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...

[lauraelmore1033]

Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day so DH and I took the opportunity to do a very pleasant (but very ordinary) ride on the Samamish River trail. He's recovering from a broken collar bone, so he rode my trike. I've been complaining about how slow that trike is ever since I bought it, but he took off like a pro and I was hard pressed to keep up with him. Darnit. I think everyone in the greater king/snohomish county area was out walking on that trail, trying to take advantage of our one day allotment of sun.

[Crankin]

I did a 15.5 mile ride that I've done to death...
It was 42 and brightly sunny out. May have been a tad overdressed, but, I unzipped.
I need to be kinder with myself at this time of year, but it felt hard, the little hills especially. Considering how much I've been at the gym, and the fact that I have ridden through winter for the first time in 3 years, you would think it would be easier.
Lots of cyclists out today, too.

[rebeccaC]

Interesting commute this morning, high 40’s, torrential rain, BIG thunder/lighting even causing car alarms to go off, 25+ mph wind, 15ft surf, getting me way out of my comfort zone…..is that all you’ve got El Nino??? Stopping at Intelligensia for some oolong tea and a cherries and creamy chocolate gateau basque helped. Castelli Donnina rain jacket, Marmot rain pants, Izumi shoe covers and Ibex wool rain cap ftw

The weather is suppose to be back to the 70’s tomorrow and then storms again at the end of the week….thinking it’s going to be a crazy March!!!!!!

[ny biker]

To be honest, Rebecca, the conditions you describe are well within my "too dangerous for cycling" parameters. I'm glad you made it without problems.

I had five club members join me for the ride I led yesterday. It was a similar route to one that I did in early January and frankly the weather was better then -- the temps were the same on both days (mid 40s) but in January we had lots of sunshine whereas yesterday was very gray and cloudy. For the first few miles I was worried that I wasn't wearing a warm enough jacket. Fortunately I was more comfortable after we got going, and the sun made a surprise appearance twice during the ride. In all it was 34 miles.

The last few miles were on a rail-trail. When we reached it one member of our group said that we should go ahead because she planned to slow down. So we went ahead. When we reached the end, we waited a long time before we saw her. She had started to feel dizzy from dehydration so she stopped at one of the many benches along the trail and finished off the water in her water bottles. So two good lessons there -- first, it's easy on colder days to forget that you still need to drink enough to stay properly hydrated, and second, I should have gone back to look for her rather than waiting for her to arrive at the finish.

We're enjoying nice warm spring weather this week. I'm not putting the Windstopper booties and Amfib tights away yet, but I am hopeful that I won't need them again for a long time.

[rebeccaC]

NY...The thunder/lightning was the only difference from earlier rides I’ve done in some of these el nino storms. The thunder actually caused some shaking for a few seconds and hearing car alarms going off was really different. The lightning/thunder started a little before sunrise, just after i left home and I wasn’t expecting it. The lightning gave off very bright flashes in the dawn light but was off in the distance coming from a group of cumulonimbus clouds so I wasn’t too worried about that. Being warm and dry is what matters most to me....i see the weather as just an interesting adventure

My ride home on the beach bike path part was a LOT calmer, in the high 50’s with a nice sunset but still some wind (lots of wind ripples in the sand from the morning)…..both rides made for an interesting commute today

[Crankin]

Did a 31 mile ride with the group today; it was 57 at the start and 77 at the finish . Had the arm warmers down after a mile and took my knee warmers off at mile 12.6, when we stopped at Great Brook. I felt pretty good today (a miracle for me). It was mostly the "big boys" out today and I was able to keep up, albeit they are not that fast compared to real fast. The real fast riders, who are in the invitation only group I got sucked into, also started at the same time/place, but they were off to ride 68 miles for someone's 68th birthday. Not ready for that, and probably never will be with those guys.
We had one traffic altercation, which could have been really bad. Thankfully, I was near the back and bunch of riders were turning left onto a side street, from a busier street in Acton. Not a highway, but a busy road. They kind of moved over to the left abruptly, but they were together, but they didn't signal. A dumb azz tried to pass them, as they were moving and turning, and 2 of the riders had to make evasive moves. Of course, he was a jerk, but I never assume anything and if they were on a ride I was leading, I would have really laid into them for not signaling.
I felt really tired at the end, but I came right home and ate, as I have to go get my haircut, so I couldn't stay for the lunch at Verrill Farm.

[rebeccaC]

Rode in Oxnard to take some photos…just a relaxing day, wandering, no place to be, just gliding through the afternoon….don’t know mileage, temps etc…ended the ride with a sunset. Good day