Wednesday Run

Wednesday afternoon I headed our for an hour run on the Luce Line trail. It was another beautiful Indian summer day with temps near 65. I was able to go out in shorts and a t-shirt. It's hard to believe we're already into November!
I took Henry and we headed out towards Watertown, since I think that's the most scenic, and I'd have a headwind to start. It's great because that part of the trail passes lakes, fields, and huge stands of trees. My favorite section is about 3 miles out, and you run past a lake, and then into this canopy of trees that makes you feel like you're really out in the wilderness. I think I slow down, just to enjoy the crunching of leaves under my feet, and to gaze at the trees over my head. The sun was just starting to set, so it really illuminated the tree tops. It was so cool.
On the outbound 3 miles, I ran relatively easy, and averaged a 9:40 pace or so. I had my GPS on, so I figured I should check my race pace again before sunday. For the first 2 miles back I really pushed the pace, and found myself holding an 8:15 pace. And feeling good. The last mile in I used as a cool down. I could've run forever. It was such a perfect night, and you could feel the different temps of the air pockets as you ran through the different areas. And I felt strong, even at a faster pace, so I just enjoyed the feeling of running fast and listening to my mp3 player provide a soundtrack to the crunching of leaves under my feet.
Good times...