Spring can do better than this

Joe and I had a good day for our loop of the harbor Tuesday--it was slightly warmer than it had been lately, and the wind was light.

Yesterday was another soggy day in what has been a wet year so far.  Last time I checked, the greater Memphis area was some ten inches above normal in rainfall for the year up to this date.  As I prepared to head to the river yesterday, rain pouring down outside, I looked at the Internet radar and saw a big mass of yellow (medium-heavy rain) parked over the city.  It was sort of rotating but it wasn't going anywhere.  I would be paddling in the rain, it was as simple as that.  Sure, I could have waited until afternoon to paddle, but I generally don't like to do that.  My energy level is usually flagging by late afternoon, and there's no telling what might come up during the day that would make me have to skip paddling altogether.  So down to the river I went.

What's so terrible about paddling in the rain?  Nothing, really; I've certainly done my share of rainy-day paddling, and as I've said before, some of the most beautiful days out in nature are the days of inclement weather.  But I have to admit I'm weary of the chill and the moisture.  I feel like we're overdue for a good run of beautiful sunny warm days with gentle breezes.  We are in fact supposed to have such weather this weekend, so hope springs eternal, I guess.

Anyway, once I was in the boat the rain didn't really bother me.  I warmed up and did three 8-stroke sprints, and then paddled up the Mississippi to the lower end of the Greenbelt Park before doing a strong tempo back downriver to the harbor.  By then the rain was finally moving out, so I wasn't feeling like too much of a drowned rat when I got back to the dock.

I did the strength routine on Monday, Wednesday, and today this week.  With the calendar about to turn over to another month, I think I'll come up with something new to start next week.