Odds and ends

This weekend, I did my first ride since the December 6 cross race. I just did South end, though everyone else did an epic-sounding May Valley. My heart rate hit 195 when I was going slightly uphill, 5 blocks from home, a sure indicator that I was not quite fully recovered from being sick.
This was not only my first ride of the year but also my first ride with my new team: Group Health. I know I'm going from opposite ends of the spectrum: 0-2 teammates last year to 7-billion this year, but I think it will work out well. I also think it will be helpful for cross season next year, as I'll have more people to train with (people actually better than me) and to keep me from killing myself and burning out again. It's sad to leave my old team, as I really liked riding and racing with everyone on it, but I think, especially after my crap-tacular cross season, this will be a good change.
Oh, while we're on big changes, a turning point in my marriage has happened: I finally knit something for Chris. This is the first thing in our 7+ year relationship. It is a blue (a "masculine" blue), Peruvian wool (that he picked out) 2x2 ribbed hat. I saw the pattern for it and figured it would be perfect. Based on the response, I think it's a winner. I will post a picture later of it and its cousin that I made because there was left over yarn and it's a super easy knit. Now I only have three projects going, including one that's really one 8 rows from the end but with which I have lost all patience.

Chris's on the left, other hat on the right