Andrew Schrauben

On Friday it was 25 degrees, windy, snowing steadily and there was 4" of snow on the ground. I felt like having a little fun so I ran wearing shorts! The temperature wasn't all that bad but some parts of the sidewalk had snowdrifts that swallowed my bare leg halfway up to my knee... that was cold! And fun. When I finished the five miles there was un-melted snow all over my ankles and my skin was quite red, but everything still felt fine and functioned OK. Next time, though, I'll wear long pants. :)

Deep snowdrifts weren't the biggest challenge, however. That 4" of snow was composed of 2" of thick, lumpy slush underneath 2" of smooth, contour-hiding fluffy snow. It was like running through mud! I timed a mile at which I felt like I was running a 8:00 pace, but it turned out to be a 9:40 mile! That's how sapping the slush and snow was. I was wearing my screw shoes and they provided me a significant advantage over my non-studded co-workers as my feet didn't slide as much when pushing off.

Today I ran an easy eight miles and felt stronger and stronger as the run progressed. It was cold (about 20 degrees) but the roads were mostly dry so it was a welcome relief from the trail-like conditions on Friday.