Day 641 - Snow day

Before the run 4:30 a.m. 

I could not sleep for more than an hour because I kept on wondering what the weather was going to be like and if I would have a snow day at school. 

I got up a little earlier than usual, so that I would have time to clean my car off and take a longer shower. 

I checked my school's website one last time before I went out the door. I figured if they had not cancelled by now, most likely they would not cancel. 

What I was wearing

I had two hats, one jacket, one long-sleeve-shirt, one reflecting jacket, one pair of insulated leggings, and two pairs of socks. 

My HR monitor worked! I left it plugged in last night and that seemed to fix the problem of it not connecting. 

The Run

I was going slow because of the snow. I went as fast I could, but averaged only a little better than a 10-minute pace. Laclede was plowed, but that just made things worse for me because all of the snow was wet and packed on the sidewalk where I was running. Watson was still covered with compact snow, which made me hopeful maybe they will cancel school. 

Who I said "hi" to

I saw two other people on the rode. One African-American with a backpack who had to be the one who had left snow prints that I saw earlier. I said, "Hi" but he ignored me. I was kind of worried about him as I continued on, but he was probably just catching the bus. Then I saw an old white lady who was just walking towards the bus stop.

What I thought

I was trying to think about how beautiful and calm everything was, but I ended up fixated on school being cancelled. I was praying that I would have a VM from my school when I got home. 

When I got home  

I had a VM! School was cancelled. I was elated. It was still before six and dark and now I had a plethora of energy. So, I decided why not go for another run. 

Run number two

I was still wearing all my stuff and honestly the wind was not too bad, so why not go out for another 30-minutes? It seemed the logical thing to do, but as I started to run I realized that I wanted to run in downtown Webster and that was a little farther away, so I decided to do six-miles instead. 

The first four miles

I was so happy. I was smiling and just trying to take in all the calmness and the quietness that existed around my little world covered in a snow. 

A guy said, "Hello" who was shoveling his driveway, and I smiled and waved.

Just before Webster University there is a highway overpass. I knew it would be one of the highlights of the run. It did not disappoint. I could see everyone on the road going maybe 20 MPH. Everything was still so quite and peaceful.   

I passed a catholic church with a beautiful stain glass window. I noticed cars parked and was surprised to see a small congregation attending morning mass. I noticed the priest outside sweeping. The dedication of these people! It made me so happy to be alive. 

I started to notice all the people out cleaning their cars or just walking in the snow. I tried to smile at everyone I saw and wave, but everyone was off in their own world.

I noticed a young white girl walking by the University. She looked miserable and aimless. I hope she was okay. 

I noticed several people plowing, shoving, and blowing the snow off the sidewalks. They all looked so focused on their task. I thought look at how all these people come together to solve a common problem; it made me think that anything is possible in this world. I was filled with a great love of mankind and it made me want to cry.   

The last two miles

The sun was finally coming out more and with it more traffic, which was loud and interrupted my trance. I started to think about the icicles forming in my hair and bouncing on my neck as I ran. I stared to notice how my HR was dropping, so I kept pushing myself harder, so that I would stay warm. 

By the time I was climbing the hill by my house on Laclede I was breathing hard and was cold. The sidewalk was gone. I was running in deep snow that had been piled up from the plow. I was working so hard, but not going very fast.

Final thought

Today was the kind of run that you only get once in a while.

Today was the kind of run that made me feel -- elated, sated, and content.