First Runs

First footing was out of bounds this year following the big freeze, the garden and footpaths have been snow-covered for 44 consecutive days which must be the longest since 1962. We also had 11 days without any water although it finally spluttered back just before the bells and presaged my last bath of the year.   Ice has been welded onto the pavements by a freeze-thaw process which has made it almost impossible to negotiate the footpaths, they have become mini glaciers. Pedestrian movement has not been helped by snow ploughs piling the road snow onto the footpaths to confirm that vehicles are more important than people - and how sustainable is that.  Admittedly the pavements to the school have been scraped twice by diggers but, as well as ice, chunks of asphalt have been torn up at the same time.  Forget any ambitions of integrated transport it would be progress if only roads and footpaths could be managed as one. 

In fact, it was 4 days before I ventured out for my first run of the year. A thin veneer of snow had provided some footing on the hard frozen slush and I managed 4 miles without a single fall.  A neighbour, not known for her empathy, hollered me as I skidded past her to 'take care it's treacherous, you're not as young as you were although still as mad'.  I reflected as I continued the run whether I would have preferred  'young' and 'mad' the other way round but concluded that it was probably better to be still mad than still young. I will record it as a contender for my epitaph.

And now I have managed another two runs, yesterday on a 4cm layer of powder snow which made running seem like floating on air and then today on 10cm of wet snow which was like, well, wading through 10cm of wet snow.  The real beauty of running at this time of the year in these conditions is the intensity of this baltic winter: ice flows in the river, icicles drooping from roofs, sharp mountain silhouettes, birch saplings coming through for air, breath like a steam locomotive, tracks of animal movements.  The landscape is from Dr Zhivago - maybe that's why I am running - Lara may make an appearance. 

So I am back on my 2011 target for running at least, and reading is going well. I received a Kindle at Christmas and I am finding Blair's 'A Journey' an enjoyable read. It is reflective, surprisingly honest, down to earth, largely devoid of jargon, good on leadership and change but shallow on policy. He may have blown his reputation by supporting George Bush in the invasion of Iraq but his selling out of public services to private contractors seeking to extract profits from the public purse was an equally bad call. In the wider scheme of things and watching Cameron's austerity policies take effect, Blair will probably be remembered as one of the better post-war prime ministers.