The Snow Runner

This was the scene in Bristol over the past couple of days and if it had been any other time in my life there is no way I would have considered pulling on my running shoes and going for little jog.

But of course, training for the marathon means that you get your sorry ass out there come rain, shine, snow, hurricane, whatever. There is no day off, not even at Christmas.

That is how I found myself at about 7pm this evening trotting carefully round the Downs, wondering if I would make it home without any broken bones.

In the fantasy movie that runs in my head most of the time, I thought that the name Snow Runner might be an appropriately wistful and romantic name for the main character who bravely takes on the snow and ice while all others wrap up warm and stay inside.

The Snow Runner was the only one with skill and courage to negotiate the lethal icy paths of Bristol as he trained for the 50 mile mega marathon that he was running to save a village from destruction by an evil multi-corporate oil company. It all rested on the idea that I was the only person in the city dedicated/stupid enough to go running tonight. But in fact I probably saw about a dozen others so it turns out I'm not really the movie hero I thought I might be.

It wasn't a bad run because it wasn't really as cold as I thought it might be. Don't get me wrong, I was wrapped up in woolie hat, three layers on top including gloves, and tracksuit trousers below, with two pairs of socks. At no point did it get warm enough to remove any of those layers. But there was no wind and that makes such a difference, the cold does slice through you and you can warm up enough by running. It was however very, very slippery. I came out of my house and onto Cranbrook Road and actually thought there was no way I could go running as I could barely walk without slipping. I tried a few yards and found that it was okay as long as I took careful small steps, which was a shame because I really did want it to be too hazardous to go out and risk injuring myself.

In truth, it was too hazardous and there were a few points when I felt the world slip from under what I thought was a sure step along the pavement and wondered about the sense of being out there at all. As I went on it got a little easier and there were plenty of points which weren't too slippery. Going up or down hills was a bit dicey mind you.

At one point though I made myself laugh as I was running past the downs and could see the lights of four off-road cyclists coming in my direction but on the grass. I thought they must be a bit sad to go off-road cycling in these conditions and had to remind myself of just why I was out in these conditions and nothing could be sadder than going for a jog in sub-zero temperatures just to stick to a schedule.

I did 45 mins in all, with a big hill, which is what I am down to do on the master plan, so I'm pleased I managed to get the run in as I'm not sure what's going to happen to the schedule during Christmas week.

I am planning to go out on Thursday morning and perhaps leave it until the weekend.

I went out on sunday for 90 mins which was a really good run, down the Portway and up Bridge Valley Road. It was good mainly because I never thought I was much good in the mornings at running but it turns out I was more than able to crack on with it, and it was a beautiful sunny morning. So I'm hoping for more of the same on Christmas Eve.

But I have decided that I'm not going to go running on the ice again. It was pointed out by my much better half that missing a couple scheduled runs is one thing, missing the marathon because you're stupid enough to go running on ice and slip and break your leg, is quite another.

As fun as it was tripping through the snow, I fear I may have been lucky not to at least sprain an ankle, so I'm going to wait for the thaw. That said, it might be quite nice to have a few days off the training, so let's hope the cold snap is here for a little longer.