Happy Groundhog Day!

Punxsutawney Phil predicts that there will be 6 more weeks of winter, but how can you have "more" of something that hasn't shown up in the first place?

This movie is one of my
all-time favorites.

Has there been any winter yet this winter? Temperatures have been in the 70s here in Florida, and it was 61 degrees in New York City yesterday. It's been in the 50s in Maine and unseasonably warm in Minnesota, too.

If the groundhog is right... and I am not one to base weather predictions on an over-hyped rodent... But IF we're in for 6 more weeks of warm "winter," I don't think many runners will complain.
Then again...
We'd run either way.

Dear Santa

Photo courtesy of the State Library and Archives of Florida

Dear Santa,

You might have noticed that tomorrow is the first day of winter. I bring this up because it is relevant to my request.

I have not asked you for anything in years, but this year there is one thing I need.

Now, I know what you're thinking, and I promise I'm not asking for a Boston Qualifying marathon time or guaranteed entry into the New York City marathon. I realize that I can only do those things on my own. 

What I am asking for is something much simpler, especially given that it's winter already. So here goes..

Please STOP THE HUMIDITY!

Seriously. It is 94 percent humidity with temperatures in the mid-70s in northwest Florida today. This sauna is supposed to continue for the rest of the week.

I can't wear my eyeglasses outdoors because they fog up and I can't see. It has stopped raining, but my 5-mile run this morning left me so sweaty that there might as well have been torrential downpours given how drenched I was post-run.

I've heard that training through heat and humidity will make me a stronger runner, and that when I get a chance to run in cooler weather, I'll see the results.

But here's the thing... I can't see those "results" if it never cools off.

So, dear Santa, please find it in your heart to give me a couple of months of cool running weather. Or at least turn down the humidity. I don't ask for much... maybe just January and February for a start.

If you give me this one gift, I promise to log lots of long runs and to be kind to others in 2012.

Yours truly,

Beth (i run like a girl)

Baby, it's cold outside!

Temperatures may be in the 30s in the mornings here, but the only way Pensacola, FL is going to see "snow" is if someone sprays foam on the old courthouse lawn.

Pensacola's idea of a White Christmas: a lawn covered in foam (right),
and an adult dressed like Frosty the Snowman (left).

Am I the only one who thinks playing in a giant public bubble-bath is a little bit weird? I think if you choose to live here, you have to accept that Florida weather precludes any possibility of having a white Christmas. What you get, instead, are Mardi Gras beads!

Pensacola Christmas Parade.
Yes, folks. On the Gulf Coast every holiday is Mardi Gras!

Don't get me wrong. I do miss snow.
Just not enough to fake it.

Winter is my favorite season for running, and not just because nighttime runs are brightened with holiday lights. I am a cold-weather running lover. My pace is 90 seconds-per-mile faster in December than in August, without even trying. I will wear shorts until the temperature dips below 35. That said, I'll admit, I haven't had to deal with running in snow for years.

I think the last time I ran in snow was on a work trip to Alberta, Canada back in 2008... I loved the crisp air, even if I hated the often-slippery footing.

But if I have to choose between snow and sauna, winter wins every time!

Running in the winter: Love it or hate it?
What about fake snow?
Ever collect beads at a Christmas parade?
(Yea, me neither until I moved here...)

Cold front!

Oh boy! Oh boy! Oh boy!
Last night the weatherman said the magic words: Cold front!

Break out the Gortex and ice skates! A cold front is coming!

But let's be serious.

This is August. In Florida.

By "cold front" the delusional weatherman meant "still bathwater warm, but not scalding tomorrow."

Whatever! I'll take what I can get. Temperatures are in the low 70s. I was, frighteningly, ecstatic when the temperature was only 81 on a recent run. (Yes. I realize that this is a symptom of the Gulf Coast version of Stockholm Syndrome.)

Temperatures in the 70s are like a gift from the heavens (literally).

After weeks of 100+ Heat Index temperatures it felt positively brisk outside today. The morning weather lady said it was 70 degrees at 7am. My run felt fantastic, and I kept up a pace almost 90 seconds/mile faster than what I've been running in the warmer weather. (Hooray! My legs still work!)

In fact, it was so nice to be outside, if I hadn't had to go to work, I would have kept right on going...

Do you change your workouts to take advantage of great weather? Or do you always stick to the schedule?

Photo (of ice-skater) courtesy of Nationaal Archief and photo (of bayou skater) courtesy of your truly.