The Winter Run I’ve Been Waiting For
We got more snow in Brooklyn this past Thursday – about four to five inches – which means another week of slushy and icy running. It’s not ideal, but I’m used to it at this point. This morning I went for a four mile run through Brooklyn Bridge Park, and didn’t mind the occasional feeling of running on sand. Seems like progress, however slight.
The nice thing about this week’s snowfall was that I timed it perfectly, and was able to run a ten mile loop I like while things were still pretty and the snow wasn’t too much of an inconvenience. There is nothing like running in the snow: fewer people on the streets, less noise, prettier piles of garbage. A blanket of white really does make pretty places prettier, and my route from Brooklyn Heights, through Cobble Hill and Park Slope to Prospect Park, is filled with pretty places.
Here are some pictures from the run:
I’ve always been a morning runner, for a few reasons:
- I want running to be a priority and don’t want other things to get in the way
- I’m generally a morning person so don’t mind waking up early
- I like the feeling of starting off the day with an accomplishment
That last reason is key, and one of the primary motivations for getting out there each day. I can feel the difference, particularly now that I’ve been working from home for almost a year, between mornings when I run and mornings when I don’t. I react to things differently having spent some time outside, sweating. I’m calmer and don’t blow things out of proportion – a bad meeting is just a bad meeting, nothing more.
That feeling gets incrementally stronger the farther I run each morning. Although I generally save my long runs for the weekend, on the few occasions I’ve run twelve, thirteen, even fifteen miles before work, I feel amazing (and tired). In the context of my running life, I’ve already worked an entire day. So whatever comes afterwards is just icing on the cake.
And snow jacks that up even more! So you can imagine how I felt Thursday, at the end of my run: eyelashes crusted with ice, face frozen, hands useless, and a huge smile on my face.
I had been feeling pretty blah about running recently, but this was exactly the pick me up I needed to make it through winter. If putting up with so many bad runs was the price for this great one, I think it’s probably worth it.
Internet Links
My newsletter this past week was about an article on The Retirement Manifesto, 20 Ways To Be Happier in Life. I’ve emailed the blog’s creator, Fritz, about a handful of other things in the past, so I forwarded the newsletter to him on Sunday night.
When I woke up Monday, he had emailed a nice note back, and had also posted my piece on Twitter:
It drove a HUGE spike in traffic (for me: ~200 more daily views that normal) and made me feel very good. I wrote in a newsletter last December that:
“It’s moments like these that make writing fun. There’s a whole community of writers out there, and many of them are absolutely willing to engage with their readers.”
And that just continues to be true. Every single time I’ve had doubts about writing my newsletter, a little nugget of inspiration like this pops up. Without fail.
Then – the cherry on top – a woman reached out to me last night asking to buy a photo I’d posted on my website. Here’s what she said:
“I came across your photo of Fire House 224 and would like to know if I can purchase it from you. From 2000-2005, I lived at 277 Hicks and looked out at that building every day. The firefighters were humble and generous, and they suffered a huge loss on 9/11. I’d like a memento from that time and place.”
I sent her the photo, which is below.
There’s a really, really good side to the internet that I’m continuing to discover.
