PODIUM

Snow Day Run

PREPARING FOR THE Boston Marathon can be particularly difficult for those living in states that experience a cold winter. Training in New York has certainly taught me the value of compromise when it comes to weather. Treadmill? Sure, but certainly not every day. Sometimes just embracing what mother nature decides to dole out is all we can do. Moreover, much of the beauty in running outdoors depends on having no control over what sort of conditions we may be subject to. Unexpected weather, in some circumstances, could end up being responsible for the most pleasurable run of your life.

When I woke up and looked out the window, I knew my eight-mile run was out of the question outdoors. I tried to remain optimistic and not let the nagging sense of house arrest affect my day with the kids. My kids kept making reference to the fact that I didn’t get to run, a concept which in reality terrified them as they were fully aware that I could morph into a monster mom by day’s end. I had to forcefully focus on what I needed to get done, whether it related to my job or to my home.

Initially, this train of thought worked. I labored diligently. I vacuumed, stripped sheets, logged into work, answered emails, responded to phone calls, and made lunch for everyone. Like most endurance athletes, sitting still is a battle so once everything was “done” I could not rest. I browsed on social media to only read about my crazy runner friends who braved the blizzard and went for a run. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I contemplated…should I?

I suited up in my winter running gear along with my fearless and determined will. I left my ipod at home knowing plows would be out and needed to be heard and at the last moment, tossed my Garmin onto the couch knowing that the danger mother nature left behind required some sense and undivided attention to details. The roads were slushy, icy and everything in between. The wind was brisk and visibility was not so great because of the falling snow, and everywhere the abundance of white!

I slipped and tripped for a while and the 150-metre decline in the first two kilometres shot me to my knees twice. The rhythmic sound of my feet crashing in the slush, however, was almost hypnotic. The sound and sight of snow chunks plummeting to the ground from high up branches and power lines frightened me at first. Plows passed me and shook their heads in sheer disbelief as though I were an escapee from an insane asylum. The neighborhood was out shoveling, snow blowing and sweeping, not running. Who is this crazy lady running in the midst of New York’s biggest snowstorm in recent memory?

A few kilometres later, I stepped over to let a truck pass and landed in a six-inch puddle of slush. Typically, I loathed running with cold, wet sponges on my feet, but not today. I passed some downed branches, low trees and hanging power lines which I knew was dangerous, but yet so peaceful and serene. The snow had put a hush over everything, creating a seductive peace and obliterating stress in any form. I’ve never felt so comfortable in my running life.

The sixth and final mile was up the 150-metre climb at a 15 per cent incline. I slipped, tripped and fell in almost the same spots that I had fallen on my way down the hill. It was almost over but in a way I was actually sad that it was because it meant that I was back to reality.

I learned a very important lesson that day. Running doesn’t always have to be about how fast or far you can push yourself, or even on point with your training program. Set aside the technical gadgets for once and try to enjoy and appreciate the world we are running in.

Listen to the sounds of the earth and enjoy the freshness of the air, regardless of imperfect or even menacing weather. It’s our earth, the earth we live on, and the earth we run our races on. If we spend endless days slugging out kilometres on a virtual hamster wheel or only on perfected weather days, we loose sight of why we truly love this sport. It allows us to be free and open in an endless world of beauty.

Cait Drap is a freelance journalist and avid triathlete and runner from Yorktown, N.Y.