Yes, This Really Was A Hot Idea!

In much of the northern United States, last night was the coldest "in more than a generation," according to more than one report I heard.  

I can believe it:  When I rode to work this morning, the temperature was -1F (-18C).  The last time I can recall such a cold commute was in January of 1985, when we had a seemingly endless string of record-cold days.  One morning, according to a journal from that time, I pedaled from my uptown apartment to downtown job--a distance of about 10 miles, or 16 kilometers--when the temperature stood at -4F (-20C).  

Interestingly, just a month later, New York would record its warmest February temperature--75F (24C) ever.  I was visiting my parents, who were living in New Jersey, and rode along the shore--in my shorts!

I have been known to ride in shorts when few other people would.  Today wasn't one of those times.  I didn't wear, or even carry, a skirt and tights:  Instead, I wore a pair of gray dress pants over ski underwear, which I removed when I got to work.

Almost everyone agrees that cycling to work is "healthy", and some insurers will even lower premiums or give bonuses for doing so.  Would my insurer see my riding to work on a day when no one else did the same as "healthy", at least in a physical sense?  Or would they think I needed more mental health coverage?  

All I know is that I felt invigorated--and just really, really good--when I arrived. 

Into The Cold

In my youth--and well beyond--I cycled in shorts in all but the coldest of weather.  I can even recall riding in January with nothing covering my calves or knees.  It seems--in memory, at least--that those winters were actually colder than the ones I've experienced in recent years.

Over the past few years, I haven't cycled in shorts past November.  That, in spite of the fact that the past few falls and winters have been milder than usual. (Last winter was one only in name.)  In addition, I find myself wearing long sleeves or an additional layer when I wouldn't have needed them in years past.

I'll admit that since Sandy, I haven't done nearly as much cycling as I did before.  (Sandy was part of the reason; the rest has to do with other things I've been doing.)  So, perhaps, my circulation isn't what it was early in the fall.  On the other hand, others have suggested that it may have to do with being north of 50, or my hormonal changes.  Remember, back in the day I was full of testosterone (among other things!); now I have no more than a typical woman has and, of course, I have continued to take the estrogen I was taking before my surgery.  

From Active

Long before I started my transition, I noticed that women felt cold more often than men, and men were more likely to feel heat.  And, after taking estrogen (and a testosterone blocker) for some time, I started to notice that I felt cold more often than I did before starting my treatments.

So, I have to wonder whether my changes, aging or something else is affecting my sensitivity to the cold.  Maybe I'll end up as a subject of someone's research.  Could that be my contribution to posterity? :-[