Yesterday after work I went to a general interest meeting for the local randonneur group. The presentation was long and involved and very techy, but it was nice to see that this is a real thing and a lot of people get into it. I was also really excited to see that the local group has started a 1200k to coincide with the Paris-Brest-Paris ride, just in case a rider can't make it to Europe in a given year. Good to know. However, a lot of the information was either too elementary (I had already learned it via Google and their website) or way too advanced (what the hell is a 680c tire?). Anyway, I'm still pumped up and can't wait for the trails to clear up. In the meantime I think I'll get a tune up for my bike so it's ready to go.
Speaking of bikes, I've been thinking more and more about how I need a new one. I window shopped at REI after the meeting and found that they have quite a few nice models for just under $1,000. That's still too pricey for me right now. Also, those models fall just short of meeting my needs/wants. For $1,000 I think I should get everything I want, right? So now I'm thinking that, when I'm ready, I'll go to a local shop and see if they can put one together for me, fit it to me, and add on the tires and accessories I'll need to be comfortable on a long ride. I might wind up buying a used frame, which is totally fine with me. Based on what I've heard, this won't cost much more than buying a stock model brand new. I'm also hoping this process will allow me to learn more about the equipment and mechanics so I won't be totally helpless in the event of a breakdown.
As for fitness, well it's more about a lack thereof. I was very lazy in the weeks leading up to the Hawai'i trip because I was so burned out on life. In Hawai'i I was very active and it was a blast. When I came back I thought for sure the ice and snow would be mostly gone and I could start enjoying the bike trails again. I was wrong. The shaded areas of the bike trails (that would be the vast majority of the trails) still have 3 inches or so of snow covered with a layer of slippery ice. Not fun. I'm not even remotely equipped for this kind of riding. So I've just been sitting on my ass a lot lately and wishing it was May already. This is also making me a little depressed because 1) I'm realizing how short our spring/summer riding season is and 2) when I don't get exercise I don't sleep well and I get the blues.
In other news, Leigh and I hit rock bottom with our Nutella addictions. Before we lived in France we had never had it and I swore I didn't like it. Then I tasted my roommate's Nutella and it was all downhill from there. First I ate it on toast, then eventually just started eating it by the spoonful. We hit rock bottom last week when we went to Costco and bought a large double pack of the jars (not giant, like most Costco items, but still a lot of Nutella) and finished them both off within a week! I can't even imagine how many calories that was. It was gluttonous and fun, but we ultimately had to admit that we have a problem and cannot buy Nutella for a long, long time.
So here I am, caught between seasons: no skiing, no cycling (at least not this year, I'm not that hardcore yet!), no gym membership, softball hasn't started yet, and there's too much snow for casual hiking (a hiker was killed by an avalanche just outside of town earlier this week). The best I can do is focus on "eating clean" and hope for warm weather to clear up the snow. Maybe some online bicycle shopping will help....hmmm....
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