We're pretty used to varying conditions here in Southern Ontario, but I swear the last 10 days have been enough to make my head spin and the ride isn't over yet.
It all started last week with an influx of unseasonally cold air and snow. We managed to get home from the
Kona Chocolate Run just as the flakes began to fall, and by Wednesday (my first run after the race) it was up to my ankles!
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| Start of my off-season! |
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| Even colder on Thursday |
Much as it sort of sucked that winter was descending so quickly, we decided to make the most of it by heading out for a cross-country ski around the schoolyard and park just up the street on Friday night. It was -10c/14f and the snow was at least 15cm/6" deep.
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| Fun date night! |
Saturday the temperature hovered around the freezing mark and we got miserable drizzle, so no cycling down to the market (I am fighting off the first stages of a cold and don't want to exacerbate it), and not a terribly pleasant day to be outdoors. I did get a run in, but did so through downtown as I figured the sidewalks would be in better shape than the icy, wet death that surrounded our place.
Sunday the mercury rose higher yet, and for the last day of my off-season week we went for a hike at beautiful
Huron Natural Area. We arrived about an hour before sunset to an incredible sight: the warm air had melted the snow and evaporated the moisture, but as the sun dropped it was cooling enough to condense it into a thick mist that hung in all of the forest hollows and roiled over the mushy ice surface of the ponds.
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| Board of Education pond with thick fog |
It was a one-in-a-million sort of experience - I commented to Tanker that you could visit the park every day for a year and never encounter the right circumstances to bring about such a mist.
As we headed home after dark the mild air remained, so I couldn't resist getting out for a run. 48hrs after our cross-country ski date, I was running in shorts and a tshirt through the very same neighbourhood!
Monday brought sharply colder temperatures that wouldn't have been enough to keep me indoors on their own, but the accompanying 70kph/43.5mph winds that gusted up to 100kph/62mph caused some nasty damage around our area that made it unsafe to be outside. Much to my chagrin, there was no run that night - and the first real sign of winter training made its appearance.
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| Back to the trainer dungeon. |
Things improved with a chilly but calmer day Tuesday, and then Wednesday it was sufficiently nice out that the bike came to work with me! It stayed around the freezing mark all day, but mild winds and just a few flakes of snow meant I could get in some nice riding.
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| Lunch ride! |
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| Arriving at my Mum's - snowflakes look neat in my headlight! |
Just when it seemed like November might be starting to behave itself, it started to snow out of the blue on Thursday evening. Our trip home from work was plagued by near-whiteout conditions, and the winds whipped up some nasty gusts that drove the snow and freezing rain mix seemingly right into my skin as I ran. It made the roads really slick, too - while out running I watched a car skid out of control just from tapping its brakes doing no more than 25kph/15.5mph.
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| There was spindrift. I was not impressed. |
I took things very carefully on the way to the pool as even the 401 was quite icy, and was more than happy to follow a salt truck most of the way home.
Today it continues to snow in fits and starts with the air temperature a few degrees below freezing, but it's supposed to be back up to 10c/50f by Sunday.
This fall more than ever the old adage rings true: if you don't like the weather, just wait 5mins!
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