Day 155: Beating the Weather

Now that we’re in late fall and nearly into winter, I follow the weather forecasts really closely. As of last night’s 10 O-clock news, the rains were to begin in earnest by 6:00 am this morning. So I decided to stay up later than normal, and I had hoped to sleep in if I did. For some reason when it’s cloudy, cold, and inclement, I can sleep longer than normal. Yahoo, since I haven’t been sleeping as well as I’d like lately. Sure enough, I slept pretty well last night; however when I woke up this morning the rains still hadn’t begun. I was really hoping that they would have started early so that they would pass before the afternoon. The rains finally came after 9:00 am, and they were preceded by heavy duty winds that shook the windows in my little cottage. As I worked from my home office, I watched the weather system intensifying, all the while worrying that I’d now be forced to be out there riding in the middle of a squall. Things began to look up for me just after noontime today. I began to get into my riding gear as soon as the rains had seemed to be passing and the radar looked good. I quickly headed out for my trip up Mount Tamalpais with only a few sprinkles hitting my face along the way. I stopped on West Blithedale in order to take in the last of the leaves that are falling to the ground. I used to live back east when I was a kid, and I still miss the changing seasons, but if you look closely enough here in CA you’ll find a bit of the same. At least it was a pleasant reminder that I had today. The higher that I went on the mountain, the more beautiful the weather and the views became. I was stunned by how lucky I was to have missed what could have been a very cold and wet ride. It’s always a pleasure to be on the mountain as the weather systems move east (usually east). Today was no exception. I had a front row seat that I fully enjoyed as I climbed up the mountain. Being high on the mountain is spiritually reenforcing, and it makes me feel as small as I actually am compared to the natural world. An ant, or a grain of sand, but just a very, very small piece of the puzzle. I like that reminder, because it keeps me honest and my eyes wide open. I did virtually the same ride as yesterday. Today’s ride was obviously in the wet, but Mount Tamalpais drains really well, especially on its fire roads, so there's very little mud to fight. So today I got a little wet and muddy, and a bit cold on the descent, but all in all it was a great day on the mountain. I feel like I’m being watched over by someone while on this journey back to health and happiness. Hmmm… Distance: 18.94 miles Calories burned: 1,530 Time: 1:47:15 hours Elevation gain: 2,493 Garmin Connect ride details: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/19231884