Winter has descended upon us...

Joy here...For people who have never experienced autumn's transition from balmy summer to freezing winter, I think that there can be a tendency to believe that autumn trundles forward with ever decreasing temperatures until summer is a distant memory and we are all acclimatized to the coming of winter.  I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but that's just not the case.

The snowy arboretum.

Autumn is a schizophrenic season, one that sometimes thinks its summer, sometimes thinks its winter, and sometimes acknowledges that it should be a temperate buffer season.  And so those of us who suffer through this season must also suffer through its wild mood swings.  Sometimes the day will be -10 C with a wind charging straight at you from the Arctic Circle, and sometimes the day will be +10 C with a clear blue sky and a warm sun overhead.  Autumn is like this - swinging from day to day between different extremes.  And so, for those of us living through it, we never really get used to the transition; we tend to think that we're still holding on to the tail ends of summer, or at least the tail ends of some kind of autumn season, when, in fact, we are plunked right into the middle of winter without barely any warning.

The semi-frozen lake nearby...

And so, with this last week of November as our "off season" before we begin full-on training for our next races (a 30km one in March, another half marathon in May, and a full marathon in the fall!), we have suffered the vagaries of this changeable season.

...a close-up of the ice chunks.

We've been trying to run in an unscheduled way that just gets our butts out the door, but let me tell you, as the wind howls, it's harder to be motivated than you might think.  While Nomi is still running in the hot, humid temperatures in Malaysia, worried about how to keep hydrated as she sweats, I'm now realizing that my concerns have to do with what kinds of winter-weight tights I can wear and what sorts of mittens will prevent the tips of my fingers from freezing as I run.  It's a whole new world out there...believe you me.

Nonetheless, Nomi and I have committed to running a half marathon together this year.  The Man and I will be heading to Malaysia in May, and he, Nomi, and I (and maybe Lulu too) will run a half marathon at the end of May.  I'm really excited about this prospect, as Nomi and I motivated each other to run our first 10km together, and now we'll get a chance to run 21kms together.  Neither of us ever thought any of that would be possible.

Our canal path...look at the snow!

So as we try to take it "easy" this week, we know that we've got some lofty running goals set up for us on the other side of winter.  We're all planning for spring, summer, and fall 2011 to open up all new terrain for us in terms of our running.  It's exciting, but it's also nerve-wracking, especially when I'm looking down the barrel of a long, cold Canadian winter.

But enough of my complaining, here are my run stats for this week:
Sunday - see previous post
Monday - rest day
Tuesday - Ran for 1:06:39 for a distance of 11.6km with an average pace of 5:45min/km
Wednesday - Ran for 1:01:23 for a distance of 11.15km with an average pace of 5:30min/km
Thursday - rest day (or rather, go-out-to-the-wine-bar-day)
Friday - rest day
Saturday - Ran for 1:21:21 for a distance of 13.87km with an average pace of 5:52min/km.

The view down the frozen canal to the Canadian
Parliament buildings.

Our "off-season" ends this week, and we'll have to figure out what our plan is so that we'll be ready to take on the world once the snow melts.  But somehow between now and then, I have a feeling that there's a whole lotta cold still to be suffered through!

While Lulu's half marathon is still coming up, and both she and Nomi will continue to run in the heat and humidity, longing for a cool breeze, my butt will freeze as autumn really does turn into winter in earnest.  I will accept the fact that it's no longer teasing me with cold days and cold winds, still allowing me to hold onto the hope that winter isn't really, truly here, but that winter has arrived, plunked itself down on the doorstep and is settling in for a good, long time.  All I can do now is work to make my peace with it.

And I better learn to do that sooner rather than later, because I don't want to find myself where I was last year at this time - out of shape and bursting out of my pants after post-Christmas eating!

Joy in action!

The Man in action!

Over and out,

Joy