Seeking a better country...

Ah.  A great day with temps in the high 40's.  I left work early to squeeze in a run before darkness fell.  As I exited Legacy, there was a huge cloudburst right over my planned route.  I drove through a maelstrom of hail, wondering if I would be forced inside.  By the time I pulled in the driveway, the weather abated.  I changed quickly and got out the door.  

I had been looking forward to this run all day, reflected by my fastest mile up to the BST ever.  (9:39, including 400+' of climb)  The road was wet, but well drained, so mud wasn't much of a problem.   The view of the valley was incredible; a fantastic sunset was imminent.

 The trip back home on the pavement was less resplendent, but still great.  Breathing freely outside was a welcome change, and the sunlight reflecting orange off  the clouds gave everything an otherworldly appearance.

Overall pace for the run was 8:20, which represents a solid effort given the terrain.  Splits are: 9:39, 9:57, 8:26, 8:47, 7:43, 7:32, 7:00, 7:33. 

I've been dreading this 5 mile tempo run since I missed it last week while we were perusing the offerings at Disneyland.  This week is "stepback" so I figured I could do a make-up today.  

Usually these entries have a weather and air quality report, so I'll say it was around freezing, with a slight wind from the west and clear air.  Running 10 yards from a highway probably negates any clean air advantages.  Also, running directly east of a sewage treatment plant when there is a slight wind from the west tends to reduce the air quality, at least in the smell department.

So I warmed up for 1.675 miles, and pushed start.  6:47, 6:47, 7:03, 7:04, 6:50.  Cooled down for the balance.  I'll blame the 7:03 for decelerating to turn around.  I have no answers for the 7:04.  I was gratified to hold pace.  I felt side-achy for 40-60 seconds during the last miles, then it would go away.

7 miles @ 8:40 on the treadmill.  I never really got in a groove.  Probably should have gone outside.

My son dropped me off where the pavement ends, which saved 400' of climb.  BST to Freedom hills, 3 loops around the park then home.  It was a nice afternoon, and Tyler got the tile all cut for the bathroom counters while I was gone.  Now I gotta set it and grout it to be ready for sinks.  The kids will be excited.  I'm not.

Thus ends the stepback/recovery week.  I haven't even looked ahead to see what lies in wait...ignorance is bliss.  How long does it take for 6:45 to feel like 7:30?