Boo!

Ran 10.7 miles @ 8:13/mile pace.

Ah, my Hills of Annihilation route. With most of the 630' of elevation gain concentrated in the first half, this route is known for making grown men break down and cry like wee little girls, and sending the rest fleeing in sheer panic. That is perhaps a bit overly dramatic, but it really is a challenging route.

My legs felt overworked and tired today. It wasn't until about halfway into the run and close to the highest point that I felt warmed up. Even after that, it was hard to go much faster, and on a good day with fresh legs, I'm pretty sure I could do this route at a 7:30/mile pace without pushing myself too hard. Judging by how I felt today, I may revise my plan this week and do a three mile run tomorrow instead of five, and do another three miles on Thursday instead of a speed workout. I'll decide for sure tomorrow.

Something funny worth noting: a little past four miles, a large, dead deer (a doe) was hanging from a tree limb in front of someone's house. I can only assume they were about to gut it. It'd be easy to say it was fitting for Halloween, but in reality, it's more fitting because it's hunting season.