Race Down Toilsome Hill

Workout: 3 jogged miles on Powerline

As much as it pains me to say it, that stupid saying is true: "All good things come to an end."

No, I'm not talking about the East Coast (too soon? Way too soon*), I'm talking about Anchorage's perfect weather. It's over. Move over, sun, it's snow time!

Things started out great, and it was shaping up to be a beautiful day. When I left work, it looked like this

although far off in the distance there was a very slight hint of what was to come. All I had to do was make it through class, though, and then I was free to shoot on up to Powerline and hope I made it down before shit got too crazy.

When I got out of class I was bummed to see it was snowing. Don't get me wrong, snow's wonderful and I'll run in it any day of the week, but the road up to Flattop is seriously steep. For someone who doesn't have 4-wheel drive, it can be kind of a nightmare. But hey, nightmare away, I don't care-I'm going to Powerline!

I know you're on the edge of your seat bursting with anxiety, so spoiler alert: I survived. The road was pretty treacherous, but when you're moving in first gear at a blazing 5 miles per hour, the likelihood of getting crushed is pretty minimal. 'Sall good. Seems I'll live to jog another day.

So, running. I didn't do much of it because I got out on Powerline and it looked like this:

Beautiful, but clearly there was some snow moving in so I decided to stick with my idea for a "cutback week" (is it considered cutting back when you're only running 15 miles a week? Can you run negative miles?!?!) and keep it to three miles. No one will ever know my splits because Runkeeper conked out just after the terrifying disembodied voice informed me I had been running five minutes, but I assure you those three miles were faster than anything you've ever seen. Trust me on this.

THERE ARE USUALLY MOUNTAINS BACK THERE

Snow's a-brewin'

I was rockin' these guys

Yes, even terrible blurry pictures are instagrammed. It's an addiction, truly.

and was pleased with their performance. I've decided I need to wear them more.

After a short but sweet run, we put the car in first, laid back, let the car do its thing, and enjoyed smashing the world record for slowest trip down Toilsome Hill.

And now, off to sell my soul for some calculus knowledge.

*In all seriousness, I hope you're all safe and downing some brews while you wait out this wench