Notes
I went out late in the day today, gambling a bit on the weather- it was warm and humid in the morning, though it was to get much worse as the day went on, but there was a 60% chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon that would cool things off and bring some welcome rain for running in. I decided to push the run back and hope the rain came in time for my run, and fortunately it did. The high temps of mid-day dropped dramatically and I went out for my run during the tail-end of the rain which made for a wonderfully pleasant run. I headed up Hardscrabble to 120, taking Valley Ln for distance, then went up 120 to McKesson Hill, Lawrence Farms Crossway, Kerry Ln, and then Roaring Brook Rd to HG. I took the most direct route home from there on Castle and straight down the hill (rather than looping past the church) and came back home in 61:30 for about 9.25 miles. I was surprised by the fast pace considering the fact that I was feeling so relaxed and smooth, but again that's a great thing to be seeing. I then followed the run with four strides just outside the house. That, of course, means that the run came to a bit more than 9.5 but I'll make up for it tomorrow.
Also, I got my new shoes yesterday (the updated model of my current shoes, in a beautiful neon green) and because of the slight pains I'd had in my right knee and hip decided to try them out right away. I was pleased to find that the pain went away very quickly, and even now a few hours after the run the pain is still gone. While it's a shame to retire my old shoes with only 450 miles on them, it's definitely worth it if that's what it takes to keep me healthy.