January, Finally

This morning, ten days into the new year, it finally felt like January.

I woke up and could tell immediately what season it was. Gone was the thick, moist air circulating up from the Gulf of Mexico. Gone were the Chinook-like winds holding winter at bay. The sky was clear and cold, and not a wisp of cloud anywhere to trap heat. About time, I thought, as I pulled on my winter gloves and ambled off for my morning run.

I try not to let the weather affect my running much, but I admit it affects my mood. I like the weather to follow predictable patterns, with reliable and understandable ups and downs. I always become nervous when the weather starts acting too friendly, when a month goes by with nothing but sunny days, for example, or when winter itself seems to have gone on vacation. I like there to be a balance in things meteorological. I like to experience foul weather a little at a time, not all at once.

But the mildest December on record serves to remind me that the weather always ignores what I want, even when it serves up what I might have hoped for. All-in-all, I would have preferred a little adversity over the last several weeks. It would have put me solidly in the mood for watching people run fast around tiny little tracks. But who can run fast indoors when it's 60 degrees outdoors? Is it my imagination or has the weather left everyone a little sluggish? Maybe we need cold, crisp air outside to get fast times inside.

I do have the feeling that just as we haven't yet seen real winter, we haven't seen real speed on the boards. There's no question there's a lot of talent waiting to burst forth, but for whatever reason -- maybe it's still to early -- there have been few dazzling performances, especially above 600m.

That all could change -- could change as dramatically as the weather -- with January's State Relays and State Coaches meets coming up. This will also be the month we start seeing collegians running fast, as they seek to get NCAA qualifying times.

We may or may not be experiencing global warming, but I refuse to believe in global slowing.