The Urban Obstactle Course, or Where the Sidewalk Ends

Running in the city in winter is challenging.

For every person who shovels their side walk, there is another who only shovels half (generally from their door to their driveway or car) and yet another who doesn't shovel at all.

Sometimes there is a side walk...and then it disappears under snow, or ice, or some combo of the two. And when it's snow, it can be a giant bank of the white stuff that the plow left or a car owner dumped when digging out their car.

Those big snow banks need to be climbed over. Or skirted, like the ice that forms in lots of places, on the side walks and on the street.

They also block drivers' view and runners' view and need to passed with caution. Dayglo yellow is imperative.

Trash day adds a new element of this obstacle course...what side walk there is, is often blocked by trash and recycling bins, as well as whatever else has been left for the garbage men, including but hardly limited to furniture, television sets (which subsequently sit around because the city won't take them in trash), building materials and tree branches.

Running is fun and challenging and hard even on a good day...but the Urban Obstacle Course makes it all the more so.

I like a challenge, bring it on!