What? I Thought The Snow Was Supposed To Arrive In The Afternoon?!

I guess Mother Nature has decided that Wednesday is storm day this year. The first wave of this week's storm was supposed to arrive later this afternoon. So, I figured I would be able to get in my long run on some relatively "dry" roads this morning. Hmmm. Not so much. I headed out at 9:45, and by oh, say, 9:50, the snow had started. Oh, it started out slowly and finely enough, but after two miles, it was already coming down pretty good, and I knew I was in for a cold and snowy run. I had intended to run out to Simpson's Point from home. The full route I had mapped out was 18 miles, but gave me the option to bail out early if necessary. I wasn't feeling super enthused when I woke up this morning - tired, with slightly sore shins from yesterday's snowshoe run. Plus it was cold and grey - so having an early exit option seemed like a good idea, just in case. In the end, I did cut the run short, but it wasn't because I was feeling bad, it was simply because it was starting to feel unsafe to be running on the roads as the snow continued to fall.

The start of the run took me through some Topsham neighborhoods down to the swinging bridge, where I crossed the Androscoggin into Brunswick and wound my way through the side streets out to Pleasant Hill Road. From there, I ran out on Maquoit to Rossmore. The 1 1/2 miles on Rossmore (5.5 to 7.0) were the best part of the run. Rossmore is a winding, residential road, with views out across fields and mudflats to the ocean. It was quiet out there, the snow muffling the sound of my footfalls, and no cars either. As I crossed a small tidal river before the small rise up to Mere Point Road, a pair of Hooded Mergansers popped up to the surface and swam out toward the grasses, their bodies making a small channel in the slushy coating of snow on the top of the salty waters. Very cool.

Once I reached the end of Rossmore, I decided I wouldn't tack on the miles out to Simpson's Point. It was simply starting to snow a bit too hard for me to feel comfortable out on the roads. I didn't want to be a danger to the cars trying to avoid me, and I didn't want to get run over either! Unfortunately, I had to make my way back home, and it was likely 5 miles by the shortest route. Oh well. I was as careful as I could be, and luckily, the shoulders along Mere Point and outer Maine Street are large, so I was able to keep way out of the way of the cars going by. I decided to run right through town so that I could take advantage of the safety of the sidewalks. Of course, that meant dodging cars turning into and off of the main thoroughfare. Once I had crossed the Brunswick/Topsham Bridge, I realized I had no desire to continue on up Main Street, so I veered off onto a side street to Rt. 24, and then went through the Fairgrounds - ah, quiet! - and across to Highland Green Road, taking in the powerlines for the final stretch, so as to avoid the Connector.

I ended up adding on about a 1/2 mile in our neighborhood to get to a nice round 14 miles, and although it wasn't the 18 miles I had originally wanted, I think it was a good, honest effort on a day like today. My face was pretty frozen and totally crusted over with snow/ice by the time I walked in the door, and I was more than happy to be off the roads, take a warm shower and have a good lunch! Final stats for the run were 14.0 miles in 2:03:26.