Snow-ice Running with Ms Sassypants ... again

You gotta take what you can get on the weekend, and whatever nature throws at you, try to make the most of it.  Ms. ZouZou Zena Sassypants Gigantor is probably thinking this is the best winter ever ... in her short life so far (3 years), and it has yielded the most snow trail running days in a long time.

Saturday.

The wind was still raw, the sky gray. No help from the spring sun. A squall had come through and it had tried to snow, but only produced a few flurries. Miserable weather for road biking, but probably excellent weather for fat biking. (Like I need another sport ;) ).  Regular MTB-ing not so much. Getting bogged with narrow wheels in thawing snow and mud -- not a good thing, and it was beginning to thaw.

A run might work though. the snow level had come down a bit, and it was sure to be not as deep among the trees of the trail. and besides, how many more snow running days will we get this winter? I'm really starting to like them.

Snow trail run it was, then.

Although it was heavy and icy, the snow level had shrunk since it first fell (10 inches) to no more than 6 inches deep among the trees; good enough in most places and almost perfect in others.

Turned out to be quite the workout. I'm not sure if my asthma was a factor, I took albuterol before, but every 100 yards seemed a significant effort. the climbs were tough. I was pegging the HR early -- not a good sign. But we got through it, me and my coach ZZ Sassypants. Wow. Almost an hour of cold snowy action, including a visit to the boat dock. She was ready for a dog nap by the time we left.

Sunday.

"That hill wasn't there before," said M, referring to the new level of effort required on the climbs in the granular crusty snow. "It's like walking in sand," she said.

The foot-suction factor was indeed high.

Snow running ... I didn't know it was even a "thing" when I started doing it a couple of years ago. Accidentally discovered that an inch or two of fresh snow makes for some very pleasant running underfoot. Not as slippery as one might imagine, especially on trails, where the traction is usually better.

As this year has progressed we've had a few snow/ice storms that have yielded 4-6 inches of the stuff, which I call "snice" or "snowice."

The most recent storm delivered up to 10 inches of Snice, but fortunately among the trees it was much more runnable.  Outside the trail, the ice was so thick and hard in a few places it supported all my 205#. On the trail in the deeper and harder spots, collapsed underfoot, but only under my full weight. Hard work. Even better workout.

Miss Sassypants -- she makes it look easy. Young doggy fitness ... and webbed feet. Yep, webbed feet like a duck. It's a trait of dogs with a lot of retriever in their genes. And it's cheating I tell ya!!!

Time for a nap!