WTF is all of this white stuff?

Boise doesn't tend to get all that much snow and when we do, the temperatures don't tend to get very low so the snow melts within a day or so.  But this year has been different.  It's only snowed a handful of days but the temps but until yesterday the temps hadn't been above freezing for 10 days.  And that means that every bit of snow that has fallen has continued to stay on the ground and, more importantly, on the sidewalks.  This has made running on said sidewalks particularly difficult and today was no exception. 

My neighborhood itself is about 50/50 when it comes to shoveling the walks but no one clears the sidewalks on the main streets surrounding our 'hood.  So that means the snow/ice combo left from the previous snowfall was still covering those walks when it snowed about 2" on Monday.  Even though the temperature was (barely) above freezing yesterday afternoon, it didn't do much for melting all of that snow on the sidewalks near my neighborhood.  In fact, it turned most of the sidewalks into a ridiculous, crunchy ice rink of sorts. 

My training plan today called for 8 miles and I knew it would be difficult with the leftover snow but I didn't think it would be that bad.  It was.  I found stretch of walkway that had been cleared and made the decision to run that stretch back and forth as long as I could stand it before heading home.  I made it 3.7 miles before reaching my house and calling it quits for the morning.  I probably could have finished it all, but in addition to being bored out of my mind, my tights were being quite a bother and were sagging at the crotch.  Any longer in distance and I fear there would have been massive chaffing. 

So I called it quits early today, but that doesn't mean I didn't finish my remaining miles.  No no, you see, because I am a glutton for punishment and decided to finish the rest of my miles on the treadmill.  Which means I had to join a gym.  So I did.  At lunch.  And then I used the treadmill.  And it was hard because it was the 2nd time I had run today.  But I did it.  And I guess I really don't have much of an excuse not to run if the weather is crappy and I don't have much of an excuse not to crosstrain.

Anyway, that's done.  Now, if I could convince the snow to stay up in the mountains this year that would be great....I've got some serious miles to pound out over the next few weeks and I surely don't want to do them all on the treadmill.