Yesterday's snowy run

My running schedule called for a 3 mile run yesterday. About 4-5 inches of ice and snow had been dropped from the sky overnight and so I thought that running was out of the question.

Then, as I watched the snow continue to fall and saw that it would soon end, I got an idea. I realized that quite possibly this would be the last significant snow of the season ... and I had never run in snow before. So, I donned my HM chest strap, running watch, WARM running clothes and headed out the door.

The picture on the right was what the weather was like as I was about to begin my run.

As I headed down Doran Road (heading north), the snow was blinding. It was so cold and the snow kept hitting me in the eyes that I had to cover my face with my gloved hand in order to keep going. I even tried keeping my eyes closed for a few seconds at a time.

But, the couple of times that I thought of abandoning my run were chased out of my mind. I was going to conquer this run. Few would brave the elements and go for a run under such conditions and so I felt that if I could do this, it would provide me with a great sense of accomplishment.

It's not that I thought that I was better than anyone else. I just thought that if I was doing something that was so difficult and uncomfortable that most other folks would never try it, then I would be rewarded with the good feeling of accomplishment by finishing this run.

As I turned right onto Sycamore (near Murray High School), I headed east for a few hundred yards and then took the picture to the right.

The snow was continuing to fall but at least now, it wasn't hitting me in the face. I was also beginning to build up body heat so the cold temps were becoming more bearable.

In this picture, you can see that the road and sidewalk was completely covered. The problem wasn't simply that I couldn't determine whether or not I was on the sidewalk. The real problem was trudging through a few inches of snow (which created much more friction than running on smooth pavement!).

I also didn't realize that as I ran on the road at times, that ice had been packed differently by vehicle traffic. As I stepped onto the snow and settled down onto the uneven ice, my ankles twisted a few times. Slipping isn't the only hazard of running in wintery weather.

Running in the snow and ice provided more of a workout than I had realized. So, I had to stop and walk a few times during the run. You can tell when I walked on the picture to the right. The slower paces are in red.

Running in the ice and snow is definitely not something I would want to do more than a few times. Yet, I can say I did it and know that I accomplished a feat that definitely wasn't easy ... which makes it all the more rewarding.