Signs of Summer

I heard the synthetic hum of my first cicada of the year today.  Back at home in Toronto, running in shorts is still an uncertain proposition, but here in Santa Barbara summer has arrived.  Morning fog is becoming less common, and the sun is glaring by 11 am.  This Saturday, I’ll have to take fluids with me on my 6-mile run.

Just as the first run of the year in shorts marks the coming of spring, the first 6-miler requiring a water bottle marks summer for me.  Longer distances require a water bottle all year round, and I can manage shorter ones without fluids as long as I drink up before and after.  Six miles, which  take me just over an hour, are right on the cusp though, and they swing with the seasons.

Summer in Santa Barbara is hard to distinguish otherwise.  The air becomes a bit drier, the sky more deeply blue, the grasses ever so slightly bleached, and the trails maybe just dustier.  The days become warmer too of course, but it’s a subtle 10 degrees or so, not enough to change your wardrobe very much at all.  If not for my water bottle on 6-milers, I might miss it.