December goal met

My challenge for December was the 3.5 mile "I Love Woodford" snowshoe race yeld yesterday in Woodford, VT. There was about 18 inches of snow on the ground, and it was fairly balmy with temperatures in the low 30's and no wind. 100 hardy people showed up to run the race through the woods of the state park.

Not only is Woodford a beautiful area, but running on snowshoes is a hoot. Once you get through the oxygen deprivation of trying to run (shuffle?) through snow on snowshoes, usually up hill, it becomes pure joy. When was the last time you went out in the woods to play? As I sped up near the finish, a photographer told me it looked like I was having a lot of fun. I couldn't stop smiling, because I was having a great time.

Of course, the knowledge that there was homemade, piping hot vegetable soup waiting at the finish helped enormously. Luckily I'm slow plus I stayed to help out at the finish line, so most of the cookies were gone by the time I got there.

That makes 7 monthly challenges I've completed since I turned 49 in June:

June: Vermont relay race

July: Rutland trail run

August: Olympic distance triathlon at Lake Dunmore

September: bike century in Saratoga, NY

October: Cape Code marathon

November: hike up Mt. Equinox with my husband

December: I love Woodford snowshoe race

Next up in January is the Houston marathon with my sister. Stay tuned!