The Don Valley Trail. Image by Bad Alley. Licensed via Creative Commons.

There’s something magical about running in the snow, and when it all comes together — the sun, the crunch beneath your feet, the friendly people you pass (because everyone is friendlier on the trail in the winter) and even the songs the DJ on 99.9 chooses to play — there’s no place I’d rather be than pushing through on a nature trail in sub-zero weather. I’ll take days like today over summer runs any day. It helps I got to wear my new TEAL WunderUnders on their first ever run. Brightly coloured workout wear makes me happy, but they also make me look crazy.

Today was the last day of running for fun. Tomorrow is D1, the first day of training for the Bluenose Marathon on May 19. While I haven’t been running as much as I should to prep for this, I feel ready. I feel strong. I can do this.

And if I get more winter weather days like today, I might even enjoy it.

The run: 8.4k in 1:03:44

The route: