Antelope Island fun run

Yesterday was one of those amazing blue bird powder days here in the Wasatch. While most people were waiting in line at the ski resorts, I was running my favorite loop on Antelope Island. The Island is usually the only relatively snow-free trail running haven available in the winter months, so I tend to venture there about once a month to get my trail running fix. Plus, my buddy Jim Skaggs, RD of the Antelope Island run, puts on monthly training runs for those interested in keeping the winter fluff down a bit. So it is always good to catch up with him and other running crazies.

Yesterday's run was one of the most amazing winter runs I have ever been on. Though it was about 15 degrees and the trail had anywhere from 1-6 inches of snow, it was an absolutely clear and beautiful day. If the mountains and curvature of the earth didn't prevent it, I could have seen to California. It was that clear. In total, I ran about 14.5 miles. Most of which was done in a drunkenly stumbling fashion through the snow due to the snow pack and frozen mud underneath. At one point, high on a ridge, a group of 10 bison ran across the trail in front of me. As they ran, sparkles of powder snow billowed out from under their feet, and the sound of their advance was a sharp contrast to the otherwise silent morning.

Its not everyday that I get to run with the bison, in the freezing cold, out on an island in the middle of a dead salt lake. That is why it was truly a FUN run.

Commitment

Commitment is such a powerful word. One that can either inspire or terrify. For me, there are a range of commitments and commitment-phobias, but nothing I can't handle with a little effort. A commitment to a run through the mountains is something that seems effortless, and that is why I am so thankful to live in an area that gives freely of itself to my soul.

The purpose of this blog is to catalogue such experiences, and in the process, commit me to finding adventures worthy of writing about. Enjoy!