I am getting outside on my bike and scratching that time sucking, financially useless, creative itch that God cursed me with, so I guess that’s something.
Squeezing
I had hoped with our move over I would be back to a semi-normal riding schedule. Sadly, this week things have not really come together. First weather got in the way (hard to believe it’s nearly May given how cold and crap our weather is), then a long “to do” list was presented to me by our realtor in regards to our old home which is going on the market in two to one hundred ninety-six hours.
It’ll Do
Wow, what a shit week for doing stuff and for making progress on Fit to Fat & Back. I got out Tuesday for a pain in the hip flexor filled ride, then Wednesday brought several inches of snow, followed by ice, rain, and school cancellations all over the mid-Mitten on Thursday. I rode the trainer in an attempt to keep from going ape-shit mental, and then spent Friday hunkered down getting work done on a new web site that I am building for B’s soccer club.
As much as I wanted to drink a bottle of gin and take a rope to the attic, I know full well that this is spring in Michigan. One day you could be running around in Daisy Dukes, the next day you’re shoveling wet snow and praying for the Lord above to deliver you from wintry evil.
Seven & Eleven
Despite having legs that felt as heavy has a two sacks of haggis, I got out for a ride on Thursday. Right now, I’m not so concerned with the length of the rides, just trying to get consistent time on the bike. So I headed out for yet another Better Than The Trainer Ride™, but this time ventured off of pavement for a bit and reintroduced some dirt, er I should say mud, to the ride.
The Opposite of Sorts
When I came downstairs to get my morning coffee at 6 AM and saw it drizzling, I figured we were in for one of those dreary, all day drizzle-fests that make you want to lay in bed all day wishing for the end of days. Thankfully that didn’t happen.
Fat Man Rolling Skinny… ish
Today I happily ditched the treadmill, the trainer, AND the slow, sluggish, lovable pig that I call the Fatterson and joyfully grabbed the Boone, and its skinny enough for me Nano 40 tires, for a Better Than The Trainer Ride™ (also known as the spring semi-classic Plèasant – Bêal – Plèasant).
The Fog Before The Storm
January is notoriously the hardest month for me to get through, especially here in Michigan; it’s long, cold, snowy, icy, and as of late it’s been foggy. Snow and ice on the ground, followed by rain and warmer temperatures meant that a heavy fog rolled into the Mt. Pleazy area on Friday night and it stuck around well into Saturday morning afternoon. Not ideal conditions for getting out for a road ride, but with the rains predicted to changeover to snow Saturday night, I wanted to get a few (emphasis on few) miles in.
Dirt Road Pac-Man
After windy, crap ride on Saturday and a Sunday-Sloth Day, it was nice to start off the week with a ride on the dirt roads and not feel like I wanted to take a freaking hostage or lie down in the dirt and wait for a ten ton tractor to run me over.