in the zone

I had planned to run on Saturday, but ended up down at my wife's grandmother's house - the new one. It is almost finished! In fact, we spent the night in it Friday night. Almost all of the furniture had already been delivered, no appliances yet and the kitchen wasn't finished yet either, but other than that it was very 'liveable'. While down there, I hung some pictures on the walls, moved the furniture in the appropriate spots (being the architect who designed the house I knew where I wanted the furniture to be - I know, sounds egotistical, but it really was the best arrangement of the furniture).

So, that brings us to today. I woke up later than usual (8am) and decided I was getting outside for a run. It had already reach the high for the day - 39 degrees. So, I suited up and got ready and out the door I went. I decided to keep it short - about 5 miles seemed right for the day. I headed to the front of the neighborhood jamming to an updated eccletic mix of music (OK Go, Raconteurs, Kanye West, Snow Patrol, Johnny Cash, Eminen and a little Franz Ferdinand to name just a few). I felt pretty good, even happy to be outside - even in the cold, drizzly weather. I was feeling slow, but strong, so I just went by how I felt. I headed to the neighborhood across the street from me, wound around and back out to the main road and headed towards the historic Fort Harrison area. I went out about 5k and then turned around. I was feeling great by this point - something that I haven't felt in a little while. I picked up the pace some more and it felt fine. About a mile from home I picked it up some more. It was starting to feel a little tougher, but it felt good. I was able to finish strong, my last half mile was run at an 8:00/mile. Overall I ran 5.5 mile at an average pace of 8:32/mile... my speed is coming back.

An easy week coming up (I think). I think I can even catch my breath at work and get some quality runs in this week - the big race is on Thanksgiving morning - I can't wait...