A January surprise

For once, we were on the positive end of an oddity of the weather on Tuesday. Our phones were blowing up with notifications of flood watches and flood warnings. The temperature warmed to unusual for January and the heavy rains pelted us all morning and into the afternoon. Athletes came into the racquetball court, soaked and annoyed. The soaked and annoyed conversation went like this.

Soaked athlete: Pete, can we get waterproof jackets next year?
Coach Pete: No.
Soaked athlete: Why not?
Coach Pete: Too expensive.
Soaked athlete: Will we be able to get on the outdoor track at New Paltz?
Coach Pete: No idea. Depends on if all the snow's gone.

Loading up the vans in the rain, the mood was indeed as damp as everyone's socks and sneakers. Driving down Route 9, I glanced to my right, across the river, and I saw clearing. "Look!" I said. "Blue skies over New Paltz. Dark cloud over Poughkeepsie. This is good."

We are greeted with brilliant sunshine and relative warmth in New Paltz. The outdoor track was mostly clear, save for a narrow path on one of the turns that some alert team members had to cleverly burrow through the snow. Snow banks covered the most of the outside lanes but who cares? We're not hosting a meet, we just want to get our work in. We got our work in. Outside. In spring-like attire. Everyone was happy. Who needs those waterproof jackets anyway? For one day, at least, who needed the Big Blue Doughnut indoor track?

We return to campus. About an hour later. The dark clouds roll in. The wind whips. The rain resumes. The forecast for tomorrow is for a return engagement of winter. We got a three-hour window of nice weather. We pounced. For once, we caught a break with the weather in the majestic mid-Hudson Valley.