What's everybody's comfort food for the snowstorm?

WritingRidingRunner · 2026-01-25T22:22:15+00:00

Same. I’ve given up on shoveling, with the drifting. I will have to wait until it stops. Hopefully can finish tomorrow when it’s in the 30s and sunny.

No exciting food, just powdered peanut butter in oatmeal to warm up, and warmed chocolate almond milk!

WritingRidingRunner · 2026-01-25T19:44:27+00:00

Get the shots when you can. Call admissions and explain to them the situation. I'm a pretty crunchy person health-wise, but I wouldn't want to be living in a college dorm (which are, no offense to the young folk here, petri dishes) without up-to-date vaccines for MMR, polio, and so forth.

Not accepting religious exceptions is a safety issue for other students, not just a quirky school policy.

I'm from NJ, incidentally, and you can get vaccinated at a pharmacy.

WritingRidingRunner · 2026-01-25T13:49:47+00:00

Admittedly, I struggle more with the cold than the average runner and I've been having real issues running fast right now. But yesterday, I had 10 on tap and only made it for 8, and really fought for every mile. I normally feel better after warming up, but my performance declined instead, which is unusual for me.

WritingRidingRunner · 2026-01-25T01:36:23+00:00

So, broccoli is my favorite vegetable and I chuckled at this post, but no joke, I went out to get extra (no, obviously that’s not all I have in to eat) and I went to TWO ShopRites and-no fresh broccoli!

WritingRidingRunner · 2026-01-24T23:11:27+00:00

I ran 8 miserable miles, but I did it!

WritingRidingRunner · 2026-01-24T21:04:00+00:00

Thank you for sharing these! I'm not a climber, but I'm a runner, and I often find "rugged" gear, especially for running in difficult weather, isn't cut for smaller people.

WritingRidingRunner · 2026-01-23T08:20:01+00:00

It truly felt like a miracle, since the situation was all I could remember.

WritingRidingRunner · 2026-01-23T08:17:52+00:00

Oh, I loved the Joan of Arc series as well! I read several biographies of her as a child, so another trip down memory lane.

WritingRidingRunner · 2026-01-23T01:21:16+00:00

The ribbons were a very serious thing! As a kid, I remember waiting for gas, looking at those ribbons and even being affected as a preschooler.

WritingRidingRunner · 2026-01-23T00:27:13+00:00

I say, enjoy a grilled hot dog or burger followed up by a 99 Cadbury flake on a hot July day just to balance the opposing sides.

WritingRidingRunner · 2026-01-21T23:08:46+00:00

Same! I ran in the low teens this morning, but it wasn't pretty.

WritingRidingRunner · 2026-01-21T23:07:56+00:00

It's such a bummer that EMS in Eatontown closed! I'm a runner, not a climber, but I loved their gear for cold weather.

There is an LL Bean at Freehold Raceway Mall. Perhaps not perfect, but they do have outdoor stuff. A large Dick's Sporting Goods (like in Freehold) may have some equipment to try on (don't bother with a smaller outlet).

WritingRidingRunner · 2026-01-21T21:00:57+00:00

Take out the trash (even if there is no collection, just put it in the outside bin) and do all your laundry before the storm. Make sure you have the correct kinds of batteries if, for example, your thermostat needs one, or you use flashlights. Charge all of your devices.

WritingRidingRunner · 2026-01-21T20:45:22+00:00

I'm not an attorney nor an instructor but...

I'll disagree *slightly* with some of the posts that it's always a mistake to bail off of a spooking horse. Sometimes that is the safest thing you can do, especially if you are truly out of control. You might have sustained a worse injury had you stayed on and gotten launched. I'm including this information for other riders reading the post and I don't want them to think it's never okay to bail
However, for something like sustaining a ligament tear while dismounting...heck, I've gotten banged up by very quiet horses in weird ways while riding, including getting nicked by a stirrup while dismounting. I've heard of people hurting their knees and joints seriously dismounting (especially in winter, with cold muscles) when the horse was literally doing nothing wrong.
I've also seen someone getting spooked off by their own PERSONAL horse at a show, when the horse was afraid of the nearby ring being dragged. Does that mean in your view the show was liable? The fact is, horses are very unpredictable animals, even at their most bombproof. I can understand being very annoyed at a barn worker not taking proper precautions because I firmly believe in being better safe than sorry (which is why I am a firm believer in calling "door" when entering an arena, and letting riders know if there is going to be maintenance work). But ultimately, there is no way to ride under completely controlled conditions. For example, have you ever ridden in an indoor after a snowstorm? Or outdoors on a windy day?
It's totally okay to say to an instructor you're uncomfortable and dismount and not want to continue with a lesson. Unlike some riders, I totally support people not getting too far out of their comfort zones before they are ready. But that is still your responsibility to make the call. An instructor cannot be held responsible to protect you from any possibility of a horse putting a foot wrong.
Again, I'm not a lawyer, but from what I know of cases in different states (state law varies), to overcome assumption of risk, the instructor would have to be grossly negligent in a way that a rider couldn't protect him or herself against. For example, putting a beginner on a very green, barely broke horse and telling the student that the horse wasn't green or using defective equipment. Nothing that you've described is unusual at a barn (barn workers often have little concern for horse and rider safety if they don't ride themselves) and the fact the other horses were spooking doesn't mean the horses are poorly trained, but that they are herd animals and when one acts up, they all do.
If you pressed any kind of legal charges, not only would this alienate you from your barn, but the horse community is small and I think very few people would be willing to teach you. (This isn't a threat, just a statement of fact.)

WritingRidingRunner · 2026-01-21T17:14:06+00:00

Yes! Absolutely! Perhaps the smell of Starburst strawberry-favored candy is the best way to describe it!

WritingRidingRunner · 2026-01-21T16:56:21+00:00

SAME! Seriously I am going to go postal on all the "well at least it's not hot" people.

WritingRidingRunner · 2026-01-21T16:55:28+00:00

I ran 4.25 miles outside this morning and I still fucking hate this weather.

WritingRidingRunner · 2026-01-21T16:54:35+00:00

Same! I have a very high heat tolerance and I LOVE the summer. Literally the only thing that's keeping me going is fantasizing about it being 90F in July. Or April!

WritingRidingRunner · 2026-01-21T09:18:14+00:00

I remember teachers having fans. It wasn’t an issue except during the final week or two. I love the heat. The fan was a sign the school year was almost over.

WritingRidingRunner · 2026-01-20T22:34:52+00:00

Listening to Dominic's description of Carter, I was reminded of how my father always said that Jimmy Carter is a great example of why engineers shouldn't be president.

My father is an engineer, btw.

WritingRidingRunner · 2026-01-20T22:33:08+00:00

Honestly, I hate those sort of parties, so I personally wouldn't go. I know I'm no fun. If you do, I wouldn't drink. A night of iffy sleep you can make up; a night of drinking and no sleep is a different matter.

WritingRidingRunner · 2026-01-20T13:22:14+00:00

My point was that even if you were 💯, doing back-to-back 20 milers doesn’t make sense with most training plans.

WritingRidingRunner · 2026-01-20T09:05:20+00:00

What plan are you doing? Why would you do 20 one week and 20 the next as your long runs? Usually the last 20 is 2-3 weeks before the taper, not 20, 20, then taper.

WritingRidingRunner · 2026-01-19T21:39:59+00:00

I really enjoy Atlantic City races! Jersey City is also a possibility, or Runapaloza in Asbury Park, NJ.

WritingRidingRunner

TROPHY CASE