The Birthday Run.

Chaulieu St Christophe, along the run.

The Birthday Run through the snow with Strelka and Leroy: 10.4 km - 64.20 min, -6ºC, harsh North-West on open stretches.

It's my birthday today and I couldn't resist the temptation of celebrating it with a good run, even though it's a grim winter day.

'You're Russian, you should be used to cold', I keep hearing ad nauseam. 

No, we, Russians, we're used to well-heated and insulated homes, warm winter clothes, good water-proof non-slip footwear, soft fur shapkas and heavy-duty gloves or mittens. 

It's the English, with their rattling windows, thin doors and drafts, they're the true spartans, who'd rather bear cold than make life cold-proof.

It's been snowing since the morning, prickly light powdery snow that doesn't melt but twirls in the air, gets into your eyes and under the collar, and builds up snow drifts in minutes. The roads were covered in soft snow, which wasn't packed yet and not slippery at all, the sky was dark and grey. The white of the snow made everything light and eery, but strangely pleasant. 

In the woods, we saw a great big hare in his light winter coat. The dogs gave him a chase but soon gave up in the deep snow.

And there was an added bonus of the French driving slowly and courteously. 

If you run on a snowy day, take special care, remember that snow muffles sounds and the hood or the flaps of your hat make it hard to hear approaching cars. One car drove right up behind without me hearing it. The driver honked gently and I let him pass waving in acknowledgement.

Snowy.

9.6 km - 57.36 min. 
- It was -10ºC in the morning, even the thought of a run was terrifying. By two in the afternoon turned mild. 


Double-layered, Moscow rules, and it turned out surprisingly pleasant. No wind. Halfway through the run got dusted by soft snow suddenly falling from out of nowhere. 


The road is mostly clear from snow now, but wonderful crunch-crunch on the remaining snow patches. In the woods, puddles are frozen with about 50 mm (2 inch) ice. 


Dogs loved the cold, kept pushing ahead.

Strelka is a Golden Retriever with a very light coat, practically white. In the woods Strelka fell behind to sniff around and roll in the snow. When I looked around I couldn't see him, then I saw him, blending with the snow...

This was taken last winter 

Tombe la neige, or the First Snow of the Year

9.8 km - 60.19 min, sunny, hail storm, sunny, snow.


I set out today in bright sunshine. We are in a South-facing nook on a hill but as the dogs and I turned onto an uphill bend the prickly North wind hit me in the face. We went on at a slower pace and, just as we were turning onto the muddy sunken lane sheltered by beeches, hazel and oaks, the hail storm started. I put on my hood and listened to the incessant pit-a-pat of increasingly large hailstones. The dogs seemed unperturbed and still to be enjoying the run. The hailstones petered out and the sun shone again but after a few minutes it started snowing for real - large fluffy flakes turning everything around white.

Oh, the excitement of the first snow! real flakes! And I hadn't believed the British and French forecasts - only to be pleasantly surprised.

Boring note: take special care if running when it's snowing, put on a reflective vest, an arm-band with blinking lights or something else that makes you visible on the road. When snow comes suddenly, drivers do not always adjust quickly to the changing conditions. The road may become very slippery when covered in snow, avoid spots covered with a thick layer of snow, steer to the side of the road or stop to let cars pass. Put dogs on a tight lead, shorten it or make them sit down to let the traffic pass.

And here is a video of the famous Salvatore Adamo song Tombe la neige - The Snow Falls: