Harry and I are passionate advocates of the gym. Year-round, if only for weight training. But, wow, how great it is when Spring finally makes it to these icy hills and you can get the hell out the door. Just did a 16 mile pop on the bike on a blue-bird day. Fifty degrees and windy but, oh, how nice. No machine exercise can touch it. Indeed, this is the reason for the hours on the machines. And a sweet pay off it is.

By the way, you can get used to outdoor exercise in surprisingly crappy weather. Just dress in layers – as many as six in my case, for biking in the 30’s – and you scarcely notice the cold. Well, that’s a lie, but it is do-able. And on a day like today, it’s way beyond do-able: it’s irresistable.