Tags
blisters, gaiters, ginger snaps, molasses, waterproof, Zumba
While Karen was out dancing Zumba, Brie came to the door asking if I had any molasses for her sister Bella. As a matter a fact, I do. I handed her the jar and she was gone. Not much more than a half hour later, there was another knock at my door. I opened it to discover my jar of molasses and a plate of ginger snaps lying on my front porch. After eating those for lunch, it was clear I would need to get out in the snow and 20° for a run.
It’s fair to say winter came in with December. It snowed on December 1st with a cold front and hasn’t let up. And I’ve been running in it but will admit to over-dressing. By day 3 though I feel I’ve finally acclimated to the cold. I wore shorts and felt good – there wasn’t any wind to speak of. I might not have needed the running gloves but suspect they were a good call too. I have fleece skull caps of various thickness and wore a thin one – again good call. And the two long-sleeve shirts, one Under Armour Cold Gear and the other fleece – could not have been more comfortable. But where I thought I was totally brilliant was in wearing the gaiters to keep the snow off my shoes.
After running a hundred yards or so on the snow, it occurred to me I should have worn my trail running shoes. In addition to providing traction, they are waterproof. I was able to accommodate my pace and footfalls to avoid slipping, but after a couple of miles I felt my shoes becoming wet despite the gaiters. Had I worn my longer gaiters, they might have protected my shoes better. They might have made my shins hot, those puppies are really warm, but they do a much better job of covering my shoes. After 3 miles, I felt blisters forming on my arches. It then occurred to me my biggest gear failure was in wearing cotton socks. Critical mistake – I should know better. This was my turn-around point on the trail, no choice but to run in blisters for another 3 miles. Darn it.
Still, the snow itself was nice. Four to six inches of fresh powder. Snow runs are the best. Might need band-aids but looking forward to another good run tomorrow.