Complete

Fun on the snow in the woods of Carlisle

Well, 2012 is now just a memory in the rear view and all counters start back at zero. Hard to believe that it's gone. It was a great year in many aspects, though it had some ups and downs in others. The personal cycling successes were incredible and more than I could have ever imagined. Cathy and I had many wonderful adventures as well, nothing new really and we certainly expect many more in the future. On the work front, things started with change, which gave me some time to do some projects and enjoy each and every day. I somewhat reluctantly jumped back into a job that it turns out really isn't a perfect fit, which has been a challenge and a cause of much stress. I'm not sure where to go or what to do but I think something that I am passionate about might be a wise choice.

Anyhow, the big news was that I was able to complete the streak and pedal a bicycle each and every day of the 2012 calendar year, currently 369 days in a row. Truth be told, it isn't that big a deal. Many people use the bicycle to commute and for their sole form of transit. I was just doing it for health and recreation. Still, there have been days where riding was difficult. I think that when the weather was good and cycling was the obvious recreational choice, it was no big deal. However, what I found just last week while on vacation was that when you had multiple things that you wanted to do, the ski or snowshoe or sled, carving the time out to get the ride in, especially when conditions are horrible, was a challenge. Ironic that it was only the last few days of the year that this was a problem.

Yesterday's road conditions in Carlisle were awesome!

Onward and upward to 2013. Who knows what it will bring. Hopefully it will be another good one. I'm certain that it will be in fact, as they all really. Each one is better than the previous, if you simply recognize and believe. I'm not sure when I will take my first day off from riding. I can say for certain that I am junk right now. Not sure what happened but last week I went from feeling great on the bike one day to just dead tired the next. This has continued and today's ride was pure agony. It wasn't super hard or anything, my legs were just wrecked. I'm hoping its the snowshoeing, skate and then classic XC skiing as well as a few taxing rides in the snow and a whole bunch of driving that are the cause and a couple days of nice easy spins will clear it. Will see on way or another. I'm also thinking that part of the issue is the change from lots of short intensity to slightly longer endurance based has thrown me for a loop. I also haven't had an easy spin to unload in a bit. The snowy road conditions require really driving the bike, plus its just fun to go fast on the snow. That makes for a more taxing ride than planned. Excuses, excuses. Honestly, drinking too much last night didn't help at all either.

Nice XC with Cathy at Foss Farm

Right now there is enough snow to make MTB nearly impossible. The road riding is sloppy at present but should dry pretty quickly. Unfortunately we really don't have ample snow for good woods skiing. Cathy and I did get out yesterday at Foss Farm in  Carlisle for a fun little ski. Another few inches and the conditions would be just fine. Hopefully we get it soon as I look forward to the winter activity. On the up side, the new snowblower, a 30" Ariens Professional, that we purchased last year but never really used works awesome. After wrestling with the old one in Maine last week, going to the new one, which is also bigger and more powerful, was a pleasure. It took no time at all to deal with our small driveway and the sidewalks.

Here's to the new year with all of its promise and potential. I'm sure looking forward to making the most of it, whatever that turns out to be. Maybe I'll give something new a try, who knows.

Happy New Year!