A Gift

These days, the gift of time is the best kind of gift. And today, after a snow day spent inside with little miss Samantha and the two furry mischief-makers, Ryan got home in time for me to throw on my running clothes, adjust the snowshoes and head out the door for a snowshoe run right as the snow was ending around 3:30pm. How nice! I really appreciated it. Not that I don't like hanging out with Sam, but we were cooped up inside all day long and I had really been looking forward to a run today. When we woke up to snow, I figured it just wasn't going to happen, so having the chance to get out and hit the trails this afternoon was a real treat! Thanks Ryan!

As I ran through the complex with my snowshoes in hand, the plow guy called out the window, "I wish I had your energy!" I smiled, and called back, "I try!" But really, it's all what you make it. I mean, I had been racing around after Sam all day long, and afternoon is never the height of my energy anyway. But even if I'm tired, there is something energizing about getting out the door for a run or ski or snowshoe, and how could I say no to the chance on such a nice afternoon?

This latest storm produced some wonderfully light and fluffy snow, making it easy to shovel and fun to tromp through. Perfect! I put on my snowshoes at the snowmobile trail entrance across the street, happy to see that a few sleds had gone through, packing down the powder at least slightly. There were still a few spots where I ran through the deep stuff, but mostly I stuck to the traveled path. I still felt like I was working though. I ran down toward Topsham Crossing, and once the Garmin hit 1.5 miles, I turned around. As I was running back, the late afternoon sun was peeking through the clouds and the rays glimmered on the fresh snow stuck to the evergreen trees. Gorgeous. I managed to get in 3 miles in 34:25, and it was lots of fun!