What a difference a week makes!

So, as you may recall, I had a rough run last weekend. Proving that I can’t learn from experience, I headed out on the same loop Sunday afternoon, with the temperatures somewhere in the 20s.

Actually, I didn’t head out intending to run the same loop. My general idea was to do the 5-ish mile loop down to River Road, and back via Old Mystic – out of the wind, and a kind and gentle loop. Mostly I was heading out to make sure I wasn’t falling way behind in my Nike+ New Year’s resolution.

Anyway, I crested Cow Hill coming from my house, straight over the hill, figuring that it’d be best to get the hard stuff out of the way immediately. And I felt good, even though my toes were blocks of ice, and the wind was stinging my face.

So, when I came down to Bindloss Road, I didn’t head downhill to River Road, but said “Hey, why not at least run to the next cross-road, and add another half-mile or so?” And I felt good, felt a flush on my face, and unzipped the top inch or so on my softshell.

And when I passed Starr Street, I said “Hey, why not run down to the Baptist Church, and see what’s cookin’ on Main Street?” And I wiggled my toes, and they were warm.

And, as I ran down Main Street, taking in the early evening, taking in the waning light, the air, and the view up the valley mirrored in the stillness of the river, I said “Let’s do the loop.” And I crossed the drawbridge.

On the backside, I made a conscious effort to keep the pace down, and my heart and breathing under control, and finished the 7.2 mile loop without worry.

The downer, though, was that when I stopped the iPod, Lance Armstrong said in my ears “Wow, that was an amazing workout! You really burned a lot of calories!” Which, to my ears, sounded like “Yeah, lard-butt, if you weren’t carrying all that extra weight, you might really be a runner…” Plus, it also sounded like permission for wings and beer while I watched the Pats lose.