Brrr.

I did some full stretching and a gym session Friday morning.  That evening the balmy weather we'd been having gave way to some gusty storm showers followed by a mass of cold air.  The temperature dropped below freezing overnight, and when I got down to the river yesterday morning it was 33 degrees Fahrenheit.  The sun was trying to come out, but the sky remained what I would call mostly cloudy.  A frigid north wind was blowing.

A couple of friends of mine have told me I really ought to get an erg machine for winter training, and on days like this I really can't argue with them.  But I haven't taken that step yet, and so there I was shivering on the dock and murmuring to myself "Just get your session in.  Don't expect it to be fun.  Someday it'll be nicer outside and then you can enjoy it."  I paddled for 60 minutes in the northern half of the harbor, which is somewhat more sheltered from the wind than the southern half.

Last night it got even colder, and it was 23 degrees when I got up this morning.  It was just 33 again by the time I got down to the river.  But there wasn't a cloud in the sky, and there was just a light breeze coming from the west-southwest.  So it was a significantly nicer day to paddle than yesterday.  I was in the boat for 90 minutes, paddling out of the harbor and up the Mississippi to the mouth of the Wolf, and then back. Work continued on my stroke mechanics: I think I'm starting to get a better feel for the hip rotation I'm shooting for, but it's definitely still sometimes, not all the time.  It's easier on still water than out in the swirly currents of the big river, and I also seem to revert to "false" rotation whenever I get tired or distracted.

It was 41 degrees outside by the time I was driving home.  So it was still quite a chilly day.  It is still February, after all.

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