Softly Running In The Snow

I returned from the gym,
rested my legs a tiny bit.

And discovered it started snowing,
right after I came back home.

There was an inch of snow,
on the ground already.

How did I miss this,
ridiculous.

I already had most of my gear packed,
but I still had to upgrade mys shoes.

I tend to use elastic shoelaces,
they really are flexible and don't get untied.

I bought new shoes,
that I tested with a very thick woolen sock.

My shoe is two size larger,
a wide 13 with non slip thread.

I came pretty close,
but what I needed was waterproof outdoor shoes for sport.

Waterproof just means,
that there is no mesh/vent for water to get in.

They are hard to find,
they also need to have a low sole as not to twist an ankle.

I just checked all shoes,
regular stores don't have the proper kind.

I found the socks at at hunting isle,
in a near by supermarket.

They are so thick, that you need to bring the socks with you,
and test your shoe finds with the sock.

The sock will keep you warm,
but also smooth out any imperfections in the shoe.

I did try sliding in the snow on purpose,
and I slid a for a foot or two.

But slow jogging,
is just faster walking.

And rolling the ball of the foot,
improves stability.

You can't trip running that way,
even on a snow covered surface.

Rolling the ball of the foot is kind of like,
manually rolling a tire across snow.

I think it was about 33 degrees Fahrenheit,
I had three elastic shirts and a hoodie.

But I was overheating,
unzipping the hoodie a little bit on my way back didn't help.

For pants I had two track pants and shorts,
that I managed not to put on the outside, yay!

By the way, people, including Superman,
wear shorts on the outside.

So that they can remove them if it gets too hot,
without removing pants first.

You know, what is Superman supposed to do,
in the middle of a damp battle.

It would have been a scandal,
if he had to take his leotard off first.

Smartly, the man of steel,
puts his underwear on last.

And anyway,
Batman does it too, and I like European comics.

I waddled out of my apartment complex,
and started slowly jogging with my 10lb. dumbbells.

It felt great,
I was barely overheating.

But, the time I got to the intersection,
I noticed the snow direction.

Moments later the snow was getting in my eyes,
it was impossible to run.

More than rain,
snowflakes cause discomfort.

And I had to stop,
and put my snow goggles on.

Maybe, sunglasses could work,
but goggles was all I had.

I was saving them,
for dangerously cold weather.

But it makes sense to just cover the whole face,
the snow isn't going to pile up and melt in your eyes.

Of course, I looked Sus!
felt like an impostor at first.

But, this, is, Michigan,
it snows here - goggles are not that weird.

I pulled up my ski mask over my nose,
and kept going, with a smile.

That's when I noticed how soft the snow was,
running on soft snow is perfect.

It is soft when landing your foot,
and firm when shifting weight.

Depending on snow,
it maybe better than running in the woods.

I made it half way,
turned around, and moved my googles up over my forehead.

In retrospect, not a good idea,
as they fogged up.

If I needed them on again,
I would have to wipe them first.

My googles double as light sunglasses,
so when I took them off.

The milkiness of snow really hit me,
it looked so magical - I stopped to take a photo.

Wearing my hoodie,
was also a mistake.

All the snow that landed on me,
melted from my warmth, and the hoodie got wet.

It is best to wear something,
that the snow won't stick to.

But I was very warm,
I felt great.

It was a perfect little run,
and it is better to run before sundown.

After dark,
is risky.

It is harder for drivers to see,
and they will have delayed reactions as a result.

Wearing a Reflective Running Vest will help a bit,
but it is better to stick to running during the day.

Finally, wearing your jogging clothes at home just about for 20 minutes before a run,
will get you started with body heat.

This way you don't have to wait to heat up,
you just start off warm.

It is still somewhat strange to me,
how jogging, prevents getting cold outside.

While it is still good to run in the summer,
it is better to run in winter, by far.