Taking a Sharp Turn Towards Winter

For those of us whose metabolisms don't handle carbs particularly well, the day after Thanksgiving is a work day. As in "work it back down" or "work it off." I am in that category, so even though the radar looked like this:

and the temperature was 32 degrees, and there was a WNW wind blowing at 21, gusting to 41.... I headed outside for some exercise.  It was pretty clearly not a biking day, but I have a back up plan that I've been training for for a couple of months now.  The gear:  AmFib Pearl Izumi tights.  Windstopper, fleece lined.  Perfect.  Two wicking layers, one of them UnderArmor Heat -- similar to Smartwool, I think.  Perfect.  A windbreaker jacket.  Wool hat, neck gaitor, fat gloves.  It all worked, I was always warm enough, never too warm.  My current favorite route goes south along Lakeshore, then through the neighborhoods to the marina area along Ottawa Beach Road.

The clanging of the lines on the sailboats drew me to the waters edge for this photo of the tall masts against the heavy, dark grey sky.  It wasn't snowing much at this point -- a few flurries.  What the locals call graupel.  I didn't bring a watch with me on purpose.  (I enjoy wogging a lot more when I'm not constantly calculating my speed.)  I just wanted to log some miles and spend some time outdoors.

I did re-learn a valuable lesson today.  Head out into the wind.  The wind gusts blowing ice crystals in my face on the last unsheltered stretch back towards the lake were most unwelcome.  Still, I did what I set out to do, and had a pretty enjoyable time in the process.  Taking my camera was a plus.  So was leaving my watch at home.  I'm still very much a novice at this, but if it prevents the dreaded mall walking, I'll call it a success.