2013!!!!!!!

  2013, the year is here.  The last bit of 2012 didn't go as planned as I got caught by the flu and was unable to train for the last couple of weeks. I tried a couple of times to get on my roller trainer in the the garage but after falling off more then once thought I better just rest until I'm healthy ( I have to admit also a little hard on the pride ). I sometimes think that our bodies let us know when it needs a break and if you don't do it, it will do it for you. I was trying to fit to much in and finally my body said enough.
  I have never trained through the winter months as I usually use this time to cross train by skiing. I find it quite difficult to head out in the rain and cold or snow and cold to put in a few Kms but realize it has to be done. Most of the time once I'm actually out and pedalling I get into that place we all love as riders, the rhythm of the ride. We received a couple inches of snow in mid Dec. and it was a good chance to see how the bike and myself would handle the ride. It was my first real full on ride in snow and it was all good as far as handling went, as it is very much like riding in sand ( no coasting allowed ). It was an evening ride on the dyke in the area I live and was really peaceful as there was really no one out. The snow gives off a lot of extra light from the bike light and makes it really quite bright. During one point I looked down at the crank to see the whole thing turning as a mass of slush and snow, at which point I thought if the temperature were to drop this could become a bit of a problem ( lucky for me it was getting warmer ).
  The bike is still running great and I'm really enjoying the mountain bike again ( as it had been years since I rode one,I've been strictly a road rider ) . The only small issue I have had with the bike is the front shock pop lock, that locks the front shock in and out, was sticking. We tried a couple of things to alleviate the problem but nothing seemed to work at which time we went back to an older style. This style in my opinion is a lot more positive feeling and works better. I am still messing around with grips and set up and really struggling with weather to go with tri bars or not. I really don't want to but also realize it could give my hands and wrists a break on some very long days.
   As far as the off bike stuff goes I have my sleeping kit sorted out, so my focus is on nailing down the size of back pack I'm going to use. I am starting to panic about the amount of storage I have as I am typically an over packer ( this is not the event for that ). I am also looking over a few gear lists that I've found on different sites from experienced riders to see what they are carrying. One thing that I am trying to figure out is should I bring a GPS or just rely on the maps and cycle computer. I am leaning toward having the GPS as reassurance as I don't know how my Map reading skills are going to stand up when I get tired. Anyone reading this with any help in the field feel free to comment and enlighten me.
  All in all everything is proceeding as planned but I truely believe this is one of those events where you will never feel like you have it all dialled in. You do your best to think of everything without driving yourself nuts which I think some days I'm almost there.