Greeting the Dawn

I happen to have today off and was excited at the thought of a run to greet the sun after Solstice (The longest night of the year.)
My daydreams of running through the dark and into the blazing glory of a sunrise were not to be.  the freezing rain held off but the gloomy overcast morning was more of a gradually seeping in of the light.
It was still a lovely time spent outside and enjoying the sound of my feet hitting the ground, my breath in my ears, and the birds waking up to the new morning.  I had new to me shoes to try out and the intermittent snow/slush and ice at the side of the Lakeland Trail was a good spot to try them.  Surprisingly even with 2 layers of socks the Solomon trail shoes fit fine, no pinching or rubbing of toes and the impressive lugs worked well on everything but ice. 
I came across this cute tree someone had decorated and decided it was a good turn around point.

It was not the blazing glory from my Solstice run 2 years ago...

But I am reminded of a snippet from a song from Sondheim's Into the Woods ..

"Oh if life were made of moments

Even now and then a bad one--

But if life were made of moments,

Then you'd never know you had one"

Merry Solstice my friends! 

Let It Snow!

Many people I know bemoan and complain about winter and the snow.  A coworker said to me the other day "Quit talking about that evil" when I cheerfully remarked it was finally snowing.  I get that many people hate the troubles the snow brings; such as cold, bad traffic, difficulty getting anywhere, and slippery sidewalks to name a few.  I think too many people become very sedentary in winter as it's tempting to bundle up and stay in once the white stuff falls.

I wish they could experience the snow from my perspective.  I woke up to a beautiful, white, crisp, and peaceful world.  With the snow still coming down just hard enough to make things fun but not sleety or bad enough for it to be a difficult run.  I was so excited to have the day off and be able to meet friends for a romp through the snowy woods.   It's not too cold if you wear the right layers, and keep moving, and hand and toe warmers definitely help.  I had a great time exploring Stinchfield's trails with the help of Jason.  Nice tall pine sections were serene and quiet in the snowfall.  Lots of hills!  These trails are a good hill workout and it didn't take much effort to stay warm. 

We found the infamous old car abandoned in the middle of the woods.  No one seems to know how it got there, but it's fun to speculate.

 I myself used to hate the cold weather and had knees that would ache in the cold.  Moving can help, I no longer have achy knees in the winter since I started running.  And you don't have to run to enjoy the winter. You might enjoy hiking, snow shoeing, cross country skiing, sledding; Heck I even have friends who still Kayak in the winter.  There is a great big winter wonderland out there waiting to be enjoyed.  My friends and I chatted about the change of seasons and how  the woods can be a completely different place covered in a serene blanket of snow.    I used to hate winter, and it is now my favorite season.

Let It Snow!!!