Welcome Back, Fall

At least, I think so anyway.

I spend the majority of my time south of the Mason Dixon Line so my views on weather are generally skewed. Between living in San Diego and spending a good amount of time in places like Houston and Tampa my body and mind are used to moderate to hot temperatures. When I find myself somewhere with even a bit of “real weather”, like St. Louis, my body always seems surprised that it can actually get cold.

Cold, mind you, is relative. I was cold this morning – it was 45 degrees out. I know that 45 isn’t really cold. But when you’re not really expecting it and your body’s just not used to it, 45 is at least a bit chilly. In any event, this morning reminded me that it is in fact Fall.

I enjoy fall quite a bit. It means it’s football season. It means I can wear my sweaters and sport coats without having to worry about going outside in 90 degree heat when I leave whatever venue I’m visiting. It’s the lead-in to my favorite 5 weeks of the year, which stretches from Thanksgiving to New Year’s; a stretch which includes our annual Prethanksgiving Dinner, my birthday, Christmas, and of course a trip to Vegas for New Year’s.

But it also means darkness during the majority of the day. In the past it wasn’t that big of a deal, but now that I’m running^[1] it makes it hard to find a time during the week when I can run during daylight. It also means I need to pack for cold weather when I travel, which is a challenge for me because A) I don’t always remember to and B) because I really don’t own the proper clothing. And of course fall is the precursor to winter, a time of year I really loathe.

For now I’m going to focus on the positive. I’m going to break out my sport coats and sweaters. I’m going to enjoy the cold crisp air in the morning. And enjoy football. Well, football played by teams other than the Chargers, anyway.

^[1] I don’t think I posted this here – I finished the San Jose Half Marathon in 1:54:55, 5 minutes faster than my goal.