I knew that today was going to be a snowblower kind of day. 

Today was a scheduled rest/cross-training day, so I wasn’t all worried about getting a run in. Well, actually I was because I have missed too many other days this week already due to the weather and needed a few extra miles.

Although, I did seriously think about getting out and running this morning. 

Bennie looking out the window before our walk

However, Bennie’s second walk changed my mind. Especially, when we got to the end of the driveway and he looked up at me, looked in the direction of the wind, went over to the side of the driveway, did his business then turned around and walked back up the driveway, with a disgusted look about him. 

All without looking up at me again.

I just laughed hard, because he looked so disgusted by the weather.

I figured that if it was bad enough that my spastic Jack Russell Terrier doesn’t want to be outside in the weather, that I probably don’t need to be either. 

Oh well, since I was already dressed for the conditions, I decided to walk to the top of the hill. Nothing serious, but it was slick in places and the snow was covering any icy spots, along with a pretty stiff breeze walking back to the house, so it probably was just as well that I didn’t run.

There is something about using a snowblower that just takes a toll on the old body and instead of fighting it, I have learned to accept the limitations that it brings. Now, I figure that it counts as a good workout. Walking outside for over two hours in sub-freezing temps takes a bit out of me. Then when you add in wrestling with a couple of hundred pounds of steel (even if it is on wheels and has a motor). It is a workout.

The storm came in and while it was snowing and blowing pretty good at times, it wasn’t all that bad and we only ended up with 3-4 inches of the white stuff. Nothing overly serious and I probably could have just packed it down, but that just means the driveway stays ice-covered even longer. 

So, what did I do with all the extra time I had this morning?

I worked on getting Harold being Harold a little more where I wanted it to be and did the necessary update to my 50 Years of Running tab. Which meant going in and cleaning up some of the old posts, updating the links, and doing a bunch of housekeeping stuff that goes along with a new blog. I still have to find a few more old posts to do the updates and new links. But I have made a lot of progress in a fairly short time. 

Gee, it’s almost like I have done this before.

Another, goose egg in the running log, but a tough workout was done and I am comfortable with that. In past years, I would be gnashing my teeth because I won’t meet my planned mileage this week. Now, I am a bit more pragmatic about my weekly mileage in the Winter and am willing to be more flexible about what I do. 

While I may not be going the same speeds I do when I run, clearing the driveways with the snow blower for a couple of hours is both an aerobic and a strength workout. When you add in the conditions I was doing it in, it adds to the difficulty, so it is more than a replacement for the missed run. Well, actually today was a rest day or cross-train, so I definitely got the cross-training in.

Yeah, a good workout.

Come with me now, the best is yet to be.