Three more March rides

Last year, as cool weather forced me to wear extra layers of clothing more often than normal, I reasoned that if I were willing to wear these extra layers in 2009 to extend my season well into November, I should also be willing to wear these same layers to start my 2010 season earlier than normal. That was my plan for the onset of my 2010 season, and I set my target temperature at the low to mid-40s. January and February passed without such an opportunity. Finally, temperatures were forecast to approach 50 degrees on Sunday, March 14th, and that day became my first ride of the season, which I described in my previous post.

My second ride came four days later, on Thursday, March 18th, when I took a half-day off from work to enjoy temperatures in the 60s. Starting my ride at about 2:30, I followed a route that kept me on paved roads, since I didn't yet trust the condition of nearby crushed gravel trails. My route carried me through parts of Bartlett, Hanover Park, Schaumburg, Roselle, and Keeneyville, stopping once at the Starbucks on Irving Park Road in Schaumburg. I wore my new base layers under long tights and my original Livestrong jersey. In retrospect, I could have worn shorts over my base layer, as I felt a little warm at times. I rode 21.3 miles.

My third and fourth rides occurred on the weekend of March 27-28. I had expected to ride on Saturday, the day that weather forecasters were calling the better of the two weekend days. I started my ride at about 1:35 and (once again) rode primarily on paved streets. Temperatures were in the low 50s with moderate easterly winds. As I've observed before, it's rare to have a warm day in March without strong winds; today was no exception. I followed Schaumburg roads north and westward from the Metra station to the Starbucks on Barrington Road, then through Streamwood and Hanover Park to Bartlett. When I reached the point on Bartlett Road where a paved path (which I call the Wilcox Trail) extends to the east, I paused to re-think my route. Prodded by a desire to better the mileage of my previous ride, I decided to extend my ride and follow Bartlett Road southward to pick up the southern portion of the Hawk Hollow trail, which starts at Schick Road and courses its way over rolling terrain past Army Trail Road and ends at Lies Road. I knew that this route would take we well south of my home latitude and add several miles to my total. In the end, my ride was 25.5 miles, but my muscles felt it was more due to the stiff winds I fought whenever my heading turned eastward.

I never expected to ride on Sunday, since the forecast called for cold, rainy, and windy conditions. In reality, it was sunny, cold, and windy. The temperature was probably 3-5 degrees colder than the day before, and moderately strong winds blew from the north rather than the east. My second ride in as many days was short by comparison, but I was simply excited to receive this "bonus day." I waited as long as possible in the afternoon to begin my ride, hoping to seize whatever "heat of the day" might build. I started my ride just before 4 o'clock and rode a little more than 12 miles.

In the end, I rode four times and 69.4 miles in March, making it the best March I've ever had. Of course, that's not really saying that much, but these extra miles did bring me a little closer to staying on par with the likes of my 2008 and 2009 seasons. I'm still behind them both in total mileage, but warmer weather is expected on Easter weekend, which may allow me to catch up.