Snow is Deep

The Hampton Hills Adam Run (HHAR) was quite a challenge today.  The 3.2 mile trail was snow covered to a depth of 12" and the footing was loose.  Pepper and I ran mostly in the footsteps of previous walkers, but the compressed, foot trodden snow trail only lasted about a third of the way.  There were snow shoe tracks the entire way, but I couldn't run on them since they weren't fully compacted and therefore proved to be unstable footing.  After the first third of the trail, we used a deer path that followed the hiking trail, and that wasn't too bad.  I wore my vff's without socks so the top of my tootsies got a little cold with the snow cover.  The cold told me not to make the second circuit as my initial ambition desired.  All in all, the run was quite a work out.  My ankles were twisting from side to side; my groin muscles were yelping; a knee was saying "hay, what are you doing?"  And when I got home, I needed a shower and a nap.  I finished the run in a 16min/mi pace - my slowest to date for any run.  I ran HHAR at 13min/mi in September last year - a half a month after I started running.  Time wasn't a concern though.  After the first 1/4 mi, I thought maybe I should just turn around, but I'm glad I persisted despite my time.

It was a really beautiful run.  There is nothing like the quiet of a snow covered hillside, without leaves so that you can see through the forest.