First Personal Records Of 2012

This isn’t much to brag about, but today I rode 15 miles in the 1 hour of daylight that remained after work.  It was the first time I have ever ridden outside in January.  My old record for earliest ride of the year was Feb. 5, 2005.  There’s still snow and ice out there and unpaved trails are too soft to ride on without leaving deep ruts, so today I split my time on side streets, park paths and paved sections of the Eisenbahn State Trail.

You know how I love statistics.  Because I had never ridden outside in January before, today’s ride added to my best ideal year.  That’s the mileage I would cover if all of my monthly records fell within the same calendar year.  Looks like this:

0015     January     2012
0055     February    2011
0350     March       2010
0650     April       2010
0750     May         2009
0772     June        2007
1020     July        2011
0756     August      2011
0800     September   2009
0532     October     2010 & 2011
0257     November    2009
0045     December    2011

And that adds up to 6,002 miles, which is pretty good.  Tomorrow—another sunny day above 40 degrees—should provide an opportunity for me to extend that mark.  But my biggest gains this month should come in Georgia: the start date for my special work project has been confirmed for Jan. 16.  With a few long weekend rides during my 3-week assignment, I might be setting a January record that will rival my November and March numbers.

So, I’m in for the US Cyclocross Championships this Sunday (as a fan, anyway), in for Washington County Winter Bike Day, and in for the annual meeting of the Washington County Bicycle Club.  But I’m out for the Team Pedal Moraine party, as I will be driving down to Atlanta that weekend.