Snow Day

Yesterday, instead of running I decided to go snowshoeing in the 8 inches of fresh snow we got through the night and into Monday morning. Running would have been treacherous as the roads were even more narrow than before thanks to the huge drifts from the plows. It was a short walk (without my snowshoes) to the cemetery where I clipped into my snowshoes and began to run the road that goes around the perimeter. I know running in a cemetery sounds a little strange, but it really is a nice place to run: set on a hillside just outside of town; it has a nice view of the next ridge.

If you haven't tried it yet, running in snowshoes is about 10 times harder than running on the road. You have to lift your feet twice as high and get used to the slap-woosh of the snowshoes with every stride. I ran a ways and then would stop to catch my breath, walk a bit, then start to run again. Needless to say when I clipped out of my snowshoes and started walking home I felt as if I'd had a tough workout. My cheeks were flush and I was sweaty under my layers of winter gear. Nice! (In a good way.)

On the walk home I dodged puddles of slushy, sandy and salty muck--I didn't want my feet to get wet. Then an oncoming car sped through a puddle in the road, launching slushy, sandy, salty spray towards my exact location on the sidewalk. It all happened so fast. I had no time to dodge it. I felt each large drop of slush slap in rapid succession across my face, jacket and legs. Nice! (in a bad way) I muttered, and kept walking. So much for staying dry.