Forecast: 4cm of snow?

I know, I live in Creemore where the weather is either extremely awful or extreme...  By now, I should be used to the forecast being somewhat understated.  However, when they called for mucho snow in T.O. and only a sprinkling in Creemore, I look forward to sending that smug email to Torontonian runners:

How's the weather?  Having fun running through a foot of snow on traffic snarled roads?  We have 4cm on the ground and the TRAIL running is perfect.  See you soon!

Unfortunately, most weather forecasters live in Toronto and if they are predicting local accumulation, I don't think they truly care what might happen in hicksville Creetown.  We have 4cm of snow, no doubt.  In fact, I think we are getting about 4cm per hour at the current rate.  I found the tractor, so I shouldn't complain too much.  Better yet, it had fuel, so all I had to do was plug it in, wait for another 4cm of snow to fall, then start it.  Cleared the laneway, which is about a half kilometer long.  By the time I was done, it was only 4cm deep.  I can wait until tomorrow to blow it again.

Ran 13K with Lee Anne on Christmas day.  We were going to run road as the Run4RKids race is in 10 days and takes place on an indoor track.  I have considerable trouble running on roads (or the treadmill) when the trails are still hypothetically runnable.  Since the roads were a bit greasy, we decided to run Collingwood Street, which happens to have a 4K hill (Hill #1 on the CVC course is the top part of this hill).  At the top of the hill is the gully, which has a stream crossing, then another hill on the far side.  My theory (I know, red warning lights are flashing everywhere) is that the stream crossing would be easy, as it was -5C and the snow was not melting.  I suggested that we run the gully.  Apparently, I miscalculated by about 20 feet.  That's how wide the "stream" was at the trail.  Through some creative hopping and tree climbing, I stayed dry, but Lee Anne got one foot wet.  As we were out for a short run (Lee Anne only ran 30K), it was not overly significant.  Since the trails had about 4 inches of snow, it took us 90 minutes to cover the first 10K.  I'm okay with that, as I need some time on my feet.

With the Creemore snow run in a mere 17 days away, I am duty-bound to run the course today.  The trail portions have a foot of snow, but there are some drifts that might make this into a challenging run...  I'm also toying with running the course in reverse, so that I can hang the ropes.  Can't wait!

If you are lucky enough to have some time off this week, do get out for a run in the snow.  It is a lot of fun this time of year, as the novelty has not worn off.  Although the running is slow, the footing is surprisingly good, what with soft ground under the snow.  Carry water if you plan on running more than 10K, as it will take longer than in the summer.  Friends have told me over and over to include a warning when giving advice on running, but I can't remember why, so I'll make it up:  Use the ropes when running cliffs in less than 2 feet of snow.  There.  That should help.