Messy roads

One of the only downsides of all this early season snow (I know, I know, how could I be complaining?!) is that it makes for some tough running. On Tuesday, I went for a run on the bike path that runs along Rt. 1. Usually the path is nice and clear of snow, but due to the rain that fell on top of all that snow last Sunday, the path was covered with ice. I didn't have my YakTrax and it was an interesting run... Then on Wednesday, I decided to run from home, with my YakTrax this time, down into the Highland Green development. Their main road was literally a sheet of ice all the way. Luckily, the YakTrax give you great traction--otherwise there would have been no way of running down that road. And today, after yet another 4" or 5" inches of snow yesterday, the roads were a mess! To mix things up, I parked at the Bowdoin field house, donned my YakTrax and headed out to run the "Woodside" loop. I knew this would get me on a run with at least 2 or 3 miles of sidewalk... BUT, the sidewalks weren't cleared! So I battled the ice and snow and slush along the side of the road, where the shoulders have been taken up by snow piles, while dodging the cars out on the road for their morning commute. While this 5-mile run would normally be pretty easy, today it tired me out! Guess that means it was a good workout. Whether that is a good or bad thing is currently up for debate...