Slip sliding away.....

As I walk home from work I notice that the roads are fairly clear but the pavements are a bit hit and miss. The main walkways seem clear though there is lurking black ice but the smaller side roads and pavements still have long stretches of snow and ice. My runs are mainly on larger paths so I decide I will run. It's 5 miles tonight and my route is sorted - an extension of my normal run taking in the lawless lands of Acton which makes me slightly nervous. So at about 19:30 I am out of the door and heading down the road and I mean road as the first path I would have to negotiate has 2 inches of solid ice over it so I take my chance with the slush and the buses. After a couple of minutes I reach the A40, I forgot when I set out that the path along the A40 is little used and definitely not gritted so for the first half mile I run-slide-stumble-run until I reach Wood Lane. It's fairly plain sailing for a while on major paths although there is the occasional need to take to the road for safety. As I pass the Princess Victoria (still no news of sponsorship - boo!) I have to move out into the bus lane as the paths are sheer ice. Suddenly a snow-ball lands about 5 yards to my left, it's a group of kids outside a refugee/battered wives/asylum house looking for victims, fortunate for them I am on a training schedule or a would divert and unleash a 6-pack of whup-ass on them. I sprint across the traffic junction narrowly avoinding an Audi A4 because the twat of a driver was indicating right but went straight on, I'm findig it hard to maintain cool and leave the 6-pack unleashed. I enter Acton and turn up passed the Park health club. This is a testing little uphill stretch, tonight even more testing due to the ice. I find myself running on the spot so move onto the road. With about a mile to go I am back on the A40 and picking the best path through the glacial surroundings. The run is over and that was actually my easiest 5 miler, the training is paying off. Back indoors for shower, food, tidying up and getting ready for this evenings child sick.



FCB - 5 DP - 2 visible H - 2