Let There Be (More) Light

Yesterday's Run: Road. 46 degrees. 3.6 miles; Splits: 8:51; 8:47; 8:08; 4:45; 30:31; 8:28/mile average pace.

Today's Run: Road. 30 degrees. 4.25 miles; Splits: 9:04; 8:51; 8:43; 8:25; 2:01; 37:04; 8:43/mile average pace.

I'm so psyched. It's FINALLY happened. We the people of Connecticut have started experiencing a later sunset. Yes, during the next week we actually gain 3 more minutes of sunset. Wow, an entire extra 3 minutes before sunset. A month from now we will have gained 25 minutes of sunlight. Even though I received my Duravision Pro Reflective Armband with 4 LED Lights today from RoadRunner Sports today and wore it during my run, I can't wait to pack it away. Can you tell I'm not a winter person?
Well, two more runs on the road, close to home. I do miss the linear trail, but I don't know if all the snow has melted off it from last Wednesday's snowstorm, and of course it's not lit so I don't have time to run it during the week. My still unnamed and probably never to be named Garmin Forerunner 305 (See December 9 post)and I are definitely BFF right now. We go out and run about and as long as we arrive home in 30 minutes or more, we're both happy. I'm not sure that probably never to be named Garmin Forerunner 305 was being truthful yesterday...it sure didn't feel like I ran an 8:08 mile 3 split. But hey, who am I to argue? Anytime weekdays that all my splits are under 9 minutes and I run at least 30 minutes, life is good. My simple goal this time of the year is to get out at least 2 days during the week and run for at least 30 minutes, preferably before dark. If I break 9 minutes per mile that's even better. I'm hoping to run more miles during the weekend, weather permitting. So overall, if I run 4 or 5 days a week, for at least 30 minutes a run, preferably with split times of less than 9 minutes, than I'll be happy. There's no pressure for me to perform right now. I don't have any races in mind until at least March. Plus Connecticut weather is too unpredictable this time of the year, and it's the holidays, so why stress out? I'm continuing to run negative splits every time, so that's a bonus. Even though I only ran 4 1/4 miles today, my legs and right knee were letting me know that tomorrow's a day of rest. Friday will probably also be a rest day, since my daughter and I are decorating our Christmas tree and home. That should allow me to be well rested for a longer Saturday run, providing the beer and pizza on Friday don't convince me otherwise. Time to go catch up on what all of you are doing..