I am wiped and whipped.
When I left for the gym on Little Nellie it was 55 degrees. There was a strong wind but that didn’t stop me from turning the four-mile route into an eight-mile meander. The gym was crowded, this being a federal holiday. Even with twice the usual number of people, I didn’t have to wait for a machine. This is not a good thing. I tend to go too fast when I can hop from one torture device to another.
I finished in a little over an hour. It takes a lot less time when I skip the leg machines. Skipping the leg machines also means I don’t wake up at 2 am with nerve pain shooting through my knees and thighs.
Who needs leg machines when you have a faithful steed like Little Nellie.
(By the way, the weight routine is making me feel much more stable when riding. My back can take the bumps without complaint. It isn’t making me faster or better at hills. Just more comfortable.)
I walked outside and discovered the temperature had dropped about ten degrees and the winds had increased noticeably.
As Dave Stoller once said, “Mon Dieu!”
So I rode into the wind like an idiot. I headed for a hardware store in Old Town Alexandria in the hopes of buying a box of chemical hand warmers. (I put them in my shoes on days like today.) They only had individual packs so I said “Mon Dieu” and rode on. After reaching the north end of Old Town, I reversed course and headed home. I stopped at my local hardware store, Village Hardware, which had ten-packs. (Is it any wonder that Village Hardware was voted the number 1 hardware store in Virginia?)
I arrived home with 21 miles on my odometer and cold toes.
After an inventive lunch of tuna salad and baked beans (I know. Sounds gross. Wasn’t half bad though.) I got the genius idea to mow the lawn (and bag all the leaves and clippings). By the time the chore was done, I was done. Tired. and thanks to still lower temperatures I was frozen. Mon Dieu.
And so my exciting Friday night will feature ibuprofen, comfy socks, and a book.
Tomorrow I promised my body I’ll rest. The weatherman is cooperating. Record low temperatures are expected.
Side note: Today is the 100th anniversary of my father’s birth. Is it any wonder that I feel old right now?
A Few Spokes Shy of a Wheel 
I will ask the obvious- have you tried wool socks? I love my merino wool socks and don’t recall the last time my toes were cold while riding, Back when I used fancy pants special shoes for my clipless pedals I also used neoprene toe covers but my Merrell’s work fine these days with flat pedals.
I always wear wool socks in cold weather. And for below freezing I have neoprene boots that go over my shoes. I hate them because the added sole causes my knees to ache while pedaling. I that makes any sense,