On Super Bowl Sunday it snowed like crazy in Omaha. Like crazy. It was the most snow in a 16 hour period of time I may have ever seen in my life. My running buddy, Lori, and I were supposed to run in a race that morning but the race was canceled because of the snow. The temperature's real feel--with windchill--was -7, the wind was blowing 35 mph and we got about a foot of snow. My buddy and I decided to run--we didn't have anything else going on.
    Lori and her husband live about 3/4 of a mile from me so they met me and my dog and we braved the cold, wind and deep snow. Neighbors out scooping their driveways waved, cheered us on, told us we were crazy. We ran about 7 miles--Lori closer to 8. My headcover was frozen, my eyes stung with snow, my poor Yadi dog slept for 2 days after the run but it was amazing. The world was quiet and white and beautiful and the company was good, as always.
     I told one of my clients about running in the snow the week after we ran and today he told me how much he had enjoyed the story. He is in his seventies and used to run almost daily. He said hearing about Lori and me and the joy we get from running made him miss running. And he reminded me how lucky I am to have my running buddy. Running buddies are hard to find. It's hard to find someone to match your pace, but still push you. It's hard to find someone that you want to share that intimate time with. Running is therapeutic and the wrong partner can take that away. The right partner can enhance it. Lori and I have helped each other train for marathons and 50 mile races. We have seen each other recover from injury and get faster. We have talked through relationships, family, friends, work, and whatever life throws at us.
     Today I'm happy to be reminded how lucky I am.

Yadi and me post Snow Run