Cycling in the cold isn't much fun...

It's been unusually cold here lately, which is perfect timing for my latest fitness efforts... I've decided to try and make cycling much more part of my usual routine by cycling with Kim to and from school as often as possible, and as much as I can at other times. So far this week I've cycled from Truro to home (about 9 miles) twice and I'm planning about 12 miles tomorrow.

I noticed a bit of a nip in the air yesterday, as I loaded the bike on to the back of the car ready to cycle home from Truro later in the day, so I thought I'd be wise and wrap up well. I wore two pairs of socks, a skiing headband thing, to keep my ears warm under my cycle helmet, and a great, thick scarf - but forgot that my fingerless cycling gloves wouldn't be up to much. Of course my fingers were numb by the time I got home. Today I remembered some much thicker gloves, with fingers, and they were as warm as toast when I got back. However, my toes were on the verge of getting frostbite because I'd only remembered one measly pair of thin socks. I'd forgotten that cycling at this time of year can be like dressing for an expedition to the Arctic...and I'm thinking of packing a hot flask tomorrow too!

I'm a bit worried about tomorrow's planned rides to be honest (3 x 4 miles). It normally takes me half an hour to cycle the four miles or so up the hills back from school, but with Kim I have to build in more walking, and definitely more talking, time so that the journey can take as long as an hour. This may sound like I get an easier ride (excuse the pun) and a great excuse to walk up the hills, but what you may not realise is that I have the pleasure of pushing two bikes up, and Kim's is heavier than mine. I discovered that this is very good for the calf muscles last time I did it, but after all the cycling I've done already this week and the hour long aerobics class I've got tomorrow morning I'm not sure the old calves won't just atrophy instead...Of course I'm also concerned about my twig-like son freezing to death, but we have to get our priorities right - will I still be able to walk by Saturday morning? I have my doubts...

All this sudden enthusiasm for getting lean(ish) and fit spurred me to go to Boots this lunch time and weigh myself. I don't know who was more shocked: me or the scales. I obviously did a lot more comfort eating over my three months sickness than I thought. An awful lot more. Why hadn't I noticed? Well, I always wear clothes that are too big for me so they just seemed a bit less too big. But I reckon it probably wouldn't take too many more bars of chocolate before I can fill them amply. Oh dear. Why do I have to like chocolate so much? Could I be hypnotised to think of it as poison? They do that with smokers don't they? Oddly enough, the fitter I feel, the less chocolate I seem to want; so a few more weeks of this cycling lark and the chocolate should be a thing of the past...until I start feeling low again, which is when I start stuffing chocolate - and the exercise! But I think I've had my fair share of depression lately and I'm going to continue to fight my way out of it by eating healthily and getting fit, and hopefully lean(ish)!