Shoulda Brought Some Snowshoes

The Snowflake 10K wasn't biting off more than I could chew this early, but it wasn't easy and there were no records being broken. The parking situation made me wish I had left just a wee bit earlier, but since it was cold and in the burbs, I didn't think it would be a problem. I picked up my packet, ran it back to the car, threw on my bib, and by the time I made it back there were only 2 minutes to spare. That was just enough time to find the TRON soundtrack on the mp3 player, and get it rolling in my ears.

Right off the bat, I knew I was out of my league. The people running this time of year are total pros. They have brand new shoes, and they even had these special slip on things over them that gave them traction in the snow. That was a far cry from me and my old, old Adidas that I wore out there to give a proper last hurrah before retirement. That was a bad move on my part, because they had no traction at all with the sole's bottom being worn flat.



I figured out just how little traction I had right off the start, because the thin layer of snow on the road was only being crunched under my foot instead of being tossed backward like everyone else. I was running pretty hard, but getting next to nowhere, and my legs were getting tired right away. As usual, I just kept going. I lost the girl I was pacing in the snow, so I needed a new target. On a road surface I would have stayed on her, but she was getting some good push on the snow. I made a mental note of her shoes, and if they come in mens I'm totally buying them (that sounded a little prissy, didn't it?).

Anyway, it was time to pick a new target, so I picked this guy running slightly ahead of me, and kept pushing on. At some point a woman in pink caught me from behind and pulled ahead. When we hit the snow she stopped to walk, and I caught up, and the second I do that, she starts running. I hate that. Maybe it's just me, but I think I motivate people to go faster out there when I pass them. I swear they think "If he's passing me, I better get moving." Long story short, she tried, but she got blown away by this chubby snow rabbit, and I probably had her by half a mile at the 5 mile mark.

I never stopped, but I really needed some of those cleared patches of concrete when they came. The snow was so tough, it made pavement feel like running on a treadmill. It took me 1:09 to finish, which is my slowest official 10K, but I still feel like I earned something. All the times looked slow, even the winners, so I don't feel so bad. At this time last year, I was just sitting on my duff doing nothing, so running at all is an accomplishment.

To keep things going until the Al Kayner, I've signed up for the Winterläufe. Hopefully they have pancakes before that one too, and they best have beer after. I love the "-Muth."