Rain, Rain go away

So three days in... and RAIN for biking. Let me just say it was not enjoyable, exhilarating or fun.

First of all, I was not at all prepared. I am going to list some things that I think I will need for future rain rides to make them more enjoyable

*WATERPROOF EVERYTHING
*Gloves
*A trashbag for my clothes in my back pack
* Fenders on my wheels
* Lifeproof Phone Case
*A full nights sleep instead of 5 decent hours and then 2 hours in and out debating on if I should get up and go or sleep a little bit more.

Lets talk about why I needed all this stuff, here was my best impromptu rain biking gear.
*Under Armor windbreaker
*Regular target T-Shirt
*Adidas shorts
*Long Johns
*Vibrams
*Backpack

Oh so very weather AND might I add fashion savvy clothing.

Thats the front of me (hard to tell given the black but I was fairly wet), this  is what was wrong with the back of me and why I needed fenders. (My butt and lower back also looked like this)

It took me 10 more minutes than usual because I was so cold that my muscles never loosened up. I couldn't make it more than 5 feet up any of the hills (I usually can climb 2 out of the 4 and make it half way up the hard ones) I was in a lower gear all the way (partly because the faster I went the more I got sprayed and partly because I was just so stiff) Every car that drove by sprayed up tons of nasty road water mist. And the water managed to get inside my jacket (go figure) where I put my phone because I thought today it'd be safer than in my backpack. So my phone was definitely not dry (not soaked but like someone took a wet paper towel and wiped the phone evenly)

Get to work, take my shower and pull my clothes out of my bag and guess what... damp clothes. There's nothing like putting on damp socks. Luckily I have a little heater at my desk so I pulled my shoes and socks off when I got here and have them roasting. 

All in all it was a horrible experience and 3 days in I am really beginning to question if this is something worth doing. Granted these are first world minor inconveniences when you think about them but, coming from a cozy car with heated seats and a nice heater that I just have to move a toe to make do what I want... its a culture shock and a difficult thing to acclimate to. Luckily there won't be rain on the way home today.. Hopefully my clothes can dry out by then.

I think if I can get prepared for future rainy days with a few items I now deem as essentials, I think over all it will be a much better experience. If you decide to do this... at the very least get yourself some fenders or something to block the water from the back tire spraying you down the whole ride. (Sorry for the whiny post but I wanted to be real about how my biking was to let others know who might be considering it)