freezing

this morning I was freezing.

which makes me think about toys.
I know of people who have cyclometers that tell them the time, their heartrate, the altitude, the grade, their speed, their cadence, their calories burned and watts expended, their exact location on planet earth . . . and the temperature. ( oh and yes, this can all be synced to their laptop, desktop, or blackberry when they're done with their ride, so they can study their stats, and email the info to people like me who don't own such groovy toys.)

there are times I'd like the thermometer. I'm thinking I could probably go buy just a teeny little one like they used in my daughter's 7th grade science class, and tape it to my handlebars, and then I'd always know the temperature. this would come in especially handy for that prior-proper-planning thing: if I learned that a long-sleeve jersey and shorts were enough for a descent at 58 degrees, then when I scoped out the weather the night before I ride I could always be properly prepared.

last night I knew it would be chilly this morning, and I walk (ride) a fine line between wanting to be warm and cozy, and enjoying the crisp, chilly morning air. between being overdressed and sweaty on the way up or carrying a small arsenal of extra gear for the descent or just plain old freezing on the way down.
I leaned toward the underdressed side for this morning's ride, and though my cheeks and ears felt like I was on a ski slope during the first 45 minutes, I only froze for a brief span of time. my fingers were the part of me most affected by the cold, and were so frozen by 3 miles from the bottom that I had to stop lifting my left hand in acknowledgement of passing cyclists: the darn muscles just wouldn't work.
but by the time I reached home my body was close to returning to normal warmth, and that first cup of coffee was like nectar of the gods.

tomorrow morning is supposed to be another cold one, and I plan to climb up a chilly canyon before sunrise. as I pull together my clothes tonight, I will force myself to remember how very cold I was this morning, a good 14 hours and 35 degrees ago.

because crisp and chilly is exhilarating, and freezing is fun if it's extremely short term, but all in all, comfortable is my favorite place to hang out.