First Snowfall

Thanksgiving had come and gone. I’d eaten my weight in turkey and stuffing over the weekend, drank my fair share of the poison, but today I was feeling rather glum. Loni’s still battling whatever sickness she has and I’ve been fighting off whatever she’s been trying to give me. As we sat on the futon watching a movie it started to snow. First just spitting, then bigger and bigger snowflakes fell. Before too long there was a nice cover of the white stuff on everything.
Something called to me. Something said, “Hey get out there and run in this.” There is only one first snowfall of the year. Sure the diehards will tell you that we’ve already gotten snow this year, but nothing that has accumulated. I’m not sure where I read it, but on a blog or on the web somewhere someone described how good it felt to run in fresh powder and it replayed in my mind. I quickly tell loni to bundle up because I need to go for a run.
It was amazing. I felt alive, the roads were slick as ice, the snow flurries were pounding my face, I was cold, but warm. It was everything I could have hoped for. Loni, still battling her injury, kept me company on her bike. And at every long hill I’d grab her seat with my head down and push her up without her pedaling. My small sacrifice for not training enough was to turn up the suffering on my runs.
It was only a short 30 minute trot around Emerald Lake, maybe 3-4 miles. But I’m ready for snow, I’m ready to push myself beyond the limits that I’ve allowed myself to reach thus far. I’m ready to start snowshoeing, in hopes to finish the Pittsfield Snowshoe Marathon in March. That’ll be my first big test of 09.
Stay tuned