10K @ 10 degrees

Where is my neck you ask?! Why it's just hiding beneath that snazzy buff!

Today my marathon training plan called for a 10-K race. Being in Vermont and all, there weren't any 10-K races going on nearby (apparently no one organizes races in January, in Vermont. Shocking really). So in true 2013 fashion, I made up my own race. You know, a race against myself. I decided to run 3.1 miles in one direction, then turn around and run back. 

I started off heading north on Pine St. I knew I'd be going into the wind (and uphill) for the first half of the "race" but the first two miles were still pretty tough. The sidewalk was covered with a thin layer of snow/slush in some places and I definitely felt like I was running slower given the effort I was putting in (oh the joys of winter running). 

After crossing Church St. and heading out towards the old north end I picked up the pace and started to feel like I was actually "racing". After a couple of straightaways and turns I hit 2.83 miles and decided to turn around. I continued to push the pace and the few times I looked at my Garmin I saw numbers in the 8's which was quite exciting (most likely because I was running downhill at this point). 

I reached the turn to my parents' neighborhood and my watch read 5.45 miles. I decided to forgo the turn and continued straight for another quarter mile. After I turned around at ~5.8 miles I found that I was running directly into the wind again, agh! Luckily I knew that I was almost done so I kept the pace quick for the last half mile towards home. 

Final time: 53:25 minutes (a "PR" for this distance!)

And for no one else's interest but my own, here are the splits:

Split	Time	Distance	Avg Pace
Summary	53:25.3	6.20	8:37
1	9:04.5	1.00	9:05
2	9:50.4	1.00	9:50
3	8:47.6	1.00	8:47
4	8:24.9	1.00	8:24
5	7:55.0	1.00	7:54
6	7:51.1	1.00	7:51
7	1:31.9	0.20	7:34

All in all, a very, VERY cold run. I was very happy to be inside at the end of this. 

And keeping with one of my goals for the year of regular yoga sessnions, I was able to make it to the South End yoga studio for an hour of vinyasa yoga with Momma! 

It has been a solid Saturday so far. 

I hope you are all staying warm!