A welcome weather reprieve

Well, it was fun while it lasted.

For a brief while this week, Minnesota started to feel an awful lot like spring. Temperatures rose into the low 50s on Thursday and snow gradually started to disappear from the sidewalks and bike trails that are usually difficult passage for cyclists and runners in the wintertime.

I have to admit, I loved every minute of the unseasonably warm weather. With my sickness finally subsided and a full day off on Thursday, my road bike came out of hibernation and I went on my first ride of the year. It wasn't anything too thrilling, just a 20-something mile jaunt toward Good Thunder and back, mostly on Highway 66 (note: the Red Jacket Trail is still pretty covered in snow after the first couple miles). I also came to realize that my bike is badly in need of repairs, a tuneup and probably a wash after all the mud caked on it from the ride (still a little wet out there).

Still, it felt good to get out and ride. I usually don't start riding for another month or so because the skinny tires on my bike can't handle the snow and ice (I've attempted it before, didn't turn out so well, blog entry here), so it was a welcome change of pace from the exercise bikes at the Y.

I later added onto the enjoyment (though some would see it as extending my misery) of that day with a 4-mile run up Glenwood and back. The sidewalk was mostly clear all the way up and I was pleased to find out I wasn't the only one enjoying the weather. Runners, walkers and cyclists alike could be seen out and about. "It's a beautiful day out, isn't it?" one passer-by said to me. "Couldn't agree more," I said back, hoping the weather could stay like this for the rest of winter.

Alas, Thursday's gorgeousness was not meant to stick around. Temperatures have cooled off considerably since then and it's expected to snow 5-10 inches for the remainder of this weekend (really Minnesota? More snow? Haven't we suffered enough?).

Although spring will be here eventually, last time I checked the calendar, it's still the middle of February in Minnesota. We've still got some winter left to endure.

However, I wouldn't mind another day like Thursday sometime soon. I'm sure you wouldn't either.