For the first time in two weeks I did an outdoor run in my neighborhood rather than on the track. It was a nice change of scenery but I have been spoiled by the level surfaces of the treadmill and track. Today’s street run was a lot more challenging with hills and hard pavement but I felt pretty good at the end. I’m pleased that running three miles, once a stretch goal, is now a standard distance for me. I have also been improving my pace on longer runs. My goal is to break 9:00/mi on the 5K.

Although I’ll likely do more track than street running going forward I do think a mix of surfaces and elevations are important for balanced conditioning. Besides that, I really like running through my neighborhood with many houses decorated for the holidays and crossing paths with the occasional neighbor out doing their own early morning run.