i know it's a bit late in the winter to start cross-training but yesterday i did a new kind of fitness class called body pump. as i have never done any other classes beside a few spin classes years ago this was an awakening. i'm just not the group fitness type. maybe it's the cycling thing, "plowing a lonely furrow" as ligget would say, but even in the realm of road cycling there isn't that canned enthusiasm that comes with indoor group fitness. and usually mtb is a solo effort most times. it was a great workout, it's been years since i lifted so later today i will be a bit stiff but overall the class did what it was supposed to do. that, and the extra 90 minutes i put in on the bike. hopefully this weekend we can get back to the right business of long days and coffee stops. this morning was a totally different story, i have heard various reports but the average is about twenty below zero, fahrenheit. i think that's the coldest weather i have ever ridden a bike. i took off my lobster paw to get out my keys and i got a bit of a burn on my fingers from the brake lever. it reminds me of the story dan or timmy linked a few weeks back about the guys riding in alaska, where if they stopped and slept they might not wake up. i didn't have to worry about that, my 30 minute commute didn't offer life-threatening consequences but it was frosty-foggy for the glasses and my eyes sort of froze shut briefly. the trails were great, little bit of fresh snow on the well traveled paths made for a soft flowing ride. tim brought us back thai food last night from denver, some new dishes that rocked, cellophane noodles in a pad thai and some other stuff that kicked ass. very good eats. i think i want to try korean, vietnamese and ethiopian cuisine. for whatever reason these are at the top of my list, the trick is finding a good place to have them and not get sick from whatever out of the ordinary is in there. thanks for reading