Posts Tagged ‘weather’

Spring Forward

I know many of you are dealing with storms, snow and other forms of severe weather, but here in northern California we have finally come out of the other side of two weeks of rain. It’s beautiful and sunny, and that means putting the cold weather gear away and pulling out the running shorts.

It will be months before I develop my usual runner’s tan, so for now passersby will have to endure my overall pastiness and contemplate why winter running puts color on my cheeks but not my legs.

Is there a better time of year for runners? You’ve hunkered down all winter, now once again you’re ready to set the running world afire. Visions of PRs, mileage completed and marathons conquered all dance through your head. Injuries, disappointments and bonks are just vague shapes on the horizon.

Getting rid of that winter gear is like coming out of a cocoon or shedding a skin. Now is the time to fly, or slither, depending on your choice of simile and running style.

I can be cynical the rest of the year. Today I’m going to bask in the optimism.

Winter Sweat

Yesterday I spent 30 minutes on the elliptical machine. It’s hard to compare my progress relative to running. At Level 5, the machine said I covered 7.8 miles. That’s bicycle speed, not running speed, but I looked like a wet rag when I was finished.

Nothing compared to today, however. It’s 68 degrees right now in Sacramento, on its way up to 76. In the middle of November. I sloshed my way through 6 miles in under 51 minutes. If I lived closer to the beach I’d be lying on the sand right now with a bad spy novel.