A Really Great Run this Morning

   I gave Rocky another day of rest, and I am pretty glad I did as I probably would not have had such a good run on the roads this morning. But first, yesterday's 2.3 miler (again without Rocky) which went pretty good though still a little sore in the calves. It was 21 degrees with a feels like 11, 9 mph NW winds and some flurries. I ran the 2.3 miles in 24:02 with an average pace of 10:27 min/mile:
Laps/splits:
Mile 1 - 10:51
Mile 2 - 10:15
.3      - 9:48
    Not a bad run at all.
This morning I found myself arguing with my mind and body, my alarm clock had gone off at 4:40 and I didn't want to get up. I kept trying to find excuses, thinking I would just as my mom to watch little bit and I'd run tonight. After 5 minutes of debating I finally said screw it and got up, I figured 5 miles wouldn't hurt and I would just take it easy. Most of the roads were clear when I got out the door, only my right calf was a little sore still but not bad. It was 18 degrees with a feels like 7, 8 mph S winds but not bad at all - I had my thermal long sleeve undershirt on, a florescent yellow long sleeve shirt and my florescent yellow windbreaker jacket to keep the wind off. I also had my nice warm northface gloves on, my head/ear band and a hat on. Can't remember, but I think my tights are Under Armour, and then my Drymax socks. The first mile was a bit chilly but not bad and I began to warm up after 15 minutes. 
It was a good a pace, and just before mile 4 I stopped for a breather as the really cold air can be a bit harsh. I had decided to run 6 instead of 5, and just before mile 5 I found myself picking up the pace. Before I had reached mile 6 I decided I would run 7 miles with the last mile being kind of a cool down.......... it didn't go that way. This was a really good run, it definitely made up for the last few days of tough running and soreness - by the time I had reached mile 4 my soreness was completely gone and my legs were feeling great. I ended up running 7 miles in 1:08:17 with an average pace of 9:45 min/mile, it felt great and I really hope Sunday's 12 miler feels this great whether it is on the trails or road (hoping and praying for the trails to be in a more merciful condition).
Laps/Splits were:
Mile 1 - 10:54
Mile 2 - 10:28
Mile 3 - 10:27
Mile 4 - 10:07
Mile 5 - 9:23
Mile 6 - 8:28
Mile 7 - 8:27

   As soon as my garmin lapped 7, it said the 8th lap was reaching a 7:09 min/mile pace...... pretty cool :)
On the Runningahead.com training log they have a widget tool that is called Rolling Run totals - showing you how many miles you've ran in the last 7 days and in the last 30 days.
Last 7 days: 28.5 miles (5:18:54)
Last 30 days: 120.3 miles (21:04:50)
Pretty cool, I didn't start taking notice until last night so I figure 120.3 miles in the last 30 days is really good for me.