I'm tired. Two back to back doubles that went from evening through the night into morning. Then I came home and hardly slept because my body keeps thinking I want to get up early. Jeez! I do on the days I don't work the night before!

Anyway, I made the best of it. I put on my running gear- all 4 layers of it, and headed out. It's amazing to me that I can be so unmotivated to run, and as soon as I put on the gear, it's like my mind knows it's time to get out there, and the aches and kinks in my muscles dissipate. Maybe they know they no longer have a choice. So just getting the stuff on is half the battle.

So I went over to the bridal path because I wasn't in the mood for loud cars. I gave up my iPod months and months ago, after I read an article about how much people miss out on when they're "plugged in". I think the article was appropriately called, "Plugged in and Tuned out", and it talked about how runners are so much less aware of their surroundings when they're listening to music. So I took the article to heart, put away the iPod, and started to enjoy the company of the sound of my breath, the birds, squirrels running in the leaves, and the silence of being the only runner around.

Well today was one of those "unplugged" gifts. It snowed last night, just a dusting in most areas but I'd say the bridal path had about a half an inch on it. Mine was the only set of footprints on it, except the animals that had scurried around during the daybreak hours. At certain places, the sun hit the snow in a way that it looked as if I was running over millions of shinning little diamond fragments. Absolutely magical. You could see the tracks of several deer that had crossed the path and taken a detour through the woods. I couldn't imagine ever having music on that would interfere with the winter wonderland that was going on in my head as I ran. It was a sensory playground.

At one point I ran over a little puddle of an icy area. It was probably formed by the rain runoff from a few days ago, and as I gingerly ran over it, I heard the creaks of the cracking ice underfoot. But it didn't break through- it only weakened. For a split second, I caught myself thinking of last year at this time- me, at least 20 lbs heavier. I bet that ice would have cracked right through, and I'd have a shoe covered in mud. Definitely. It's those little 20 second reminders throughout the day that I hang on to to keep me strong and committed to this life style.

The run lasted 8 miles, and I wished it was 80. I had to get back to start the day. But what a great hour I had in the first winter wonderland of the season.

Don't you wonder sometimes if the guy who started SP knows what a huge impact he's made in out lives?