We’re officially in a drought here. See all that red, that’s bad:
2013 was one of the driest years on record, having something to do with the lack of rain + the low levels in the reservoirs, and I believe the official wording is that “2014 is not expected to show any changes.” So, we’re all being told to cut back on our water use — but don’t forget to wash your hands, because it’s a flu pandemic too! And, there’s all kinds of crazy plans to make sure we don’t die, etc.
But, in the meantime, it’s been super nice for training.
Typically, we’d all be toughing it out riding in the cold rain and causing permanent damage to our extremities and the usual. Biking in the rain is the most terrible and it typically makes me want to punch anyone who says, “Oh, I just love the rain and curling up in front of the fire.” The only people who say we have no seasons here are the people who never go outside. (Naturally, I did managed to get soaking wet riding for two hours in the one spot it rained one day.)
Of course, this year, we really have no seasons, or rather we have a totally different weird season. Besides the two week cold spell in December, it’s been so warm that when I run in the mid-afternoon it’s too hot for a long-sleeve shirt. In January. While the rest of the country deals with polar vortexes. The people I want to punch the second most are the ones who keep saying, “Ho, ho, guess we could use some global warming now, huh?”
This weather also means that everyone is going to be in really good shape when racing starts here. I’m pretty sure you can make a graph of fitness in the region in the spring as it relates to weather over the winter.
Kelly O'Mara 
It’s been really dry here too (makes sense; the same coast, just farther north)… and of course the one day there’s a torrential downpour is the day I’d made plans for a group ride.
And I like how we’re so used to the changes in our climate now (despite the global warming deniers) that we say “polar vortex” when 10 years ago we would have said “winter”.
well, i think polar vortex is like extreme winter, right?
Ok, true dat.
Ha, yes — everyone will be in amazing shape for all the triathlons with no water to swim in …. oof.
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