Blue Skies . . . Black Ice

Yesterday started cold and rainy–another grey day after a week of sleet, freezing rain, snow, and rain. Even mid-morning there was a heavy fog that made driving dangerous.

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When I looked outside after lunch, though, the sky was bright blue

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Of course, I was stuck at work, and I was jealous when @workoutmommy tweeted

big kids in school, went for a run, and the sun is out today! Never underestimate the power of a workout gang! 🙂

I did go out to Starbucks for a few moments of fresh air and sunshine (and a decaf-tall-skinny-one pump-cinnamon dolce latte), but that didn’t do anything for my craving for an outdoor run.  I think it’s been two weeks since I’ve bundled up for an o’dark-thirty run, and I was missing it.

When I checked the weather last night, I wasn’t discouraged by the overnight forecast (in the 20’s). I’ve run in colder weather. And I still wasn’t discouraged when I checked the weather this morning (windchill of 18). I’ve run in more bitter wind. I just bundled up in my warmer running pants, three layers on top, hat and gloves, and headed out.

A slick spot in front of my neighbor’s house was my first warning. I encountered a few more icy stretches during my walking warm-up, but they were in places that always seem to have puddles or standing water.

I start my run on neighborhood roads, and they were fine. When I get out of my neighborhood I have to stick to sidewalks for a while. The first stretch had more icy spots than I expected, but I was able to find a clear path along the edge of the sidewalk. The next stretch was a bit worse, but I was facing traffic so I could run in the street when no cars were coming. The next mile was fine, but the one after that was horrible. The sidewalk had never been shoveled from last week’s snow, and what was left was an irregular surface of solidly iced over snow with footprint ruts. I crossed to the other side of the street and enjoyed a dry stretch of sidewalk–until it ended!

I crossed back to other side so I would at least be facing traffic. I got lucky and was able to get pretty far before any cars came along. When they did, I had to jump out of the road because I couldn’t trust them to see me or switch lanes. It got really interesting when I also had to leap over fallen branches, but at least that part of the sidewalk was brightly lit by the lights of the adjacent apartment complex.

And so it went for the last mile of my run until I got back to my neighborhood. I had nice intervals of running interspersed with bursts of plyometrics as I jumped over snow banks into the street to avoid an icy patch or back up to the sidewalk to save myself from getting hit by a bus. Although I generally played it safe, I also felt like I was playing chicken. Could I make it to the next stretch of dry sidewalk before I had to get out of the path of the approaching car?

I made it almost back to my neighborhood when I had to totally give up on running. The road was too busy to be in the street, and the sidewalk was a solid sheet of black ice with no snowy spots for traction. I stopped my Garmin and walked gingerly until I reached dry concrete.

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 After that, I was home free.

I don’t regret running outside this morning–after all, I made it back without falling or getting hit by a car–but I don’t think I will do it again until I know the sidewalks are clear. It really is dangerous, but sometimes a girl just needs fresh air with her endorphins!