Leaving Footprints in the Snow

And the storm rolled in covering the ground in a heavy snow, perfect to build a snowman but awful to shovel.

I was very excited to get up and run. We have only had one other snow and it was great run. It was peaceful and I got cheered on by cops and plowers. This run was not that. Since it was a work day, everyone was up early and clearing their driveways. The sound of snowblowers echoed thru the early morning air.

Getting ready was interesting because I had to plan for the wet but balance that with mild 30’s. I wore fleece leggings, tall socks (from Christmas), a light shirt and light jacket, my hat with lights (from Christmas), buff (from Christmas), reflective vest (from Christmas), and headband. And of course, I brought my phone and headphones because music is motivating, especially the Lady Sovereign or HyperCrush IHeart stations.

With all the snow, I figured street running would be the way to go. Last winter, I discovered that many of my neighbors are not good about cleaning their sidewalks. It was generally a good idea except for the roads that weren’t touched by a plow. I ended up running in the narrow tracks of tires, hurdling sometimes thigh high piles of snow left by plows going the on other streets. The dog loved the snow; snow blowers, less so.

It felt like I was running through deep sand. My legs tired quickly as I had to high step much of the run and manage to stay in a narrow tire track which is much harder than it sounds. I did manage to stay upright for the whole run. I cut my run short since I knew that I was slow today. The snow slowed me down and I only got in 5.37 miles.

I had used Gu because I figured I could use the extra boost for this run. Iheart decided to quit just a ½ mile in but I didn’t want to stop and futz with the phone. I just prayed that Runkeeper kept going. And it did. Sometimes, the pace announcements were rather depressing (snowbound) but other times it was very encouraging (clear roads). I’m not sure what sort of running exercise this might be considered but I know my legs are stronger because of this run.

While it wasn’t the same feeling as my last snow run, I had a different feelings. Determination, persistence comes to mind. There was some serenity as I listened to my breath, watching clouds form in front of me.