Running in a Winter Wonderland

Distance Run: 6.19 miles
Time: 1:10:59
Pace: 11:28 min/mil
Most Challenging Moment: Slippy slidey
Most Inspiring Moment: Pretty pretty!

After yesterday's unanticipated day off, I was anxious to get back out there. And with the temperature hovering at a balmy 18 degrees and a blanket of snow falling, running conditions were perfect!

JK it was miserable. But pretty!

I actually don't have any pictures of when I started out, when snow was falling right into my eyeballs and I wondered why I hadn't invested in a pair of goggles. As my phone has made abundantly clear, it does not like the cold, so I kept it tucked in a pocket of one of the two jackets I was wearing (along with two pairs of pants, gloves, and a hat) and only took it out right at the end.

I left the pup at home again, as she is not terribly well-suited to cold temperatures and/or snow. Actually, it's not the snow so much as the salt on the sidewalks. Buy pet-safe salt, people! Otherwise, Abby's paws get burned and then she stops moving and looks up at me whimpering until I carry her home.

Time to put the snow tires on the dog! Here she is last winter during a play session with Tank the French bulldog, during which she flipped him on his back, pulled off his booties, and chased him around the field with them. We later found them in the spring.

I may have been without Abby, but I wasn't alone. There were a good four or five other runners out there today, and every time we passed each other we'd do that wave-smile-nod that said "Oh, so you're also as crazy as I am. Great!"

It was nice to get out again, despite the snow, despite the ice that made me feel like a penguin clinging to the edge of a floe. Did you know today was supposed to be a pace run? Me neither!

Three miles tomorrow, then 11 (!!!!) on Sunday!


And this week, thank you to my brother, Sloan, and brand-new sister-in-law Gah-yee for their donation! I'm telling you, that $6,000 donation goal looks a lot bigger on this side of the new year, so if you're thinking about donating, save me the extra stress and anxiety and take action today!