Ice, ice baby

Today was pure mayhem in the McCann Center track. Every -- and I mean every -- men's distance group was working out. That's close to 30 men! On top of that, many women who worked out on Monday were getting their laps in on the track. And several other guys who were not working out were doing laps. And then, the sprint crew came in toward the tail end of this scene.

It was a three-ring track circus, and it was crazy.

Fortunately, everyone peacefully co-existed and no one got hurt. A minor miracle.

The reason for the sudden interest in this rather unspectacular 160-meter oval was the nasty "wintry mix" that blasted our area with about 4 inches of snow, followed by freezing rain and then finally ice. Ice! Nothing worse than a coating of ice.

Walking out to my car after practice was pure adventure. I tend to be a klutz anyway -- I've been known to trip and fall doing something as innocuous as walking out to my mailbox in broad daylight. Throw in a sheet of ice and, well, it was one nervious 10-minute skate to the car.

The workouts went well, as we continue to plod through this winter. A quick check of my favorite weather Web sites indicates another potential snowstorm on Friday, another one next week, interspersed with Arctic chill.

I'm not one to complain about this stuff. But I will say this: Give me snow and cold any day over ice, ice baby ...