Sunday, April 4, 2010

Exogenous Brainfreeze

I'm no stranger to brain freeze. Once or twice a year I'll snarf down some really cold ice cream a bit too greedily and then relive that nasty dull ache that seems to fill the center of my skull.

Yesterday was different. Cabin fever drove me out of the house for a quick bike ride during a break in the chilly rain we've been having lately. This hole closed a lot quicker than I expected, and I found myself totally soaked a mile from home.

I've been wet before and I've been cold before, but this was something new:

40 degree rain + 30 mph wind + drafty bike helmet = a whole new type of brain freeze.

It's an odd thing to have that old, familiar frigid ache now covering the entire outer part of one's skull. Exhilarating but painful at the same time. I would ride a few hundred yards until it became too intense, and then pull over under a tree to let it subside. I repeated this cycle several times until I got home to a hot shower and dry clothes.

Oops, gotta go — we're having another sunbreak. It's time for me to roll the biking weather dice again…

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