After 3.5 miles on the treadmill last night, it was exciting to have a babysitter this morning so I could drop Will of at preschool and go for a run.
It was 37 degrees out and snowing, which meant the ground wasn’t frozen, and the snow was sticking to trees and grass but melting on sidewalks. I had all the beauty of the falling snow around me, without losing traction while I ran. It doesn’t get much better than that.
I first headed out in my favorite winter running hat, but running into the falling snow was impacting my visibility and I decided it would be more pleasant if I had a visor to keep the snow out of my eyes. Not wanting my ears to get cold, I threw my adjustable Nike women’s running hat right over my REI winter running hat, so my ears were covered and my sight was clear. I didn’t look as cute and wintery, but anyone out on the trails would be too busy looking at nature to notice. (I’ve always been practical over stylish, but I do prefer it when I don’t have to pick!)
Running while it’s snowing is an ethereal experience. It is so beautiful, and so peaceful. I ran to a nearby lake path that came highly recommended, and my phone died just in time for me to lose my music as I approached the lake. The snow softened all noise, and when I stopped to appreciate the view of the snow over the lake, I heard nothing but quiet sounds of birds in the distance.
I now remember why I loved being outdoors in the winter as a child… because when you’re outside playing, or sledding, you’re moving enough so that you’re not cold even when you stop. You’re radiating warmth, and you know it’s cold, you can FEEL that it’s cold, but you’re perfectly comfortable. When you’ve just stopped running to appreciate the view, you’re more than comfortable, because you feel the sense of peace and relaxation that comes from stopping when you’ve been running. Your heart rate is descending pleasurably, your breathing becomes more relaxed, you’re still warm, but you’re surrounded by cold, peaceful beauty.
I used to joke in the beginning of my running that I only ran because it felt so good when I stopped. It might actually be true. If you run outside on a beautiful wintery day, and then stop and feel your body descending from exertion into rest, surrounded by air that should make you shiver, feeling nothing but warmth, you will know what I mean.
It’s surreal. Fantasy. Dream-like. Too many things feel abnormal, in the most beautiful way.
It’s hard to believe that it’s real, and it’s healthy.
I now know why people ski and do all sorts of other outdoor winter activities that I used to find baffling when I associated being outside in the snow with freezing my butt off. I had lost the child-like energy of my eight year old self pulling a sled up the hill and keeping warm enough from the exercise to enjoy the snow for hours. Now I have that back.
What a beautiful gift… thank you, running 🙂
I love running in warm snow, it’s beautiful. My Garmin apparently requires charging too … it crapped out 4k into my 6k run on Sunday So I finished out the final 2 k by feel alone. When my husband and I got back to the house, I looked at his Garmin (he is much more organized than I am) I realized I had my best time yet and finally broke through the 7min/km pace I’d been chasing for over 2 months.
It’s funny that you say that – I forgot my Garmin at home when we went to Maine for Thanksgiving and I ran the Burn Off the Turkey 5k in my hometown, and it was a PR. It felt good to just run at a hard effort, and not worry about looking at a watch constantly. For a longer race, I’m worried that I wouldn’t pace myself… or if I were really set on a target, it’d be nice to have the feedback. But it feels good and can actually make you run faster to just run organically! I’m tempted to run my next 5k without it, too… my husband always says the more information the better, but I enjoyed the freedom of running based on feel alone.
I just bought a beanie with a visor on it, specifically to shield my face from snow. I haven’t had a chance to use it yet though, and I’m not really sure if I want to or not! Our temps have been below zero for about a week now, so no outdoor running for me! This is inspiring me to get back out there once it warms up though!
It’s gorgeous as long as the roads are safe! The ice and snowbanks have been tough for me lately 🙁
What a beautiful run this must have been! So much about these pics makes me want to pack up and take a vacation to somewhere snowy (and hilly!). In lower (basically, tropical) Louisiana, there are no hills at.all and it only snows once every 5 years or so… but it does get bone-chillingly cold sometimes. Wish there was some pretty white stuff falling to go along with it!
If it’s going to be cold, it’s nice if there’s snow to go with it! I sometimes envy anyone who lives where there aren’t many hills, though… there are times when I would love to just go run a long, flat course with the jogging stroller and not have to worry about pushing the boys up a giant hill at some point! I know it’s a better workout, blah blah blah… but it can get in the way of the nice, calm feeling of settling into a run!