Ride No 3: Feeling bloated and heavy

It's been a shit week for me, physically and emotionally. Worrying about things is bad for form. Today I spent some time at work, trying to make up for my absence from the office on Monday and Wednesday.. Around 2:30 I headed over to Casters to buy some new inner tubes to go with my new Conti 4 Seasons tires.. Met some very nice people in the store. I hit the road at about 3:30 after changing my rear tire and tube. Heading up Seven Mile Hill Road (it's only two miles of gradual 200 feet rise) I felt like my brakes were rubbing (and they were) but even so, something wasn't clicking and I made it to the checkpoint at the top (at route 12) with a very crappy time. My Polar HRM is pissing me off too, with frequent loss of signal.. making the record of my riding speed and distance deficient.. Grrrr. The important thing is that I got my ass out there I guess. Admittedly, I had to force myself.. because I'm a weenie when it comes to riding in the cold.. which for me, is anything under 50 degrees..