Running on Icy Roads

I do not function very well when I cannot run, and I have not run since Wednesday due to the snow accumulation and the uncleared roads.  In past years I tried running in snow; once I used something called Yaktrax on my shoes, but I think they were intended for deeper snow, not snow and ice on top of pavement.

Yesterday cabin fever got the better of me and I manged to get to the top of our steep road, fishtailing in the curves, moving steadily upward; the Walhalla Road, US-28, was free of snow and ice except in the usual places (like "Mitchell's Curve").  I went to the gym and hit the weight room, bounced a pickleball up against the wall in the gym for a few minutes, and then drove around our usual running route, scoping out the icy places.  And this afternoon, with temperatures in the upper 40s and bright sunshine, I drove to Town with my Favorite Running Partner and we ended up logging four careful miles, stopping to walk the icy parts.  We marveled at how the temperature plunged 20 degrees in those stretches of road where the December sun, low on the horizon, never shines.

But what a joy it was to run again after only four days of not running!  I cannot imagine how a truly snowbound runner would fare.  I suppose they would bundle up and get out the Yaktrax .  And there was plenty of beauty left to see despite the melting snow, which officially reached a depth of 15 inches in Highlands and 18 inches in Cashiers.  This rain chain at the Hudson Library was a 12-foot icicle gleaming in the sun:

And the little Oriental garden by the front entry presented a beautiful sight, a tall cap of snow sitting at a rakish angle on top of the stone lantern.

Now we are back home in our warm house, glad that we ventured out into the beauty of mid-December in Highlands.