Banished indoors

Here in Ottawa, we got our first major snowfall of the season yesterday. Altogether I'd say it probably amounted to 8-10 inches. We're also getting flurries right now, which will probably put another 2 inches or so on the ground. All of which means that I'm retiring to the treadmill until spring (unless all of this melts, which is possible given the long-range forecast, but unlikely).

Now, if the trails in Ottawa were plowed regularly, I would probably keep running until it got so cold that I'd be in danger of body parts falling off. I'd imagine it would be pretty nice to run along the frozen Ottawa River. However, since there are so many trails that the city can't justify spending any of its snowplow budget on them, and/or because the cross-country skiers would scream bloody murder if they had to ski on pavement, the trails are left alone during winter, making them completely useless to runners, bikers, or any other people who like to pretend we don't get winter. I could run on sidewalks, I suppose, but then I'm dealing with icy patches, cars that speed through puddles, plows, and OK yes I'm a wuss what do you want from me?

The 8/5/8 run last night went perfectly fine, so I'm attempting the 20-minute run tomorrow. The thought of me finally running a continuous mile is a bit intimidating, to be honest.