7 miles on ice and snow ends the week

I ran 27th West again today and did 7 miles. I expected the sidewalks and streets to be icy and snowy, and I wore my ice cleats on my running shoes. I found out that the sidewalks hadn't been plowed since the blizzard a couple of days ago, and I thus ran in the street. The asphalt was bare where the cars and trucks were driving, but it was icy and snowy along the edges.

While going out, my cleats did well, and I had no problems with the ice and snow, However, at three miles, the cleats came off when I went through some 4-5 inch deep snow. I needed a place to sit down and take off my shoes while I put the cleats back on and didn't see anything that could be used as a chair, so I stuffed the cleats in my jacket pocket and ran without them. The ice along the edge of the road was soft and not slick, and I had no problem running without the cleats.

With just a half-mile to go to reach my turnaround, I decided to abort that half-mile because the snow was deeper along the edge of the road, and it was difficult to run. I thus did 7 miles instead of my planned 8 miles.

On the way back, I could tell I was getting tired due to the inch or so of snow along the edge (running in snow and slush is like running in sand, shoes slip with each step). I started walking through the snow when cars were passing, and I ran on the bare asphalt when there were no cars passing. That method worked fine, and I made it home with no slips on the ice or encounters with autos. I also felt pretty good when I got home. So, I would say it was a good winter run. The temperature was 25 (F) when I left home and 23 when I returned. The forecast for the next three days is temps in the low 40s during the day, and that should clear the streets and Jordan River Parkway for good running. However, more snow is forecast for Tuesday evening.