Buzz Aldrin 10K

I'll put it right up front Sunday's 25K turned into a 10K.

Sunday's forecast was for a "dusting" of snow until 3 PM. Then a Nor'easter was supposed to hit Cape Cod & maybe leave 1-3" of snow in the Leominster area.

It was already snowing when I woke up on Sunday morning. Right after breakfast might've been the best chance to go out & run 15 miles. Instead Alka & I went food shopping. We got home & Alka did laundry. The snow had intensified & there was already an inch or so on the ground. No reason for the Town to send the plow trucks out because we're only getting a dusting.

It keeps snowing. Alka hates to drive in the snow even though her Corolla's front wheel drive can go through pretty much anything. I agree to drive her & Priyanka to Hudson in her car. I figure I'll get them to Hudson, clean my Inlaws' driveway, drive back to Leominster,clean my own driveway, & go out for the Buzz before sundown.

Well, unfortunately we didn't leave Leominster 'til close to 4. Priyanka wanted to get most of her homework done before we left. Can't argue with that. She's a good student & don't want to mess with her routine. Long story short: I don't get back to Leominster until after 6. I realize as I start to put on my running stuff I'd left my running jacket in Hudson. No problem I'll wear a fleece pullover.

I hit the road. The temperature was around 27F when I left the house. It is windy. The roads are in horrible condition. At least 3" of snow have fallen. The town made one pass through my neighborhood with a sanding truck. The footing as I make the first third mile loop out of my block is somewhat treacherous. I actually turned around to go back to the house but, then I say "Fuck it. At least get a run in."

As I leave Wildflower & make a left onto Lincoln I realize this is going to be fun. Lincoln St is the main trunk into this stretch of North Leominster & usually gets the best treatment. The road is kind of clear in the middle but, with a lot of slush. The side of the road is either unplowed or slush & ice covered with a freah dusting. Uncertain footing.

I take a right down Flaggler, run past my old house, & am shocked at the condition of my old street. Flaggler is hilly & it looks like maybe one plow truck made a single pass during the middle of the storm. I make the right up Causeway & it's just as bad. Do you run in the wheel ruts & slip on the ice or run through the powder & wait for my feet to get wet?

Back on Lincoln, more slush & snow. A few cars pass me. Another right up on Tina St & another unplowed hill. If I lived in these house I'd be ripshit at the town. It's freakin' dangerous.

Did I mention the wind? I keep getting blasted with gusts of chilly wind & blowing snow periodically. It cuts right through the fleece. I'm really missing my running jacket. I think about turing back. I don't.

Did I mention it's cloudy out? When the moon goes behind the clouds & I'm on an unplowed street I lose depth perception. I'm not really sure where my feet are landing until they actually hit the ground. Fun.

Back onto Lincoln. More slush. More wind. A few more cars. I do the turnaround at the stop sign & head back towards the other end of Lincoln. One loop through Ice House Pond Rd, a nice level stretch through 3"of snow.

Down Causeway & up Flaggler, still can't believe how little cleanup has been done. Up Lincoln some more, down Joslin to Day St & back again to Lincoln. A dark stretch of Road, one part of the road I run with the traffic (luckily there is none). A brief stretch of the road is left hand curve uphill with very little shoulder. With the road so slippery I don't think I could move fast enough to get out of the way of oncoming traffic. Calculated risk. No problem.

After Joslin it's the last uphill up Lincoln. Keep a careful eye out for headlight coming over the crest of the hill. Keep a watchful eye on the shoulders on where to go if I have to make a sudden leap. I run down Douglas to the end of the cul-de-sac, past the house with the big Jeff Gordon banner. Once again, no plowing has been down here. Make the left & run the the north end of Lincoln to the stop sign & I'm on the home strech.

One more downhill, still watching for headlights, a quick jog through Ebury Ct then Lincoln again. One more crest & I'm into the final stretch. I run past my house as I go down Wildflower to the final loop. The footing here is the worst part of the run.

On the final third of the mile I pass one of my neighbors. He's all bundled up out walking his dog. He shouts "Are you fucking nuts? It's too dangerous out!" Yes & maybe's he's right. I've decided I'll just have to settle for running a 10K today.
I ran as hard as I could under the conditions & managed only 10 minutes per mile. My legs felt like I'd been jogging in sand for an hour. An excellent workout but, not 15 miles.

I'll bag 25K the next time my schedule & the weather cooperates. Maybe next Sunday after work & before the Superbowl but, we'll see.

At least I got to run.