Running in the snow

Today saw our first major snowfall of the season and as we went for our daily run, we rediscovered the joys of running on icy patches and into slush and snow. The principle “two steps forward, one step backward” is quite fitting to these conditions. Even though we shorten our course from 4.4 to 3.6 mile during the winter months, the end result on a snowy day feels more like a good 6 mile, as there’s a lot of “slippage” going on and it becomes necessary to lift the feet much higher in order to clear all the white stuff. Tactically, we also need to be much more attentive. As we run in the morning, many streets and roads have yet to be cleared, making for narrow lanes littered with big chunks of snow and covered with icy tracks. Even though we try to run facing the traffic, we also need to watch our backs as cars and trucks can be all over the place, especially early in the season. Then there are snowplows backing up in driveways that won’t see us and homeowners fighting against their snow-blowers and showering pedestrians unintentionally. This is when running becomes an art in traction, avoidance and fluidity…