Snow Run with Peter Nelson

So far, we've had a snowy winter. I'm guessing we've had over 2 feet in total since the snow started several weeks back. One would think that some outdoor activities would cease in the midst of snow storm. Not the case when you run with Peter Nelson.

Every Tuesday, Peter and I get together to run and catch up on life. Usually we meet at Peter's house and run between 45 minutes and 1.5 hours. It just depends on the day and how we both felt for the day. It seems that Peter and I always have some sort of adventure on most of our runs. The past few weeks have been no exception.

Two weeks ago we got our second major snow storm of the year. I think we got about 6-8 inches during that storm. The snow was coming down, traffic was a mess...it was a perfect opportunity to go out for a run.

At first the run was pretty fun....the snow was coming down, it was beautiful out and a nice change of pace from the norm. We couldn't be fast in these conditions, so we just focused on trying not to fall down or get hit by a sliding car. We quickly discovered that our terrain was going to vary quite a bit. Many people were very diligent about clearing their sidewalks and then there were those who still hadn't shoveled from the storm 3 days prior.

It was such a refreshing change of pace running in the snow.....until about 35-40 minutes into the run when we started to get tired from the extra resistance that the snow and ice were providing. The bad part is we still had another 35 minutes until we got back to Peter's. Midway we stopped at McDonald's for a break. I worked on a makeshift solution to a brand new blister while Peter used the restroom. We continued our way back to Peter's, moving faster than the traffic on the street which isn't saying much as we were moving pretty slow ourselves. The majority of the way back was uphill and at one point we hit a stretch that was absolutely miserable. Every step we took, equaled two steps back. Some shoveling had been done in the first storm, but I think between the new snow and the plows we had our work cut out for us. I had one miss step that almost sent me to the ground in a busy intersection. Luckily I caught my footing and saved myself from being covered in snow. Eventually, we resigned ourselves to walking the sections that hadn't been shoveled at all. It was either that or end up with a twisted ankle.

8.3 miles and 1 snow storm later we were back at Peter's and vowing not to run that far in a snow storm again. I'm pleased to say my makeshift blister solution worked. If you are ever in a pinch and have access to a bathroom, a little soap and toilet paper go a long way!

Stay Tuned for the sequel to the Snow Run...