Thursday, May 31, 2007

Wet, Wet, Wet

There are a number of times in my life that I can say I have been wet to the bone. Last night was another "happy" occurrence of this.

OK, partly my fault - I didn't check the weather forecast before leaving in the morning ... on my bike. But I did have the sense to bring my rain jacket and wear this fantastic "wicking" clothing (wicks the sweat off you to keep you dry - come on! how cool is that?!). Shortly after arriving at work it started to rain and basically rained on and off all day. By the time I left work to bike over to Ile Ste-Helene for Dragon Boat practice it wasn't raining anymore but the ground was still wet. However, it started raining again during practice and got heavier by the minute. By the time we finished it was basically a downpour. Seeing as I was already kinda damp anyway, I figured I would ride home and "how bad could it be". Famous last words.

Biking in a downpour of rain, through sandy and muddy bike paths, over potholes now filled to overflowing with puddles of water, not being able to wear my sunglasses to keep the water out of my eyes ... Did you know that even when you're on a bike you can get that squishy wet foot feeling in your shoes? It's true! Take my word for it.

Naturally, by the time I did get home (easy 20 min. ride from the Olympic Basin), I was dripping from places I didn't know I could drip from. My bike was so wet that the little sensor that tracks my speed couldn't do it's job anymore. My shoes, socks, pants, back-pack (and nearly everything in it) and jacket were all soaked. Surprisingly though, my jacket while wet on the outside had kept the rest of me miraculously dry (except in the armpit vents that I had open and the rain sneaked in there). Anyway, all that stuff went directly into the washer and I jumped in the shower to wash the mud off me and my hair (my pony tail was gritty with dirt).

It was still raining this morning and seeing as I didn't have any dry exercise gear to wear, I broke down and took the bus to work. But I am determined now to find myself some pants that can keep me as dry as my jacket. And shoes - would that even exist?

2 comments:

nickt said...

I find that my feet get wetter on the bike in the rain then any other time. I think it's because the water comes off the front tire and sprays your feet directly. It's especially bad when cornering.

Yvette said...

I wonder if Dolce and Gabana make puddle pants?