Is it spring yet?

DC, I am sorry to say this, but you suck. Or rather, your weather and ability to shovel sidewalks leaves something to be desired. I had a delightful 12 mile run planned for Monday, a straight shot down the George Washington Parkway towards Mount Vernon then loop back to my house. This was not meant to be. Mountains of snow covered chunks of the trail and 4 inch thick ice rendered it impossible for me to cross sections of the riverside path. I made it four miles down the trail before I was forced to turn around.

However, my long run was not to be so easily defeated. After making it back to my starting point, I decided to check out the northern half of the trail, which by and large was equally impassable. Luckily, the nearby Dyke Marsh Trail was comparatively lacking in ice (aka slightly less chance that I'd break my neck) so I finished off the last four miles with a little trail running. Very beautiful in the marsh and absolutely dead silent - just imagine this lovely photo with a solid 4 to 5 inches of snow on everything. And despite the weather forecasters' doomsday predictions, the sleet managed to hold off until the last mile of my run, thank goodness.

In better weather, I definitely recommend that anyone in or visiting the DC area to check out the Mount Vernon trail. The trail is a scenic running/biking path that follows the Potomac River for 18 miles and is definitely better paved then the pot-holed path along the East River in NYC. If you're looking for a longer run, at the northern end of the Mount Vernon trail it's simple to hook up to the W&OD Path, which runs for 45 miles throughout Northern Virgina.

Coming up this weekend: double races! Saturday is the 4 mile Run for Haiti - sign up now if you haven't. Not only do all race fees go to New York City's Haitian Relief Fund, but NYRR just announced that this race will count as a double qualifier credit for members trying to complete their 9+1 in order to auto qualify for the 2011 New York Marathon. Exciting! Then on Sunday, Smithies and I are running the Cherry Tree 10 miler in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. I don't plan on racing the 10 miler, but instead will treat it as a tempo/training run for March's 15K. Either way, should be a lot of fun and our first time running in Brooklyn. Keep your fingers crossed the weather is good!