Entering The Stretch Drive

The road unwinds towards me what was there is gone the road unwinds towards me and I go riding on
But it's my turn to drive,it's my turn to drive driven to the margin of error driven to the edge of control,driven to the margin of terror driven to the edge of a depp dark hole

Driven-Rush
After  a  week off minus my 800m race it was time to knuckle down and get back at it period but also w/ the clock ticking down to Winston Salem and Indoor Nationals this week marks my final week of 5 day/40mpw,next week it's 30 miles and then 20 as I begin my taper.
Tempted as I was to blow this one off and get cozy on the recliner w/ the Champions League on tv i knew that was bullshit, the week off was one thing but to get lazy now would be unforgivable....even if  Precious my cat seemed sad at the prospect of less "lap time" w/ me out on a run.....sorry little girl but daddy has Indoor Nationals very much front and center on his radar right now!

A "balmy" 25 degrees when I set off at 4.30pm.....I say that w/ tongue firmly in cheek.....at 25 degrees leaving said tongue out could result in frostbite!
Thankfully the sidewalks were clear however upon reaching the  Schuylkill footpath I was somewhat preterbed to find it hadn't been treated w/ salt to clear the snow and ice....I know damn well I'm not the only runner in Philly using the Schuylkill footpath!!!
Thankfully once I reached the Schuylkill Banks conditions underfoot were a lot better although that said I did encounter  a few ice patchs which forced me to slow  down,no point going "arse over tit" on a training run period muchless this close to Indoor Nationals.

42.27 at the turnound no that time was omni important here,getting the miles in and doing in in one piece was the name of the game.
It was bad enough it was only 25 degs when I started the run now an hour into it as I made my way back along the Schuylkill Banks it had dropped to 24.....which then became 23,to be honest it didn't feel that cold,maybe this winter has taken its toll on me and I don't feel the cold that much.....I think the fact there was no Siberian bone chilling wind to accompany the cold probably helped.
Holy Crap!!! the ramp upto the South St bridge from the Schuylkill footpath was a sheet of ice,i couldn't believe it,I practically slowed to a walk to reach the top and allowed my self the slightest of fist pumps as I safely negotiated it and turned right on the South St bridge w/ roughly 1 and 3/4 miles to go.

Home in one piece in 1.28.12,like I said time was not the issue here,I'd gotten a 9 miler in and made it home intact,it's always about getting another day and thankfully tomorrow is going to be above freezing which should help thaw/melt the ice on the footpath and off ramp.....but probably NOT the river which looked like a giant outdoor ice rink........when's Spring again????