Slushy Snow

Distance: 16.4km
Time: 2.07.13
Average pace: 7:45min/km
Average heart rate: 156bpm (83% of max)

Ooof!!! Only four of us set out on the 16k that morning. We started on some cleared paths, but within the first km it went downhill (the trail condition, not the actual route...if anything there was a bit more uphill than down).
Having snowed about 8cm the day before, I was expecting wet feet and a tough run, and I wasn't disappointed.  Snow packed under my shoe treads, making for an uneven foot landing, and occasionally I hit ice underneath the snow. My pants dragged and became wet and heavy, dragging even more. And this was only at km 5! Not even a third of the way through! Every step I kept thinking, why?! WHY do I do this?! The stabilizer muscles in my knees and ankles were aching with fatigue, and I wondered how I would be able to finish the entire distance.

But then around km 7 we got out of the trails onto the sidewalks. Where the occasional awesome neighbour had already shoveled! And though these places were few and far between, for whatever reason there was also less snow on the sidewalks which made for easier running.

And - oh joy! - those last 2.5km when we were back on the fully-groomed trails. Bless you, early morning city workers! Bless you for clearing the snow from the paths! With the joy of snow-free prospects, I felt much more light-footed in the final stretch of the run.