9:00 AM - Woke up early and had coffee on the front porch with dad. We were laughing because the radio station was offering front row tickets to Journey and all you had to do was call in and identify the song they were playing. Dad got it right away but kid you not we listened to over twenty people guess the wrong song. I don't know if it was staged or what, but it was just downright pitiful! I believe the song was "City Lights" and the guy even said, "Listen to the first line of the song!". Told my dad he should've called in. It was kind of cold this morning, definitely felt like fall. Sunny and blue skies, temp was about 50 degrees when I woke up.
I wanted to get a trail run in, and now that I know you can run at the Wilton 5k course whenever you want I decided to go there for a change of pace. Told myself had to do at least two loops though, as only doing a 5k would not be worth the 35 minute car ride! Temp was 56 at the start. Was gorgeous. I felt strong. Got some sand down my socks and a pinecone wedged between the tongue of my left shoe and my ankle. Pretty neat stuff. The ups and downs took their toll, and my left knee was starting to feel the undulations by the end. Doesn't hurt as much now though. Was a lot of fun. After the first loop grabbed a sip of water and hit the trails for loop #2. When I finished that one I saw a white SUV was in the parking lot and as I was stretching the owner was just finishing up a loop. I don't know her personally but I recognize her from the 5k series. I smiled at her and she smiled back. We both agreed it was lovely weather for a run! Oh I saw a Karner Blue Butterfly too on the trail today, which is good considering the Wilton Wildlife Preserve works to preserve this species of butterfly specifically. Splits today were:
- Mile 1: 8:47
- Mile 2: 8:38
- Mile 3: 8:28
- Mile 4: 8:37
- Mile 5: 8:18
- Mile 6: 8:19
Total Time: 52:44 Total Distance: 6.2 miles Average Pace: 8:30
The run today gave me confidence that I can run trails at a pretty even pace. It also shows that I have strength and even though I am winded after the races, I have endurance at a slightly slower pace that some of the other runners might not have. I think if I keep up a base during the winter that next year, I will be back to running more consistent times, especially if I shed some weight and figure out this leg imbalance conundrum. | 
