I rarely blog about a run that doesn’t earn me a race bib and a medal but living in South Texas usually has me running in extreme heat, high humidity, sometimes rain and maybe 2-3 times a year I’ve run in freezing cold (30 degrees) weather and even sleet. But I’d NEVER run in snow! ❄️🏃🏻‍♀️

February brought a Winter Snowstorm to San Antonio and WOW! It wreaked havoc on our city (most of Texas actually) but as a San Antonian I must say we were NOT PREPARED for it. 🥶

I always thought a faraway Run-cation would some day give me the opportunity to run in the snow. Places like Colorado or Alaska, maybe even somewhere in Canada. But this Snowpocalypse had us completely snowed-in and to make matters worse we had no electricity or water for most of the week. Streets were iced over, roads were closed and grocery stores were depleted of essential supplies! 🥺 But at least I was able to set out on foot! I was able to become A SNOW-RUNNER right here in South Texas! ☃️

My first “Snow Run” was the morning after the big storm had begun. It had snowed all night, leaving behind about 6 inches of fresh, powdery snow. It wasn’t snowing (while I ran) but there was plenty of snow to run in! And it was BEAUTIFUL! ❄️ On my second snow run, a day later, I ran while it was snowing! ☃️ It was very cool 😎 (pun intended.)

I kept close to home (wasn’t gonna drive in this!) and it was incredible to see everything completely covered in snow! 😃 The streets blended into the sidewalks because the snow was so deep so running down the middle of the street was much safer. There really weren’t any cars on the road and the few that I did see were crawling along very cautiously! 🐌

I’ve run these streets MANY times, especially in the past year with the pandemic causing most races to become virtual but NEVER like this! It was surreal. 😍

It was also a learning experience! The soft, powdery, freshly fallen snow was my favorite! 💙 With each step my feet sunk down into the snow and I found myself running with “high knees.” I loved the crunchy sound each step made too. ☺️ I now understand why my Chocolate lab was hopping playfully through the snow. 🐶 It was SO FUN! But the packed snow was NOT so fun. 😬 As I got more and more comfortable with my stride I hit a patch of packed snow, which was basically ICE and my feet came out from under me. The ice had taken me down! I busted my ass (and my left elbow.) Ouch! 🥴 I recovered quickly, got back up, slowed my roll but kept on moving. 🏃🏻‍♀️

One of the biggest challenges for me was WHAT TO WEAR. 🤔 I dressed in layers. Fleece-lined leggings/tops kept me warm and my Salomon trail shoes kept my feet nice & dry! 🙂

I enjoyed seeing all the snowmen ⛄️ around the neighborhood and families playing outside in the snow! I even saw a Mom pulling her toddler around their yard in a plastic laundry basket. He was all giggles! I saw lots of snowball fights and so many creative ways to go “sledding!” I even had several people cheer me on for not letting the snow discourage me from my running! ❤️

Overall, I really enjoyed my newest running experience! The snowstorm came with many unexpected issues but running certainly helped get me through it all. 🏃🏻‍♀️ Just as running in the snow was a first for me, so was “cooling down” by a nice warm fire. 🥰