Runnin' in a Winter Wonderland

I woke up this morning to this:


Two, maybe three, inches of snow! The nice, fluffy kind that is good for snowball fights, but is less good for running in. I've not gone for a run in snow in as long as I can remember (it was snowing in Buffalo when I ran there a few weeks ago, but there was none on the ground at the time). So I have to say I was a bit intimidated. Would it be too cold and wet and miserable? Worse, would I slip and fall and break something?

But then I saw a single set of footprints in the snow outside, and I realized that I could do it. With a headband, gloves, long-sleeve dri-fit shirt, and sweatpants, it actually wasn't too cold after all. And the snow even provided me plenty of traction; the only tricky parts were crossing the streets where the snow had been plowed and only a thin layer of ice remained. I did have to breathe a little more heavily to get enough oxygen, but I still managed an 8-minute pace over a 5 mile course. After I realized that the snow was no big deal, I felt like I could have gone all day. But there's that whole "work" thing that I'm supposed to do too.

So in conclusion: let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!