Well, winter finally showed up in Colorado. We had far more weeks of 65+ degree weather than we should in October/November but that all changed yesterday! On Monday I showed up at the office in Fort Collins at 8am…it was 62 degrees and sunny. By 10:15am it was 28 degrees and snowing sideways. Welcome to Colorado where the weather cannot make up it’s mind!


The change in weather in Boulder from the CU campus…all photos were taken within a 4 hour time span by Chris Nie.

By the time I left the office yesterday it was cold but dry. Seriously. There was but a tiny dusting of snow on my car! I was all sorts of bummed about the lack of snow. Until I flipped through my Twitter feed. Denver got a fair bit of snow…during the hours that everyone is attempting to drive home. I’m a terrible person as I giggled at many of the rants posted online. Hello first snow of the season…the one day each year when multiple silly accidents on main highways are mandatory! I guess “small town” living in Fort Collins isn’t that bad after all…

Lucky for the snow lover that lives inside of me snow decided to show up overnight. I spent about 15 minutes post-alarm laying in bed trying to find an excuse to avoid the gym [I’m trying to be good and cross train, this is a prime example of my success]. I didn’t want to. It was cold. The gym would still be there after work. My back was weirdly achy after Sunday’s hike. The bed was warm. The cat looked comfy at my feet. You get the point…

Eventually I got up and looked outside. SNOW! Yay snow! Screw the gym, I was going for a run! My phone proclaimed a temperature of just 14 degrees but I didn’t care. I added a few layers, tucked my hair up in a beanie and headed outside to play! It wasn’t nearly as cold as I expected 14 degrees to feel and by the time I returned home I wasn’t cold at all, I was actually sweaty!

That run was exactly what my day needed…it got me up, it got me moving and it got me smiling. Turns out not all dark, cold mornings are a bad thing! Sometimes a little time spent lost in your own head is exactly what you need! I’m finally taking on a day motivated with a glimmer of hope that I’ll actually be able to take on the checklist I have staring at me! Welcome back Achilles tendon…and bring on winter, I’m ready!


15 Comments

Lynn · November 11, 2021 at 12:53 pm

Now Tahoe just needs to get the memo. I mean, I’m enjoying my late fall bike rides and outdoor climbs as much as I can, but I’m ready for snow!

    Heidi Nicole · November 11, 2021 at 2:23 pm

    It’s weird in that land of limbo…you know the cold is coming and you’re ready for it, sort of. But where is it?! Then it shows up in a few hours and you decide fall weather was quite nice and it can return! 😉

Brenda @ Don't Lose The Trail · November 11, 2021 at 12:10 pm

Ha - love the juxtaposition in that picture! I am feeling ambivalent about my location re: winter. Coming from the east coast, it is nice to have a break from noreasters and shoveling feet of snow, but it is also weird to feel like the seasons aren’t changing (I’m in the SF Bay Area)!

    Heidi Nicole · November 11, 2021 at 2:22 pm

    It’s crazy how fast the cold/snow moved in yesterday! And yea — I’m from WI where you shovel around the SAME stinking snow for months. In CO it all melts down to green grass multiple times a winter, that’s the kind of winter I like! I do miss the Midwestern fall though!

Brooke @ wreckingroutine · November 11, 2021 at 4:30 pm

Those pictures tell Colorado’s weather story so perfectly! When I first moved here, someone told me “If you don’t like the weather, wait ten minutes.” So true!

    Heidi Nicole · November 11, 2021 at 5:53 pm

    I swear people say that about most states but I’m pretty sure CO is the only one that can turn weather around so quickly!

April @ RunTheGreatWideSomewhere · November 11, 2021 at 6:12 pm

That picture at the top is crazy. Of course Florida does the same thing, just with rain instead of snow! I cannot fathom running in 14 degree temperatures though! Thanks for linking up with us today!

    Heidi Nicole · November 12, 2021 at 8:13 am

    I’ve seen the same happen with crazy storms/rain in Florida! It’s crazy how fast the weather changes!

    Sorry I didn’t exactly follow the link up topic, I just found it today and this is what I had! 🙂

Chris · November 12, 2021 at 11:17 pm

Running! Awesome that you’re back at it, and the cooler temps are great for running aren’t they? I just hope the snow piles up quickly so I can get out on the skis/snowshoes 🙂 - Chris

    Heidi Nicole · November 13, 2021 at 3:46 pm

    I do love winter running — you can always pile on more layers if needed! And yea, the amount of snow we got is pretty lackluster!

Robin · November 13, 2021 at 2:22 pm

It’s up here too (Ontario, Canada)…and I’m just not ready. Great pics and glad you are out there running, winter and all.

MCM Mama · November 15, 2021 at 11:24 pm

I’m a huge fan of winter running. We don’t get much snow here, but I’d rather run in the cold than the heat.

Thanks for linking up with us! We hope you’ll join us next week. The topic is “worst race conditions you’ve experienced” and we appreciate links back.

    Heidi Nicole · November 30, 2021 at 10:31 pm

    Cold running is almost always better than hot running…you can only take off so many layers! 🙂

MCM Mama · November 16, 2021 at 5:27 pm

Sounds like a lovely run! I’m a fan of running outside in the winter.

Thanks for linking up with us. Join us next week when we talk about the worst conditions we’ve raced in!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

0