Saturday Double

Total miles: 10.4

Morning:
Ran 5.6 miles @ 8:20/mile pace.
Paved roads.
Very hilly.
Weather: 2o degrees.

Afternoon:
Ran 4.8/miles @ 7:29/mile pace.
Paved roads.
Slightly hilly.
Weather: 32 degrees.

Morning run:
Because of grad school obligations today, I opted to do a double and headed out into the darkness this morning at 4:50am. It was 20 degrees out, but I was adequately dressed with wind pants, long johns, Gore-tex jacket, mittens, balaclava, beanie, and my trusty headlamp. The roads were quite icy, but when possible I'd run in the middle of the road which was ice-free. Traffic is not an issue, especially this early on a Saturday morning. I headed up to the top of the hill and saw that the dirt road I normally turn off at was still covered with unpacked snow. Luckily, this is almost exactly the half-way point, so I simply turned around and got in the same mileage. I also avoided encountering that German Shepard by doing this (but I still had my pepper spray with me as a precaution).

Afternoon run:
The temperatures had warmed up but with an overcast sky it still seemed a bit dreary out. I ran right after my class was over to take advantage of the daylight. Conditions were still icy, but being that it was daylight the dangerous patches were easier to spot. Good run, and I'm looking forward to my long run tomorrow. As an added bonus, temps are expected to climb to the mid-40s tomorrow. Woohoo!