Winter Outdoor Riding!

A miracle occurred today. It's January, below thirty degrees this morning, and this happened:

It's my bike! And me! And we're going for a ride outside!

That's my bike and I - outdoors. I ACTUALLY BIKED OUTSIDE TODAY IN THE FREEZING COLD. I can't remember the last time I rode outdoors in January - at least a few years ago - and I haven't been on my bike outdoors since October when I rode around the Marine Corps Marathon course cheering on my friends. I still had remnants of my cheering costume on my helmet (a bow) that I left on today. Maybe I'll leave it on this entire season.

So, drama aside, biking outside this morning was actually... pleasant. It went by REALLY quickly and I warmed up fast. Hill repeats were on the schedule so I paid a visit to the hills in Rosslyn and had some fun there. When I went for my T-run after the ride, my legs felt a bit heavier and more tired than they normally do after a trainer ride - probable proof that riding outdoors is a bit more challenging than indoor trainer rides. I should probably ride outside more often.

Speaking of challenging, it was hard work getting into and staying in my proper heart rate zones. Not impossible, but it required work, which isn't how it used to be. I'm really excited, this could mean good things for this season! It means I can work harder and not be as worried about blowing up on the run.

In totally non-triathlon news, I figured out how to blow dry my hair straight. I know, big news, right? But it really is a big deal; I could never can figure out how to get my hairbrush positioned right without making a rat's nest out of my hair, so I always resorted to the flat iron. But this new way was faster and I like the results better.

We finally watched the movie Miracle last night about the 1980 US Olympic hockey team that beat the Soviets - it has been on my list for awhile and it didn't disappoint. There was definitely some interesting sports psychology throughout the film and it made you think about hard work and how much it is worth.