Cycling: The Wimp-Out Edition....

In typical fashion here in the South, we jumped two seasons in the span of a few hours. It was summer yesterday and winter(like) today.

I watch the weather forecasts religiously, and I THINK I know what to expect. I believed the weather people when they said our high temperature today would occur this morning, with steadily dropping temperatures throughout the day. I still expected the temps to be in the upper 50's (maybe I didn't listen as carefully as I should have), so I took my bike to school.

A couple of co-workers looked at me askance (isn't THAT a cool word?) when I left for the day, and my principal said, "You're going to FREEZE!" I even went outside to see if I needed my jacket in addition to the jersey and long-sleeved t-shirt underneath.

The answer was yes, I needed my jacket. And two more just like it, ideally.

The winds were fierce, clouds hung low in the sky, and my fingers went numb fairly quickly. I got to the first decision point and stopped for a moment, pondering whether I should continue to ride. (I had asked Hubby to stay close by, just in case.) I turned on my usual path, telling myself to suck it up and finish the ride.

Then I made the next turn, straight into the wind. That's one of the longest stretches of my ride home. Isn't that the way it always goes, a headwind on the longest stretch? I rode that piece for a couple of miles, and then I said to myself, "Screw it." I stopped and called Hubby to come get me. Turns out the temperature was in the 40's, not the 50's. I said I could stand two out of the three: clouds, cold, and wind. All three together just made me angry.

The grand total of my mileage for the afternoon? 4.83 miles.

Do I feel like  a wimp because I didn't finish the ride due to a little discomfort? Yes I do.

Am I glad I wimped out? Yes I am.