Before yesterday we'd had a decent run of mild weather, with Fahrenheit temperatures rising into the 50s and even the 60s. I'd gone several weeks without wearing pogies. But yesterday morning the pogies were back on. When I got down to the river the mercury was straining to touch 40 degrees and there was a bitter north breeze blowing. It felt more like winter again. But there was a literal "bright" side: the sky was mostly sunny. Once I was in the boat paddling I got comfortable, and it turned out to be not a bad day to paddle at all. I warmed up and did three 8-stroke sprints in the harbor; I think the sprints felt a little bit more fluid than they had been. Then I paddled out onto the Mississippi and spent the rest of the 60 minutes focusing on involving my legs and feet in each stroke.
This morning it was overcast and things seemed sort of a gloomy as I headed downtown to paddle. Then again, it was a few degrees warmer than yesterday, and there was practically no wind. The harbor was as smooth as glass. I warmed up and did another three 8-strokers, and again the sprints felt not great but not terrible either. I paddled out onto the Mississippi, which was also mostly smooth with a minimal amount of motorized traffic. Conditions were really pretty ideal. I paddled a good strong pace up and down the river before returning to the harbor and the dock to complete an 80-minute session.
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