Snowy Running and Runnie the Snowman

I did it.  I took off in the snow hoping to get in about 5 miles and having no idea what running in the snow would be like.  Everything was covered.  Usually, when it snows here in Alabama, the roads don't really get covered, but not so this time.  The roads were as white as the yards and driveways and it was hard to see where one ended and the other began.

I loved it.  It was a lot like trail running in that I had to pick up my feet and pay attention to where I was stepping. That slowed down my pace considerably, but that was okay.  It was fun!  I felt more like I was run-marching than anything else.  And it was a work out!  By mile one I was rethinking my 5 mile plan.

The only incident was when my foot slipped down toward one of the curbside drains because the snow covered it completely.  I landed softly in the cottony snow, laughed and kept going.  I'd say it is unlikely that anyone saw me, but everyone was out today.  Some were building snowmen, some were shoveling snow, some were having snowball fights, and many were just walking around looking at it all.  I waved and said hello as I passed, thinking how nice it was to see the neighborhood so alive.

That is the nice thing about a snow day.  All of a sudden everyone has the day off to simply be together.  I like that.  And it seemed the entire neighborhood was making use of that time. 

I ended up only running 3 miles around my neighborhood, but I had a blast doing it.  With each step, my feet sank into the snow until it was well over my ankles, but it did not stick to my feet.  I liked the loud crunching sound my foot falls made as I ran through what looked like powdered sugar.  I passed many impressive snowmen along the way and so when I got home, I went straight to my front yard and began building.

For the first time ever, I built a snowman all by myself - and a big one too.  It may have looked funny to see a grown woman working away in the front yard, but I was a woman on a mission.  Jason had also gone out for a run and I wanted a completed snowman waiting on him when he returned.

I named my snowman Runnie, giving him a Rocket City Marathon cap, orange gloves on his twig arms, and an Auburn scarf (to celebrate the day, of course).  I placed Powerade caps for his eyes and a half-smile of red berries from the nandina plant in the front yard.  A handsome bloke to be sure, and the name will continue to be fitting once he starts to melt.

So the run was brief but fun.  I'm hoping to rope some of my crazy running girls into a little jaunt in the morning.  I had fun on my lone snowy run, but I'm thinking it would be even more so with buddies.