Snow

SNOW.

I know that doesn't look like snow but... it's there.

I'm from Michigan, but every year seeing the first snowflake is pretty amazing. After working most of the day in a windowless lab, I made my way to departmental tea and looked out the window for the first time since the morning. Snowflakes!! I actually cheered for the snow.

Most of my friends hate it though: many come from warmer climates or just get sick of all of the cold and cloudy days. But... I really love winter. Fall is beautiful and summer is hot, but winter is truly awesome. The world becomes a frigid place and running, biking and hiking in it is amazing.

Running through the wintery city or the snowy forest is unreal. The crisp air and quiet make me happy to be out on a run. I cannot wait for winter.

Right now, the snow won't stick. Right now, I'm pretending it doesn't sometimes snow on April 18. But soon...

It's going to be a winter wonderland :)

Tales from the blizzard zone

By now, most of you know that portions of the country have been covered in snow. Last night we had a blizzard warning and the radar looked like this:

And outside it was blustery and cold.

After my Strength Training for Runners class (training plan) I walked home in the snow. It was pretty windy and cold, so when I came in my backpack was nicely iced with snow.

As the weatherman was calling for 7-15 inches, I settled in for the night and cooked up some soup by taking this can of veggie soup and adding a cup of cooked brown rice I had leftover from the night before.

Plus a piece of toast= delicious winter meal.

Later I put off my studying further and made whole-wheat Lemon Blueberry Scones according to this recipe. They're absolutely delicious, albeit really buttery! I also skipped the glaze. I promptly ate 2 of them. :)

Unfortunately, overnight we only got about 6 inches total of snow. Combined with Michigan's policy on no-snow days means that we're one of the few institutions in the nation open today!

Even with the roads looking like this...

I'm still at work.

Were any of you affected by the snow storm? I heard Indiana is covered in ice!

Extreme Snow Running

I'm addicted to snow running. Totally unexpectedly, I've loved all of the times I've been able to get outside this winter and run. Something about the cold air, quiet streets, pretty snow and rush of running combine for an awesome adventure. Quite simply, I've never felt more alive.

This weekend I went back to my hometown of Holland, MI which is right along the lakeshore of Lake Michigan. Per my training plan, I had scheduled a long run for Saturday. When I woke up to a snowstorm, I knew it wasn't going to happen. But after some prodding from my running partner, I suited up and we headed out into the storm.

The snow was totally ridiculous. Most of the time we were running through about 6 inches of snow, but that was nothing compared to when we hit the lakeshore and knee-deep snow was the norm! We had a crazy amount of fun jumping over drifts and playing in the snow.

The only other life we saw out there was a lone snowblower and 2 other runners! I love this crazy sport.

We ran about 2 miles, and ended at Lake Michigan. Climbing to the top of a dune, we were totally exposed to the wind and looking out on the lake felt amazing.

Coming back in to warm up I grabbed a cup of hot chocolate. Perfect.

Today Ariell and I decided to tackle our long run in Ann Arbor. It snowed a bunch during the day, so we were hesitant to go but once we started out it was fantastic. Night running in the snow with a great friend, there truly is nothing better.

Our splits were slow for us, but we kept a great pace and more importantly didn't fall down once! That's the best way to snow run.

Mile 1- 10:11

Mile 2- 12:02 (steep snowy hills!)

Mile 3- 10:40

Mile 4- 10:13

Mile 5- 10:50

Mile 6- 11:22

Afterwards I came home and was starving. Luckily Sam is always willing to order me some delivery thai drunken noodles. I had the same thing as last week: noodles with veggies, eggs, tofu and spice! A complete meal.

Last week:

This week:

Demolished.

Have you had any fun in the snow lately? I want to get out and do some sledding!