Water, Mud, Snow, & Ice

The temperatures have finally risen in Illinois. Yesterday it was in the high 30s--maybe even low 40s in the afternoon. But the trails have responded with a mix of water, mud, snow, & ice! I ran the local Lake of the Woods trail yesterday and ended up with very wet, muddy, and cold feet. It was warm enough to run in shorts, but not warm enough to melt all the snow and ice on the trail. In one 100 foot stretch I'd be running on soft grass, then inch thick and slick mud, followed by two inches of snow cover, finally ending on hard ice. Not much later I'd be tip-toeing across a 6 inch fast flowing stream. At 37 degrees, that water is COLD. People say those Smart Wool socks keep your feet warm...but not so much when they are soaked with almost freezing water. My toes were frozen and numb. I finished the 5 mile loop and immediately went home, changed clothes, and hit the gym for another 5 miles on the treadmill.

I hope spring hits central Illinois before the Clinton Lake race on March 29. We have our last training run on March 15. Today we are supposed to be in the mid 50s. Then rain and snow over the next 1-2 days. Maybe by mid-March the snow will be gone?