Last gasp of winter

Following up on not having run:

Well, I ran on the way home. I blew off the soup supper at the church to do it (much like i bailed early on Lent this afternoon by snarfing down a chicken burrito), but I stopped at Arcadia (south) for a quick 5k on the trails.

It was fabulous.

The snow’s about all gone, and for the most part, the trail had firmed up. There was one section where the runoff was still fierce, and my shoes were completely and totally soaked at the 1K mark. No blisters – these Vasque trail runners are every bit as great as the folks at EMS claimed they would be. Plus, they shed water pretty quickly, and the virbram soles grab rock like a frat boy grabs drunk chicks.

I ran a new section of trail – a little bit closer to IH-95, but better – more singletracky, but less rocky at the same time. Can’t wait to try it on the bike.

About 500m in, I started wondering if the cottonwood were starting early this spring, but then realized that (A) I was surrounded by oak, and (B) it was snowing. Rock on – gentle snow in early spring.

The snow got decently intense while I ran – collecting on my fleece top and on the evergreens, but not really at all on the ground. I pushed on, having the fantasy I’ve always had running in the snow, pretending that the snowflakes were stars, and I was riding in the Millenium Falcon through hyperspace.

The run ended too soon – mud on my legs, and socks dripping. At home, my lovely wife had spaghetti (Barilla Super Pasta! extra protein and vitamins) and meatballs waiting. Two happy boys, a bath, and some bedtime stories later, and life is good.