There is nothing I love more than running in the snow. Okay, I would have loved today's run even more had Sydney and Jane been with me, but it doesn't get any closer to heaven. Remind me of this day on those days when I think about leaving Colorado.
It hasn't snowed or rained for the entire month of November. We've had some cold snaps, a day or two, but it has been unseasonably warm. I've appreciated those warm days but it didn't feel like Thanksgiving. But with the dawn of Thanksgiving day came real cold. It was a grey day - not my favorite, but it finally felt like Thanksgiving, like November, so I didn't care that it was grey.
I started the day on the Manitou Incline - what better way to justify the Thanksgiving tradition. The incline itself was really hard for me, but I slogged on without stopping until I got to the top. It was great to see so many people from my running group hanging around (how they didn't freeze waiting around for the slow folks like me I'll never understand). I flew down Barr Trail - hadn't been up there since the Marathon and then I wasn't flying at all. Instead, I was in a state of disbelief that I was so close to finishing 26.2 up and down Pikes Peak and I was fighting my cramping legs. It was so good to be back on the mountain. When I got home, I spent some time cooking and watching the Macy's Parade in preparation for the glory of spending the afternoon with good friends. Kat and Zach and I made a good dent in that 12-14 pound turkey and we indulged in both apple and pumpkin pie. So grateful for good friends and my family - though this year we were all in different places.
I drove home under the first of several snows this weekend. Thanksgiving night didn't bring much snow, but it was a wonderful end to a wonderful day. Friday night brought more flurries and so did Saturday night.
Saturday nights' flurries actually accumulated more than a 1/4". I awoke on Sunday to a couple of inches, with snow still falling. I smiled to myself and though I didn't need to be up for another 45 minutes, I couldn't sleep. I embarked on a new adventure today: running with the Incline club. I've avoided this group for fear that they were all hard-core athletes, much faster and infinitely stronger than me. But I wanted to find a new trail and I wanted to try something new. Turns out I know quite a few of the runners from my other running groups. And some good girlfriends were there too. We represented the range of talent, speed and ability and I was not the slowest. No one cared how fast or how far I ran; they were just glad to be out and happy to see familiar faces.
So it was a magical morning - heavenly really. Wooded trail, several inches of fresh snow, the first spill of the season (and I'm now the proud owner of a pair of Yaxtrax, as a result). As I ran along, early on with friends and then as we all fell into our own paces, mostly on my own, I marveled at where I was.
Peaceful. Stunningly beautiful. Everything coated in snow - like icing on the trees. The sun made a few appearances and then everything sparkled. So clean and so fresh and so magical.
I wanted a camera to capture the glory of this run. Instead I just kept reminding myself of how I didn't want to be any other place than this. I thought about Syd, home resting her sore knee (and not really welcome on a run with so many people). I will take her back to run and play in the snow. This beautiful run will only become even more incredible with her by my side.
Today, I feel strong. Today my energy was good. Today, I couldn't stop smiling as I ran - even as hard as it was. Today I could see the possibility.
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