My sincerest thoughts go out to everyone in the Northeast, especially New England. I hope Snowmegadon 2013 passed with minimal incidents. Boston took a brutal hit, with more than 30 inches of snow. We woke Saturday morning, looked outside, and both said, “Whoa.” After a big breakfast and a pep talk, and Lisa dressing me up like the little brother from A Christmas Story—arms stuck at my sides—I headed out to do my share of the shoveling. Being a central New Yorker at heart, raised in the lake-effect snow capital, the storm felt big but not the worst I’ve seen.
To give an idea of the snowfall, we snapped a photo of a car buried under it. I spent about an hour digging out my car and, feeling generous, cleared the two cars next to me as well.
The city was basically shut down for two days—no public transit and a driving/parking ban—as crews worked to clear the snow. By Sunday morning the main roads were drivable and most side streets were passable, though narrow and often one-lane. That progress is a testament to the city and the people who worked hard to clean up.
A point of contention for me, and I know I sound like the ornery guy here, is the way some recreational runners acted. I’m all for exercise, but I had to swerve to avoid runners in the middle of the street more than once. The roads were tight from the snow piles, and weaving around people walking and running made things riskier. Sidewalks were icy and narrow too, and pedestrians had to dodge runners rather than clear a path.
Switching gears, the storm gave me a chance to catch up on reading. I was sent Dan John’s book Intervention a few weeks ago, but it had landed in the “to read later” pile. With nowhere to go, I dug in and loved it. Dan John’s decades of coaching show through, and the book sparked thoughts about why strength training is so valuable, especially for women who want to avoid the endless cardio routines.
One idea from the book stuck with me: a woman who stays lean and strong can afford occasional indulgences because she has real strength. The point is the strength you build—your “glass”—determines how much you can handle and still perform well. The smaller the glass, the less you can do; strength is the foundation for everything. If you aim to be fast or run longer, you need to generate more force and build capacity. In short, strength gives your body room to grow and adapt.
Back home, Lisa kept active even while snowed in. She nonchalantly worked in reps at the chin-up bar, showing that strength isn’t just about looking strong on paper. For reference, she can bench press 160 pounds, deadlift 225+ pounds for reps, and perform 10+ flawless push-ups. She teaches four spin classes a week, and yes, she even managed to read the Fifty Shades trilogy in a week—true story. And yes, she still orders steak and dessert when we go out, sometimes eating from a bread bowl. She works hard in the gym and has earned the ability to enjoy a few cheats now and then because she’s strong.
I’m not saying every woman should rush to the gym, but I do think turning the page from the usual cardio routines to lifting real weights can be empowering. I’m not trying to be snarky; I want to encourage you to build strength, the kind that changes what you’re capable of.
That’s the point I hope you take away. Strength is empowering.
