Sunday, December 21, 2008

Solstice Snow Story

I've been thinking a lot about this blog and how really it's a collection of good stories, some better than others. This thought has lead me to start trying to go for runs that are good stories. I got one today. I headed out around 12:30 this afternoon for a run in some crazy, snowy conditions and it's the Winter Solstice: sunrise was 7:10 AM and sunset is 4:14 PM . . . I covered somewhere in the neighborhood of 3 - 3.5 miles. Not my longest, but given the conditions, good enough for today. I was slippery but not too bad, and I adjusted my stride a bit and all was good.

I saw one other runner today just before we got to church at 9:45 AM and then no others the rest of the day. I was basically alone on my trot. There was no gradual increase in snow on this run, it was snowing the hard whole way. I wore a couple pair of socks and that was good -- something I'll do more of this winter -- as well as a GoreTex raincoat with my hood up. I was very comfortable. I once heard that the Inuit have seven words for snow to describe different types of snow. Well today I ran on/in powder, packed powder, plow churned, foot trodden, tire packed, slushed and just-snow-blown snow. I'm not sure that's what the Inuit had in ind, but they live where they live and I live where I live.

1 comment:

Bennu Runner said...

Damn. I'm jealous. Couldn't get out yesterday due to other commitments. Nice job braving the weather!