Good morning from New York City.

Last week, when I wanted to run, I was forced to put on a tank, long sleeve shirt, sweatshirt and windbreaker. Today, this is all I wore (the windbreaker was included because it was, yes, windy despite the mild weather).

WTF.

I know you can’t tell it from these photos, but this morning in Manhattan felt like spring, with warm air and wet streets as though the city had just gone through some major thaw.

From the start, Central Park was beautiful. Sunny, inviting and filled with runners all around. Treadmills everywhere, from the east to west side, were abandoned this morning. Because who wouldn’t want to run in this?

And this.

And this.

The mall was majestic as ever, bare trees weighing in from every side.

The paths, quiet and perfect.

Thursday’s wasn’t my strongest 5-mile run ever. I was pretty tired, to be honest, and my shin felt achy and weak. (This is not me below, by the way.)

The perfect weather made up for it though, making every breath and stride unquestionably worth it.

Of course, because this is New York City, the oddballs were out as prominently as the sun. Exhibit A: The couple who scooters to work…stays…together?

Anyway, if you’re in New York City, or it’s above 50 degrees where you are today, then be sure to take advantage of it. There aren’t many days in January when you can say you ran in shorts, and this is most certainly one of them.

I often avoid shorts in the winter since I get cold easily, but it was so beautiful today that I threw on a few extra layers on top so that I could wear them. Do you have rules when it comes to what you wear to run based on the weather?