Its cold in Virginia today. It is so cold that I nearly talked myself out of ever moving out from under my warm comforter and doing anything at all. I especially did not want to go outside and run. BUT it had to be done so I started my day with a nice warm bowl of what Im calling Golden Delicious Oats.
I started by chopping up an apple and putting in a pot with 1tsp of butter (it takes very little), a pinch of salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, a couple drops of vanilla extract and 1 tsp brown sugar.
Once everything is mixed together pop a lid on it and give the apples time to get nice and soft.
While the apples were cooking I started to prepare the hot oats (with water) and gather the rest of my “mix ins”. Now, since I consider myself normal I never thought I would utter this next phrase but here it goes… I found the most amazing raisins yesterday. They are so plump and delicious. I knew I wanted to toss a few into my oats.
I also tossed in 1/4 cup of honey granola.
The bowl was piping hot and the entire house smelled like Id been baking something incredible.
I smiled thinking of my grandmother who would toss cinnamon sticks in water to make the house smell nice. Sometimes they would burn and she would get furious. I miss her. I think she would have been a fan of this morning’s mix too as she LOVED baked apples.
This was just what I needed to fuel my 8 miles on the trail.
Like I said, it was pretty darn cold so I bundled up in layers and even brought an extra scarf to cover my nose and mouth.
I knew I had 8 miles on the agenda so I decided to do 4 on road and 4 off road to break it up a bit. I also decided to switch up my Pandroa Radio station every two miles.
Miles 1–2 NSYNC Radio
Miles 3–4 Will Smith Radio
Miles 5–6 Lady Gaga Radio
Miles 7–8 K7 Radio
About a mile into my run it started to snow. They were tiny flakes that melted the second they hit the ground but it was definitely snow. I reminded myself how much Id miss this when I was running in staggering heat next winter. 
A couple of minutes into the second mile I saw the train passing from above. This is only the second time Ive actually seen it while on the trail so it was pretty cool. (Cool obviously being relative here).
Before I knew it I was going off road for the second part of my run. I was fairly slow today anyway but I had to seriously slow down once I left the pavement. It was a muddy slick mess down by the creek though I will say the solitude was nice.
I feel less self conscious about busting into a full blown run down on this part of the trail. Its usually just me and Ive grown to love that. The last part of the trail loop I do involves an pretty extensive uphill climb. I always know its almost over when I see this..
After I pass through there the trail evens out and the relief on my legs feels so awesome that I bust into a strong strong sprint every time. Its my favorite part of the run and something I dont want to forget when I move. It makes me feel really capable and strong. Its a great way to finish.
Today’s run/walk was slow but steady. I had some random aches in my left ankle but nothing Id classify as pain. Overall, it was a success though my heart did soar when I saw this beautiful sight..
DONE! I headed home for a repeat of last nights dinner along with a juicy orange.
For the rest of today Ill be working on homework, watching football, and making a yummy broccoli casserole tonight. Stay Warm out there!!
