Snow Run

I think I wrote about this phenomenon last year at a similar time, but running in the snow is mentally fundamentally different than running any other time. Granted, it is also physically different, seeing as there's suddenly that whole "slipping and falling" issue that usually doesn't come up quite so dramatically (I recall one run in undergrad where there were 6 of us trail running in the snow, and we came in 45 minutes having 13 falls total. No injuries thankfully.) But it's mentally where I notice the most change.

After I was done with my various meetings yesterday, I took the bus home (maybe the last time I do that this year. I am not patient) and went up Sanitas for a short run. The snow had just really started coming down, so there wasn't much on the ground by that point, but there was plenty flying in your face.

I think that's really what does it. The flakes look like they're coming at you so fast. It felt like I didn't have to put any effort into running at all, like my legs could carry me as far and as fast as I could possibly want.

And that's what it always feels like in the snow. It's the closest thing I know to flying.


On another note, we awoke to 4 inches on our deck this morning with 15 degree temperatures. Of course, after my annoyance with the bus yesterday, I was not about to do that again. My roommate opted to drive (seems pretty silly to me, and probably takes longer). I, true to form, got out the bike and got to school before him. That may seem surprising, but it's really not that weird. You see, this is Boulder, where they are extremely good about plowing and sweeping the bike paths, but seem to ignore the roads.

And I am not complaining.