The timing was spot-on because it wasn't long after I got home from running 12 miles with Maddie in the freezing cold as the snow came down. We were slipping and sliding along the trail at times, had snowflakes in our eyelashes and were covered in a sparkly thin layer of ice. Our cheeks were rosy and we were all smiles, even though I am pretty sure we both would agree that we were completely frozen and maybe less-than-comfortable on so many levels.
We had intended on doing a tempo run but the slick surface of the trail quickly had us reassessing our purpose - it just would not have been smart to do that under those conditions. So we ran easy and chatted and laughed the whole time, not even paying any attention to how fast or how slow we were moving.
We were running. And we were having so much fun at sunrise in a winter wonderland, doing what we love to do and doing it together. That was all that mattered!
The silence of a snowfall is one of my very favorite things about winter. It feels so special to be out in the snow while it's actually coming down from the sky. Yesterday we noticed that the birds were even singing sweetly as it snowed. It was just such a beautiful and treasured time. I felt like we were lucky to be out there experiencing it, as only runners can.
I've been pretty grouchy about winter and all of the treadmill running I've been doing at the gym, but yesterday the season miraculously redeemed itself for me (at least for a little while) with that gift of the perfect snowy run.
When Maddie and I were finishing up our run on my street, out of nowhere she slipped on the snow and ice and was on the ground in an instant. It scared both of us at first, until she had a second to make sure she was okay (which she was, thank goodness). She got up and glanced at her watch and said "I still have point two more to go" and without thinking at all I nodded my head and started running next to her and then found myself completely cracking up at the two of us. She had just fallen on the ice after we had run 11.98 miles looking like abominable snowmen but goshdarnit nothing was going to stop us from making it a solid 12 miles! I mean, right!? Any runner would not think twice about that, just like us, right? We are all crazy and I love it. Maddie and I laughed so hard at ourselves, at how NUTS we are, at how crazy-in-love we are with this sport and how it makes us feel. It was just one of those moments I won't ever forget. I love being crazy, and I love being a part of this awesome community of crazy people. We will get through this winter smiling and happy and strong ... and yes, crazy as ever.
