I got in 3 laps around the block (1.5 miles) before taking my daughter to "roading" at 6:00am, then ran another 4.5 miles around the streets near my home. The temperature was in the upper teens and the roads were snow packed and frozen. At one point I was running carefully down an icy hill and heard footsteps behind me. As I looked back the runner said, "If you go down, I go down." I spent most of the run thinking about footing, with an occasional opportunity to also consider how best to avoid a car that was coming too quickly on the dark, slippery road. Needless to say, the pace wasn't too fast this morning.
On Tuesday, I remember running along 1600 N when I heard a car coming behind me. With the shoulder being unrunnable because of ice and snow I moved from the road onto the sidewalk before it got to me. I found out later it was the driver's ed car that my daughter was in, though I don't think she was driving at the time. She said that as they approached me her instructor was telling them that they should move over to avoid a runner on the road. Right then is when I moved from the road and to the sidewalk. I'm glad to have provided an opportunity for them to discuss avoiding runners on the road, but I'm also glad I didn't stay to serve as a practice pylon on the slippery road. I like to think she felt a little pride as she said, "That's my dad.", but it's more likely that I just embarrassed her.
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