Notes
The new shoes might be a bit large, but either way they are worthless on less than pristine roads. Not that I expected any different. I wound up mostly sticking to the larger roads tonight to make it easier to run on, and as long as I was using the larger roads I decided to get a little speed play in so I ran it fartlek style. Basically, when I could run in the middle of the road and there was no traffic, or I at least had some non-icy footing, I ran fast. Otherwise, I slowed up and moved to the side.
Traffic was obviously worse than usual as I wasn't in no outlet neighborhoods for the majority of the run, but it wasn't as bad I expected it to be. Not starting the run until 7:30 pm probably played a minor role in that.
7 miles in 50 minutes.
My back (specifically, below my left shoulder) has been killing me for the last few days. Trying a "Tiger Balm" patch tonight to see if it makes a difference. I don't smell it, but my wife could tell when I put it on from a few rooms away. (I have no sense of smell.)