Why I Hate Kevin Shilling

I have a love hate thing with winter.

Each fall I eagerly anticipate winter; skate skiing, the crispness of the air, the contrast of blue sky against white snow, hot drinks with special ingredients and tele skiing.

Yet, as the days become shorter and the temperature drops – I become haunted by Kevin Shilling.

Why do I have seasonal issues with Kevin? For the most part, I like the guy. I find him smart, interesting, and talented. I enjoy running with him in the summer. But come winter, my negative feelings towards him become intense.

You see, Kevin likes to run in the snow. I don’t! Kevin likes running in the snow even MORE if he is post holing. Post holing makes me whimper and cry! I want to be able to like running in the snow and I want to get to a place of mental stability that when my feet break through the frozen surface I no longer weep. But, I can’t seem to get there…

My therapist says I have to deal with this. She is helping me learn that it is “OK” if I don’t find pleasure in wearing running shorts when it is 10 degrees. I don’t have to seek routes where I can plunge through the snow to my waist with every step. No need to have ice and snow act as a cheese grater on my shins leaving them in a constant state of oozing scabs. And, I don’t need to have feet that are dry, scaly and possibly even moldy because they are always wet. Winter running can be fun for Kevin. It doesn’t have to be fun for me.

So what’s a semi-addicted trail runner like me to do?? Well, skate skiing helps. Finding a dirt trail when I travel to a warmer locale is good. And every so often, I’ll chance upon that perfect day when I find a snow-packed trail that is just way too much fun to run on.

Yesterday was that day for me. A thirty km skate at Ruby’s Inn followed by a six mile run on the Rim Trail in Bryce. Blue sky. Warm temps. Stunning scenery. A firm trail. An absolutely stellar day!

Perhaps I can learn to like running in the winter. Maybe I don’t have to hate Kevin.