Balmy

Today was gorgeous here. We hit a high of 68° today--and tomorrow's predicted high is 72°! In November. I headed outside to go running in only shorts and a tank, but returned after half a block for my long-sleeved Capilene, fearing the breeze. I needn't have worried, however: I took it off after the first mile or so, and didn't need it at all for the next eight, during which I could feel the sun warming my skin--I even worked up a bit of a sweat.

Near the end, I stopped to take some pictures, partly because I wanted to document the autumnal beauty of the greenway, and partly because I was tired after an hour and a half of running. In this picture, I look like I'm about to be overrun by a horde of bikers. They have plenty of room, but the trail does get crowded on days like these. I don't much begrudge the late-fall crowds; we're all trying to take advantage of the few remaining days before the air starts hurting our skin and lungs. I do always get a bit testy, however, in the spring, when the weather begins to warm up and the same bike path I've been riding to school all bitter winter becomes glutted with the recreational crowd. Fair-weather bikers! Still, as I've said before, one of the things I love most about this city is its crazy outdoorspeople. There were a lot of runners and bikers around the lakes today--but I'll hardly be alone when the snow starts to fall, either.

For the moment, my windows are open, and I'm not at all chilly. It's wonderful to smell the breeze, and even to hear the traffic. As I told my dad earlier, it feels like September--or August!