First week of February

The last couple of weekends here in the Mid South have been sunny and warm, while the business weeks have been cold and mostly overcast.  But now that pattern has been turned on its ear.  Much of this week has been very warm (topping 70 degrees Fahrenheit at times), albeit mostly cloudy with a fair amount of rain.  Then, yesterday, after peaking around 70 degrees in the morning, the temperature plummeted into the 40s by early evening.

Joe and I did an easy lap of the harbor on a foggy Tuesday morning.  It felt good to relax after paddling long and hard on Sunday.

Yesterday I tried to get up and moving early so I could paddle before the cold air started moving in.  It turned out that wasn't really necessary, as the temperature didn't start falling until after lunch.  But I reckon it's never too early to get your paddle in.

Windy is the word for the conditions I found down on the riverfront.  I labored against strong gusts from the south on my way from the dock to the mouth of the harbor.  I did my three 8-stroke sprints in the sheltered area between the Mud Island Marina and Mud Island Park.  When I reached the harbor's mouth and looked out over the Mississippi, I saw some pretty epic downwind conditions there; but I was dressed more for the air temperature than the wintertime water temperature, and I lacked the "buddy" that entrants in the Gorge Downwind Championships are required to have during the practice days out there.  So I let discretion be the better part of valor and stayed in the harbor.  I consoled myself with the fact that there were some almost surfable waves there, particularly in the constricted part of the harbor next to the Mud Island Marina.

Some heavy rain fell yesterday afternoon ahead of the cold air.  Last night the low was in the mid 20s.  This coming weekend will feel much more like February.

I did the strength routine on Wednesday and today this week.  I gave myself a break on Monday, when I was still feeling some exhaustion from Sunday's paddle.


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