Getting back on the Road

My sister Tracy is again home safe and sound after a scenic overnight detour through Chicago on her way back to Denver, thanks to Old Man Winter and lots of snow. We took her to Madison Sunday afternoon for her return trip and shortly after we left her, they cancelled her flight. She then took an alternate flight that stopped in Chicago where the remaining leg of the flight was cancelled. Got word from her this morning that she made it home, so that is a relief.
We had a wonderful visit, getting in lots of quality sister time and spoiling the children with all the attention. Tracy took my Lucas snowboarding for the first time, which he absolutely LOVED! One of these days I might even work up the courage to give it a try, but I really hate falling down and it sounds like that is about all you do the first day.
I did get off track a little with the visit. I wavered up and down a few pounds all week. The meals were bigger than I probably should have had and it was difficult to find time to exercise, but its not as if the opportunity to spend time with distant family presents itself every day - was I supposed to not see them so I could get in quality time with my treadmill?? I don't think so! There is plenty of time to get things back together now that things are settling down. I did get up 45 minutes early every morning so I could ride the trainer or elliptical, so that was a even trade in my book.
I took a run last night that was a bit of a challenge. It really was nice out after all the snow this weekend, hovering right around freezing, but plenty of sunshine to warm me up a bit. It sure is a lot more challenging to run in the snow. As I took off, there were still lots of Parker High Students walking home to dodge around. I found myself yelling thank yous to the houses along my route that had not bothered to shovel. How do they get away with that? It's a school zone, the kids walk the same route I run every day, yet no one holds them accountable for following city ordinances and keeping their walk clean? Several walks were still untouched with no attempts made to clear the snow and countless others that had been partially cleared. The egresses were all terrible - it didn't seem as if anyone had bothered to clear them out after the plows went through, which meant that you had only a few choices: jump into the pile and take your chances what was underneath or stop at every corner and walk gingerly through. Both choices stunk, so I just hopped through them and hoped I would not break my neck with a mis-step. I made it home safely and it felt great to get out on the road again. I never even looked at my Garmin once I got home to analyze my pace and other stats (I'll look at it and upload it later today). I think there should be a correction factor to apply when snow running - it's cold and wet and physically challenging (one might even say "treacherous" but that would be cliche ;-) )
I see that Pat and Athena have had a little taste of the icy life lately, and all the fun that brings. Seems none of us are lucky enough to escape the cold this year- Hope y'all are enjoying it!