Slush Sunrise

I must have brought the Arizona air home with me. Since I got back the temperatures have been rising and the Great Antarctic Ice Sheet has now turned into the Great Slush Pool.

You could almost go snorkeling out there in our neighborhood. It does feel like spring. The snow pile in the back yard has melted from the tops of the boxes almost down to the bottom.

This is almost gone now, and by the end of the day Friday, we will be able to see the grass, hedgehogs, tennis balls, snakes, ducks, and the never ending freezing-melting dog poop cycle that you have to wait for the conditions to dry out...

On Monday when I ran in Arizona I had a 10 miler that felt incredible, I couldn't believe how good I felt at the time. That means I must have had a lot left after the race. Maybe it should have been a 40 miler. Anyway, it caught up with me by Tuesday. My legs were dead, I ran out a mile and turned around. Then on Wednesday, it was all I could do to make it through another 2 mile run with the dogs.

Finally, Thursday I felt okay and cranked out 13 miles at a slower but reasonable pace. Jumping over puddles and dodging cars splashing icy water made it somewhat of an overall body workout. Today I'm hoping 10 miles will feel okay. On Sunday I plan to get 15 miles or so of hills at Horsetooth and I'm hoping I feel recovered by then. I want to start hitting it hard again next week.

Saturday is the Human Powered Brewery Tour. The only change is that it starts at 11 am now instead of 10. The late start is a good thing, because the ice will have a chance to melt. This is what it looks like on our street, from sidewalk to sidewalk. Too early in the day, you risk your life.

I was going to dress up as Mr. Bill, but I've figured out a peace love and granola type outfit that will be a little easier to wear. I might need to wear hip waders though, with all the snow runoff. It's warm enough that a miniskirt might be comfortable.

As much as I like living in Fort Collins, it would be nice if they used some of their budget to plow the small streets once a year. They go around citing people for not shoveling their sidewalks, but it would be nice if the city would take a look at this, the effects of never plowing. Citizens can't easily remove the ice chunks that accumulate on the sidewalks from the cars throwing this stuff while they fishtail down the foot-deep slush on the streets. When you have an extra several million dollars in tax revenue as they did this past year, it might be a thought.