March rides.....riding into the days of the Spring equinox

[rebeccaC]

I’m beginning to explore the roads in the San Gabriel mountains as an alternative to the Santa Monica mountains. Since I worked 14 hours yesterday I took today off, drove to and parked in Azusa and rode into San Gabriel Canyon to Crystal Lake. The ride started with a pleasant 11 mile ride with just a couple of short intense climbs and a gain of a little over 1000 ft. The next 12 miles took more energy with a gain of 4000+ ft and with a sustained climb. 46 miles total. When I started the temps were in the low 70’s and it was into the 80’s when i got back to Azusa.
The road had a narrow or no shoulder in places but there was little traffic and it was easily heard coming. I saw three other riders and one guy stopped where I took a water, nutrient and stretching break and we had a good talk about other canyon roads he has done in the S.G.’s and where to get water. A good ride and I’m looking forward to riding other canyons.

and a big plus was a good sushi dinner with my friend Alex and now spending the night here....she's an intelligent, beautiful soul and woman

[ny biker]

Rebecca, your photos are telling me that I need to visit my brother (who lives near Pasadena) more!

So everyone please help me decide: should I ride tomorrow? On the one hand, a friend is planning a ride and I haven't seen her in months. On the other hand, I have tons of stuff I need to get done soon - bill paying, tax prep, errands, start cleaning out the closets and packing things up to prepare for new floors being installed in my condo. Also tomorrow will be chilly (40 at best) with no sun and I am really tired of bundling up for the cold. And I am already set to lead a ride on Sunday so tomorrow is supposed to be get-everything-done day.

Decisions, decisions...

[rebeccaC]

NY….San Gabriel Canyon is a few miles east of Mt Wilson so you saw the same type of landscape on your trip to the Observatory.

I’m cocooning all weekend and I’m going to ENJOY doing it….so I’ll leave the decision to you on what to do tomorrow

[khg]

Thank goodness for the bicycle. It's been a really rough couple days at work, and yesterday, biking in to work, to an event, back to work, and then home was what kept me from completely losing it. It was cold, windy, and raining, and none of that mattered. Being able to clear my mind by making my legs and lungs burn with effort, or by luxuriating in the joy of effortlessly gliding along, was invaluable.

The chocolate a coworker brought me and the beer I'm drinking is also helping--but it was the bike that did the heavy lifting.

NY Biker, I vote for the ride with friend--but that's colored by the fact that I was not able to get out riding today because of the need to get stuff done

[ny biker]

Well I went to bed last night thinking I would get up this morning and join my friend's ride. I filled the water bottles, made sure the gear bag had all the warm clothes I might need, got out the chemical toe warmers, went to bed earlier than usual. But I woke up in the middle of the night thinking that I really did not want to ride both days this weekend, I have too many other things to do and I just do not want to ride near the beach on a cold cloudy day. So I turned the alarm clock off. I ended up sleeping until after 10, which is a pretty good sign that I made the right decision.

If it was January, this weather would seem good for cycling, but in March I just have limited motivation to suit up for the cold. (I'm actually sitting here now researching light therapy boxes, because it's pretty clear that I need something to help me get through the winter. It's going to be in the 70s in a couple of days but I still have that blah winter feeling now. I'm lucky enough to have an office with a large window that faces southwest, and I'm seeing a big difference in the way I feel when the sun is shining vs when it's not. I haven't gotten any exercise for days because I just can't deal with the current resurgence of winter, even though it's only lasting a few days. But I digress...)

The good thing is that all my preparations last night have gotten me ready for the ride I'm leading tomorrow. I so hope the sun comes out tomorrow afternoon. So far two people have said they plan to join me tomorrow, and I'm hoping for a good day.

In the meantime I'm going to force myself to go outside for a walk...

[emily_in_nc]

DH and I have been having some wonderful rides lately here in central Florida. I feel very lucky to be here, riding on a beautiful trail through the Spanish moss. I've been riding 3x a week, 31-37 miles each time, and definitely feel the cycling strength returning after very little riding last year. There are some pretty decent hills in Lake County, much to my surprise, so that is helpful before visiting family in NC later this month, where there are plenty of hills! Weather has been quite breezy most days, which sometimes makes for a tough ride, at least half of it, but the temps have been in the 60s-70s. It's supposed to heat up bigtime next week -- they're saying upper 80s by the end of the week -- eeek! Not quite ready for that, but I really have nothing to complain about.

[Crankin]

Glad you're getting some preparation for the hills in NC, Emily. That would be a shock, coming from a totally flat place.
NY, I was going to tell you to skip today's ride, but I didn't want you to lose your motivation. You did what your body needed. And by the way, it's natural daylight that regulates the SAD thing, not really sunlight vs. cloudiness. People in warm, sunny climates still get it, because of the shorter hours of daylight. They have a lesser rate of it, because they probably spend more time outside, but moving to a place like FL, CA, or AZ does mean you won't have it. I remember when I moved to Florida, when winter came and we were on Standard Time, I felt like it was summer and they chopped half the day off, when it was getting dark at 4:30 in December! It took a year to get used to that.
I went to spin yesterday, tabata today, and spent 4 hours moving and unpacking stuff. I will probably go for a short ride (15 miles) tomorrow. I am going to commute Tuesday (in the 60s) and Wednesday go on my group ride if it's a close start (I have a haircut at 3) or just do a long ride myself. It is supposed to be 70 on Wednesday.

[Catrin]

NY, good for you in doing what your body wanted you to do, and I hope you have a good day tomorrow.
Emily, sounds like you're having fun looking ahead to NC, enjoy! Upper 80's does sound good, but it does seem early for that.

Today I was quite busy, but set aside some time for a progressive KB swing workout. I had intended on going to the gym and hitting the ArcTrainer as well, but Thursday I overdid things for both knee and neck and paid for it yesterday. I don't THINK I over did things tonight, it wasn't a long session at all but I wanted to do something. Hiking would have been great but it was cold/damp and things are still quite muddy on my favorite trails. This will pass...

[Catrin]

Sounds like a lovely ride Crankin, glad you found a future regular route!

[ny biker]

Catching up... I had a good post-work hill ride on the 30th. Got started later than usual, again -- I need to focus more on getting out of work on time so I don't end up finishing the ride at 10 pm. It was in the high 50s and I was overdressed with a lightweight wool base layer, windstopper base layer and fleecy long sleeved jersey. I stopped after a few miles and took off the windstopper layer, and after that I was more comfortable. (It's interesting how differently I need to dress for a given temperature in December or February vs late March or April. Yesterday I went for a walk. It was cool and in the 50s after a cold windy night, and I ended up taking off my jacket and just wearing a long sleeved t-shirt with a short sleeved t-shirt over it. A couple of months ago I would have been cold without the jacket at the same air temperature.)

Anyway. After a sedentary Easter weekend I did the same route that I had done the previous Wednesday night. After this I will need to add some steeper hills so I can continue to build fitness for the Tour de Cure.

And I guess that does it for March!