First Snow Run(s)

I had a cozy-snow-filled weekend. It was a bit of a surprise; We don’t normally get snow before Thanksgiving. I did a long run in the fresh snow and made it home in time to watch the New York City Marathon elite women's finish. 

On Saturday, Craig and I slept in a little, then I made homemade waffles, which were delicious! 

It started snowing that morning, but the snow wasn't sticking. 

That afternoon, Craig and I went for a run together. We parked at the bear research facility and did a 4-mile loop. It was definitely snowing by then! There was a football game ending, and unfortunately I ran by the stadium just as people were leaving. This meant that I ended up having to zig zag by a bunch of people for the last 2 miles or so.

My pace was slow (11:49 min per mile). It was fun though! We both felt great after.

Sunday was Daylight Savings. My cat, oblivious to the time change, expected to be fed at her normal time (7 AM), so she decided to keep sitting on me until I got out of bed. As it was actually 6 AM, this meant I was up a bit early for the weekend.

It ended up working out well, though, because this meant I was able to catch the start of the New York City Marathon! Right after watching the men’s start, I headed out the door for my own run.

Heading out for a snow run! 

There was maybe 2 inches of snow on the ground, but the trail was mostly cleared. It was nice because there was basically no one else out yet. There were very few cars, and I only saw 2 other runners the entire time I ran. 

Not too much snow, and the trail was kept pretty much clear.

It was beautiful out! I really enjoyed it. My pace was intentionally slow so that I wouldn’t slip. The run felt pretty easy, overall, I did feel tired around mile 7 which was uphill.

This was my longest run since the summer! And surprisingly my third fastest 8-miler.

By the time I got home, the elite women were just about to cross the finish line at New York. Craig was working on his interview presentation but took a time out to watch with me.

We watched Shalane Flanagan finish in first place! It was easily one of the most inspiring athletic accomplishments I have ever watched live.

Photo credit: NY Daily News

In the last mile, she was roughly a minute ahead of Mary Keitany in second place, so she clearly was going to win. She still had such power with every stride. The emotion on her face as she crossed the finish line was so raw, too, conveying such joy, pride and passion. 

It’s been 40 years since an American has won the New York City Marathon. For those interested, here is an article about it. 

The rest of the day I watched the snow fall (while staying warm indoors), caught up on chores and watched Stranger Things with Craig after dinner.

For dinner we had Shrimp Linguini, which is one of our favorite recipes. It just-so-happens to be from “Run Fast. Eat Slow,” the cookbook  co-written by Shalane Flanagan! ;)

A household favorite: Shrimp Linguini from "Run Fast. Eat Slow."