Just when you thought it was safe to go back outside

More snow.  Seriously.  Another foot or so fell on us today.  Right after almost all the old snow had melted away and it seemed like the weather was turning into perfect spring outdoor running weather. Now we're right back at square one.  Sidewalks are slushy and icy again, and everything is gross out. It's too bad though, because on Tuesday I went for a 4 mile run down the beach, and it was actually starting to feel like Spring!
However, yesterday, before the snow started to stick, I took Nala for a run at the beach.  We went 3 miles, which doesn't seem like much, but it was windy and rainy and icy and snowy all at once.  Good thing it was low tide, or we would've been destroyed by the 15 foot waves.  I can't honestly say that Nala enjoyed the run, but once I stopped running against the wind I actually did sort of enjoy it.
Today we had ANOTHER snow day.  Yay! Seriously though, I'm sick of snow days.  Along with the hurricane days, this makes 6 and I'd rather be in school in the winter when the world is miserable, than in June when it's gorgeous out.  On the plus side, staying home gave me a chance to watch my way through all the S.E. Hinton book to movie adaptations I could find. I started with The Outsiders (last night) because that's my all time favorite S.E. Hinton book and I could seriously watch that movie/read that book a million times and never get sick of it.  Not a million times in a row, but definitely a million times.  I think I just love how well C. Thomas Howell portrayed Ponyboy.  I really like Rob Lowe as Sodapop too, but the rest of the cast I'm not too fond of.  I suppose Patrick Swayze made an ok Darrel, though I don't picture him like that.  But Matt Dillon just does not fit Dallas Winston, and I HATE Tom Cruise as Steve Randall.  I suppose Emilio Estevez and Ralph Macchio are okay as Two-Bit and Johnny, but again, that's not how I picture them.  Anyways, after I watched The Outsiders I moved onto Rumble Fish, which I actually did not enjoy one bit.  I just couldn't get into it.  I think that was also my least favorite book, looking back.  Next I went looking for That Was Then, This is Now, but it wasn't available for instant streaming.  Finally, I found Tex.  I was actually pretty pumped.  Tex runs a close second to The Outsiders and I can't believe I never knew there was a movie made about it.  The movie was pretty good too.  Matt Dillon made a much better Tex than he did Dallas Winston.  The guy playing Mason was a bit too old, but other than that, I really liked it. I'll probably add it to my movie collection at some point.
Alright, I know I got off the topic of running for a moment, but I couldn't help it. I just wanted to share my love and excitement of The Outsiders and Tex for all of you. Now I'm back on track though.  I've been thinking about cutting down on the 5Ks actually.  They've been fun and I love getting the medals and t-shirts, but they're getting pricey.  I'm set up until June, but I think after that, I'm going to knock it back a bit.  I can run 5Ks without paying, why bother paying?  For a while, I think I'll stick to one race a month, and only a 10K or higher.  My only disclaimer is that if it's a fun-run, like the Color Run or Foam fest, I'll make an exception.  No more race series though.  I just want to save some money.
One last thing before I go.  For those of you who don't know why snow being on the sidewalks might be a big deal, let me put it out there for you.  My 4 mile run on Tuesday took 37 minutes and my 3 mile run yesterday took 30 minutes.  Today, I took a 1 mile walk around the neighborhood.  It took me 30 minutes to tromp through all the snow and by the end, I was so sweaty, I felt like I had been working harder than I have been while running.  That's why it's so miserable.  Here are some Charity Miles for you to enjoy now.