Week 7, Day 4: The best laid plans...

I planned to run 12 or so miles yesterday, but thanks to the suprise extra snow that started falling at 2am Thursday/Friday and didn't stop until around 5pm Friday, I bagged that plan in favor of a (hopefully) less snowy Saturday. When I went to buy new running shoes, there was a sale on hats and gloves, so I grabbed some. Saturday arrived clear and chilly. I pulled my running clothes out of my suitcase and discovered I'd only brought capri pants. Definitely glad I had my new hat and gloves. Then I discovered that Big G was out of batteries (again! Didn't I just charge it?) - this has got to stop. Luckily, NYC is kind of my home turf, so I have a pretty good idea how far things are and I'm not concerned about getting lost. Off into the cold go I. Big thank you to the folks from NYC Parks who, with 2 notable exceptions, had the East River Path completely clear. It took me a few miles to warm up, but after a while I relaxed into it and got into something of a groove. Around 30th St, I found myself 6 inches deep in icy water, and facing a dead end that meant I had to backtrack through the icy water. I forgot that the path goes up 1st Avenue here. I was feeling pretty good, running 4 songs and walking 1, though after about 1 minute I felt ready to run again - but I enforced the loger walk to ensure I'd make it through the whole run. While running up 1st Ave, I found myself behind a couple of cuties and I have to admit I sped up a bit to not get dusted by them, especially as we got back onto the path. They turned around at 79th, and I was on my own again. At 85th, the Parks Department fell down on the job again, and I was in the cold water again. Luckily the socks I was wearing were pretty wicking, and my feet didn't stay wet for long. Around here there was also a big hill, where the kids were all out sledding - pretty cute. I had intented to run to 120th, but at 96th my right IT band was starting to hurt, so I turned around and retraced my steps to my friend's apartment. Total distance: 10.7 miles. I can't wait to get back to London where it doesn't snow, and my sweetie is, and I can run with some regularity.