Ol’ Jack Frost vs. The Carve

Elise Bennett warms up to Trikke riding through the Texas winter.

Crazy for crazy socks is Elise Bennett.

I rode my Trikke yesterday for the first time in about three weeks, and it felt unbelievably glorious! Man, how my body and soul have missed the carve…

Like so many other wounded Trikke warriors, when cold weather sets in, my body goes on automatic lockdown: joints become obstinate, movement becomes more labored, and each step feels like I’m walking through two feet of river mud. Unfortunately, this also means that pain levels shoot up virtually overnight, and getting up and about becomes more fantasy than feat. However, being still relatively young, thankfully, I gradually adapt to this “new normal”. But it takes a several days of being very still followed by a couple of weeks of gradually adding short periods of activity until I feel mostly human again.

Luckily for me, Texas winters set in late and are mild by most standards. As an added bonus, they last only a couple of months. But in spite of it all, I am a big fan of the cold weather, so everything works out in the end.

My favorite thing about winter (aside from snow – oh, how I adore snow!) is getting to go riding. Most folks are tucked safely in their warm houses, so traffic on the park paths is almost nil, and I get to commandeer the whole path for carving practice. Not to mention that racing around on three wheels in a stiff north wind is so incredibly, thoroughly invigorating! When I’m done riding, my cheeks are so cold that I barely speak, and my nose is running like a sieve, but I’m all smiles and high as a kite on exercise-induced, feel-good brain chemicals. It just doesn’t get any better!

I even love getting bundled up to ride. Granted, the Michelin Man is not normally my fashion inspiration, but he and I get pretty tight when the temperatures hit the 40s. After two or three layers of clothes and a pair of my favorite crazy socks thrown in for good measure (included in the photo for your amusement), I’m toasty warm except for the gaps under sleeves, collar, and pants legs where the wind sneaks in. But even those little ribbons of wind-chilliness feel exquisitely refreshing once I’ve been carving for a few minutes.

Even though the cold weather slows me down a bit at first, it makes trikking so much more enjoyable that I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I’ll probably be back in shorts by February, but until then, you’ll find me flying down the park paths at every available opportunity, challenging ol’ Jack Frost to do his worst. Little does he know, ain’t nobody comin’ between this Texas girl and her carve!