Running on an Ice Rink, Hyperbolically Speaking

Well, friends, today the path was not slushy. It was icy as hell. I quickly discovered that every area of the bike path that appeared to be wet was, in fact, black ice, and for portions of the path, 99% of the area looked wet.

So, the run turned into bit of an obstacle course - hopping over patches of ice, constantly switching sides of the path, avoiding pedestrians/dogs/bikes/trains, running on grass whenever possible (icy grass has a bit more traction than icy cement, but it's still slick) - it was actually kind of fun. This is another reason why I prefer running outside in the freezing weather over treadmill running: the adventure and unpredictability. Running can be monotonous. Treadmills magnify that quality.

I never know what exactly is going to happen during those 4 miles. Despite the lack of winter upkeep, I love running on the bike path in Burlington. The views are gorgeous, and there are always other people around in case I need emergency care, and there are mile markers on the path (although sometimes covered by snow). There is unfortunately a freight train the crosses the path. I think it's a freight train. Whatever it is, it occasionally parks itself right on the bike path for an indefinite amount of time. This happened last week, at about my third mile. I paced back and forth along the length of the train, trying to figure out how the hell I was going to get around it. It seemed to go on forever. Another runner headed towards me with the same exasperated look on his face, and I asked him if there was a way around the train. Just then, one of the train employees approached us, and asked us two questions: 1) are you going to fall? 2) do you promise to never do this again? Satisfied with our answers, he let us climb a tiny ladder over one of the cars, climbing backwards down the other side before dropping back down to the bike path. As frustrating as it was in the moment to waste so much time at that one spot, it was also pretty exciting and fun.

Anyway, back to winter running. At some point, I did have a pair of ice cleats that I received as a gift or from a conference or a race or something. I can't even remember; it was a couple years ago. I never actually got around to using them. And, now I can't find them. They have to be in this apartment somewhere. My place isn't very big, and I'm not a terribly disorganized person. I'm too stubborn to pay money for something I already own. I'll keep looking. I have to think they'd help with the ice, or at least give me some more confidence.

Still, at 25 degrees with flurries far more pretty than irritating, winter so far has been quite mild up here in Vermont. The forecast for the upcoming week shows temperatures in the 30s. To me, that means another week of outdoor running. I think it's going to take negative temperatures, or more than 6" of snow, to get me back on a treadmill.

My time today for the 4-mile run was 39:50, 1:10 faster than yesterday. I really felt like I had it in me to go a bit faster. I was ready to practically sprint the final mile, but got slowed down by ice - as in, nearly falling, and having to stop completely to regain my balance. However, I never felt like I was in real danger of hurting myself. Just hurting my time.