Proxy Data

Not really for a great cause, but just because

This all started maybe last week, when I wondered how long snow has been on the ground, here in a distant suburb of Boston. I asked one of the AIs and it more or less hedged by saying that snow coverage isn’t something there are official statistics on.

So, I forgot about it for a few days and then had an epiphany while showering, which to be honest, is where a very large percent of my epiphanies happen—even though showers represent a tiny fraction of my time.

I go jogging about 10 times per month, which to some people seems like 10 times more than needed, but to serious runners seems like, why bother? I also weight lift about 10 times per month, which is not-coincidentally the same number, because I alternate between the two types of work-out. Anyway, of my most common routes, two of the three involve a nearby bike path and when the bike path is suitable for running, most of my runs are the two routes that use it. So all I needed to do is look back on my running log and see when was the last time I used the bike path:

Cranberry bog 6.04 is the all road route, Village Loop by entrance ramp 4.7 and Hart Pond by entrance ramp 8.05 are the two which use the bike path. In case you’re curious, the “entrance ramp” is a paved path between a park with a parking area and the bike path and runs maybe 1/4 mile along some power lines.

I can’t say for sure if there was snow from right after the 11/19/2025 run or not, but bear in mind that the 9 runs from that date and earlier were only 1/3 Cranberry Bog, so after a few in a row, it would be very unlikely.

Note: The Cathedral Oaks was a run out in Goleta CA while we were visiting to attend out Daughter’s Ph.D. defense.

Note: The 8:54 on 11/23 was not typical—It’s rare for me to break into the eights, I went even faster on 11/29 (8:43) only because I was running with a different daughter’s boyfriend and he’s about 35 years younger than me. It was all I could do to keep up.