Winter: Neverending and Depressing

As winter drags into March, I find myself more and more depressed at the prospect of indoor riding.

I've never like the trainer. It's monotonous and never feels "real" to me. As a workout, it also doesn't seem to do much: Come spring and summer, I hop on the bike to ride to work -- a trip that's just as long as (or shorter than!) my basement "trek" -- and will lose 5 pounds in two weeks, gain clear muscle mass, and feel far better about those rides. That in spite of taking a basement "trek" 5 of 7 days, including some extremely high-energy workout sessions. 

February started out well, as New Balance released an old shoe that I absolutely loved for running and had been trying to find a suitable replacement for. I bought two pairs, figuring the low-snow winter would peter out by March and let me start taking to the roads and trails. A month later, we have 15F morning forecasts, which in former lives would have done nothing to limit my desire to run but these days cause me to stay indoors. If