snow

i finally got to run in the weather that i have been dying to run in all winter. it was thirty five degrees and snowing when i walked out my front door at 4:45 this morning. and the first sound i heard as i stepped out the door, my feet crunching on the snow, is one of my most favorite sounds. since i left the snowy northeast winters ten years ago, it is not a sound i get to hear often. and so obviously, running in snow is not something i get to do often either.

i love the snow. everything about it. the crunch of it, the feel of it falling on my face, the stillness of it, the way the world looks in it. pure bliss. and running in it is all zen and perfect and dreamy. and if its dark out, it just adds to the allure. all the days of running in blistering cold, torrential rain and howling winds - this was the weather i had been longing for. so even though i was on a big dog run, and i started it feeling less than inspired, and spent most of it feeling slightly defeated and wondering whether they had kicked it into warp speed or i had slowed down, and even though i was trying to stay focused and keep my crazy breathing under some semblance of control, and even though it was tough; there were a few fleeting moments of snowy zen. and zen moments don't usually appear on big dog runs. but i am glad that i recognized them and enjoyed them before the moment was gone. the snow falling on my face, the stillness of everything around us, our reflections in the wet road and the occasional crunch of snow under our feet. i was actually grateful for the earliness of the big dog run, cause it was all gone just a few hours later - and i would have been running on just another grey, dreary day.