Runner’s high

Yesterday evening I had one of those runs.

It was dusk and a refreshing 13oC. My route took me through a quiet, mature neighbourhood with tree-lined streets and I was immersed in the rich red, orange and yellow hues of the season. I breathed in the crisp and refreshing fall scents and felt the leaves crunch beneath my feet.

I was cruising along at a decent clip, enjoying tunes on my new Ipod (awesome Birthday gift from awesome friends) and loving every minute of it. It was almost disappointing to stop when I got to the gym where hubby was meeting me, except that I was pooped from charging up an ugly hill toward the end.

Stats were: 8.20KM – 43:25 – 5:17/KM

Pretty quick for me! It got me thinking about goals for the 10K ZooRun this Saturday. My PR is 49:10, but that was at a primarily downhill race on a straight stretch of road, whereas this will be a winding route through the zoo with all kinds of ups and downs. I think I’ll target a 5:15 pace for a finish around 52:30, but I won’t be surprised with something closer to 55 minutes. In the end, it should be a fun race with a bunch of friends and I’ll definitely enjoy the change of scenery.