"Oh shit. I need to run."
So I donned my Under Armour, then layered warm things over it, and began what I believe was my first sub-freezing run since I left UMass after Spring 08. I was pretty well dressed for it, though I will need to buy some warm, but lightweight, gloves for the winter ahead.
I wasn't sure where, exactly, I was gonna run, but I knew I wanted it to be shorter and a little
more challenging, so I made a variation, on the fly, to a 2 mile speed course that I like to run on summer nights and went with that. The resulting route is to the right. It starts, as all runs from my house have and will, with a downhill, this time a long, slow decline (from point A/F to the middle of the first curve), then a small-mediumish hill (middle of curve to B). Point B to point C is a nice, level straightaway. Point C to Point D, however, is the biggest part of the variation. This stretch is a steep incline, perhaps the steepest in the immediate area. Due to this fact, I have nicknamed it "Heartache Hill", as a less severe homage to Heartbreak Hill. Heartache Hill's downside goes from D almost to E, and from there, it's a slow, steady climb back home.
I did this 2.3 mile course in about 20 minutes, which, considering the new element in the hill and the bitter cold, I'm relatively pleased with. 8:41 pacing is fine by me, at least this time. The post title, for those of you who are curious about these sorts of things, comes of course from the Ben Folds song of the same name, which came on during the home stretch of my run, and gave me a nice boost of energy, as well as the fact that almost all of my runs take place in a borderline Agrestic suburban neighborhood.
Anyway, off to bed. Long day tomorrow.
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