All that was old is new again

And the "new" isn't in glorious technicolour, its a reinvention of black and white, which I'm not going to compromise by mentioning shades of grey. Some people, even freer-minded runners, seem to hate the snow. I'm not one of those, I see it more as a rare privelage to be enjoyed for its short stay, a bit like the expensive restaraunt you only visit once a year on your birthday.

So yesterday afternoon, after a nightout induced lay in I got wrapped up in so much gear I remember feeling cosy running away from my house despite the minus something degrees temperature. It was nearly 4.30pm and dark so I had my teadtorch stashed in my waistbelt, but then I hadn't discovered the glorious secret of snow at night. I hit the country park for some undulating trail, edging nervously down the 50 or so steps to what used to be the foot of a quarry - now a tree-lined country park which the exploration of thrilled me as a child. As I hit the fore shore the last of the red-sky was giving way to night and I expected I'd need artificial light soon. Looking ahead though, the hard packed trail-path along the shore to Ferriby glowed as a narrowing ribbon of white as far as I could see against the blackness of the foliage and stoney beach on either side.

Even passing through the village of Ferriby on hard paths in trail shoes was bearable. The grips securing me on the hard-packed snow and digging in on the softer bits with that satisfying "crunch" you get. I felt a bit of runners smugness - look at me coping with and enjoying the elements. As I hit the trailpath up the hill into the plantation I noted the lack of any lights in this direction and figured I'd soon be pulling the headtotrch out. Wrong again if anything the snow radiated a white light here more than ever, in a wide strip between the dark, almost texture-less tree's. At the top of this small climb there is a little log cabin used as facilities for campers. With the snow hanging off th roof and sitting in the trees above it was all very alpine.

I about turned just after this, heading back to home to get ready for a saturday night out with friends. As often before in my running travels I felt privelaged to have discovered how two of the inconveniences of most people - darkness and snow - could work together to make a regular old route of mine into something I could enjoy in a whole new..... light..... ok, I'll get my coat.