Running hot and cold

The transition to cold weather running has been fairly abrupt this season. I was still dreading the heat and humidity a few weeks ago and now each time I venture out I question whether I'm dressed warmly enough for the weather. On balance I'll always prefer the cold although once the temperature drops to the teens I'll yearn for the hottest days. I'm not sure I could have asked for better running conditions than last Sunday's in Falmouth. I'm sure there's a place somewhere where it's always mid-50 temps, dry and partially sunny. Throw in some beautiful running trails, nice people and good schools and I'm there. Of course where I live in LI it's pretty much what I described except that these ideal weather conditions last only about six weeks.

I shouldn't complain about the weather or my location though. One thing I've discovered is that running is more interesting with variables. Perhaps if I lived at the foot of a redwood forest in the northwest with trails leading out from my backyard I'd wish for more diversity: "Gee, if only there was a place with lots of paved streets where I could run by houses and cars for an hour." Who knows, maybe I'd end up missing that.

After my 9 miles on Sunday and 6.6 more since then I decided to try an elliptical session this morning. 25 minutes at mid level resistance felt very good and I saved time by not needing to take the usual 25+ steps I follow prior to my morning run. It was a good workout but I missed the running experience. Back to the street tomorrow, no matter what the weather.