I didn't run today.

I didn't run today. I'm a wuss. I was signed up for a 5k with the Evaro Mountain Challenge ('pets must have their owners on leash'), a fund-raiser for the Evaro Community Center. The low last night was 36 (degrees F), and the forecast temperature at noon was 42 with a high of 50 this afternoon. Late this morning here at home in Florence, we had a rain and snow shower, although the temperature was in the upper 40's.
I have been fixated on temperatures and running for quite some time now. I began running after the first of the year, with the initial goal being to run the famous Missoula Half-marathon in July , rated the best overall marathon by Runner's World Magazine in December 2009. It turns out that I had to modify my goals once I got started. I had never run before, and I have some health issues that I have to work around. So I committed to running 5k races in 2010.
And so I did. I ran the Run for The Luck of It in Missoula March 13. I ran the Run for the Trees 5k sponsored by the Missoula Parks and Rec Department http://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/index.aspx?NID=157 on April 3.
But I did not run today. After 2 runs in rain and snow and wind and temperatures in the 30's and 40's I said NO MORE.
I was so happy to find a run in late May. I have finally been running outdoors lately instead of on the treadmill at the gym . It has been warm, the leaves are coming out in force, flowers are blooming...it feels like spring!
But it's Montana. The date of the last killing frost averages May 25. last year we had a killing frost about June 7. And this is in the 'Banana Belt' of the state...the Bitterroot Valley.
We need the moisture. Snowpack for some mountain ranges (and associated watersheds) is at about 50% of normal. Drought status for the county I live in (Ravalli County) is severe, and for Missoula County (where all my races have been to date (including the one I skipped today) is moderate.
But I can still whine about the local weather, can't I?
I can, and I do. But I am here to tell you that Global Climate Change is occurring. In spite of unusual snowfall in the Northeastern U.S. this past winter, snow cover in North America was the least ever recorded this past winter. In spite of our non-existent spring this year in Montana, last month (April) was the warmest global average temperature on record, and January-April temperatures were the warmest, on average, ever. Snow cover in North America was the least ever recorded this past winter. The year 2010 is predicted to be the warmest year ever.
We are presently consumed, as a nation, by the tragic oil 'spill' (which is too mild a term for what is occurring) in the Gulf of Mexico. The damage to the Gulf, to the Gulf Coast, and to all the wildlife and people who live and work there is massive, unprecedented. And the only known way it will stop is when BP and it's contractors drill a back-up well, slated to be completed in August.
My heart is heavy. The losses are tragic. What can I do?
What I can do, and what you can do too, is call for strong climate change legislation from my Senators. No more off-shore drilling until the kind of safety measures required for such risky undertakings are developed.
Let's bust this myth that we must develop domestic off-shore oil resources for our national security . A 1% added domestic source for our oil needs is not going to help. It's trivial. Let's get out of Big Oil's pockets!
Let's bust this myth that there is such a thing as 'clean coal' within our reach. Geologic Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) is so expensive, we couldn't afford the electricity generated using it, even if the technology were available on the scale we need (which it isn't) . And there is mounting evidence that all the geologic sources for storage cannot begin to provide what would be needed for the use of CCS as a solution to burning coal for energy 'cleanly' . Let's get out of Big Coal's pockets!
We need climate change legislation that requires reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and that pushes us to clean, renewable sources of energy. That requires conservation strategies that actually could do some good (in contrast to domestic off-shore drilling, for example, by reducing our energy needs by 7%)!
Let's join in a battle for our energy future against Big Oil and Big Coal...let's fight for our people, and for our land, and for all the creatures who depend on it for their survival.